Knowing Our Peoples Through Our Stories FNAT 102 – Arts One Lecture Spring/2010
A Book with Three Nested Lessons Origin Stories as the basis for life, knowledge and values Transmitted history and lived experience as a lens into community life Critique and questioning of the scientific worldview
Origin Stories ( Remembering home and reality) How Son of Raven captured the Day Aint-tin-mit ( Son of Mucus) and Aulth-ma- quus Aint-tin-mit returns home (getting married) Aint-tin-mit and Biodiversity
Storied Reality Whole of life is characterized by relationships that are inherent and demand beneficial reciprocity The physical and spiritual world are one (heshook-ish tsawalk) Encouraged to depend on neighbours (aphey) Respect (isaak) Family & community maintenance vital in the face of he-xwa
An Insider’s View (base on ‘lived experience’) Oosumich –The protocol of spiritual transaction –Testing the continued validity of origin stories Hahuulthi –Governance –Decision making –Resource responsibilities & ownership Tloo-qua-nah –Putting the Pachitle in Potlatch –Remembering REALITY as remedy
Learning to be Quus Living in the house of Keesta Being taught to tupsweese Aware of protocols Living amongst extended family Preparing to perform Witnessing at feasts
Pachitle Rooted in origin stories Remembrance Feasts take care of every human need, politically, socially, economically and spiritually Spiritual preparation necessary for host & family Food prepared in the homes of host relatives (abundance is a spiritual blessing) Spiritual witnessing to spiritual activity Gifts a legal seal of that witness Esteem and spiritual power results from providing for ones community Note contrast to purposes and competitive interpretations outlined by anthropologists
A Critical Tone Reflective reaction to his own experiences and the position to these views from the social science communities Counters the assumptions behind the methodologies used by scientists who studied us Richard’s sharpness/tone as a reflection of the same criticism of orthodoxy that Harris identifies Remember Kulchyski (2000) speaks of… –Focusing on knowledge that comes from within –Questioning the dominant standards of inquiry –Legitimization & exploration of traditional knowledge –Turning to the qualitative