Indigenous Knowledge and its Intertribal Transmission: sources of contemporary Mi'kmaq traditional practices [conference paper] (original) (raw)

Production of Sacred Space in the Mi'kmaq Powwow

The struggle of Newfoundland’s Mi’kmaq for recognition as First Nations has raised questions within their communities about what it means to be Mi’kmaq and how they differ from others. The Conne River Mi’kmaq powwow began in 1996 as a venue for expressing their indigenous identity to outsiders, but also as a means of sharing ceremonies and instilling certain values within the community. Powwows have strict rules and boundaries based on the conceived ‘sacredness’ of specific areas and the powwow ground as a whole. How is ‘sacredness’ defined in these spaces and what values are being reinforced? In what ways are these boundaries maintained and transgressions discouraged? This paper will analyse the Conne River powwow as a ‘re/produced’ space for performing indigeneity.

The Contemporary Powwow in Eastern Canada: A Practice of Gathering

Dalie Giroux & Amélie-Anne Mailhot, "The Contemporary Powwow in Eastern Canada: A Practice of Gathering" in Conrick, M. & Eagles, M. & Koustas, J. & Chasaide, C. N.. Landscapes and Landmarks of Canada: Real, Imagined, (Re)Viewed. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2017, pp. 243-260.

Conference Report. First Meeting of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, 21-23 May 2009, Department of American Indian Studies, University of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America

The Conference in Minnepaolis was the third in a series of three scheduled international scholarly meetings. The first was held in Oklahoma in May 2007 and the second in Athens, Georgia, USA. The Australian delegation this year was warmly welcomed and I believe that this was a direct result of such a strong representation and contribution by the Indigenous delegations in 2007 and 2008. The aim of these three scheduled meetings is to offer a chance to present scholarly work and to explore the possibility of creating a multidisciplinary academic association for scholars who work in American Indian/ Native American/ First Nations/ Aboriginal/ Indigenous Studies. It was envisaged that the association would be governed by the critical mass of individual scholars. The vision was for an academic association that can legitimise and institutionalise the work of our field, with the visioning commenced by Professor Robert Warrior. To date there has not been such an international association. It was resolved at the 2008 meeting in Athens that we as Native American and Indigenous Studies scholars: formerly establish the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association; go ahead with the third scheduled meeting 21

Conference Report of the First Meeting of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, 21-23 May 2009, Department of American Indian Studies, University of Minneapolis, Minesota, United States of America

The Conference in Minnepaolis was the third in a series of three scheduled international scholarly meetings. The first was held in Oklahoma in May 2007 and the second in Athens, Georgia, USA. The Australian delegation this year was warmly welcomed and I believe that this was a direct result of such a strong representation and contribution by the Indigenous delegations in 2007 and 2008. The aim of these three scheduled meetings is to offer a chance to present scholarly work and to explore the possibility of creating a multidisciplinary academic association for scholars who work in American Indian/ Native American/ First Nations/ Aboriginal/ Indigenous Studies. It was envisaged that the association would be governed by the critical mass of individual scholars. The vision was for an academic association that can legitimise and institutionalise the work of our field, with the visioning commenced by Professor Robert Warrior. To date there has not been such an international association. It was resolved at the 2008 meeting in Athens that we as Native American and Indigenous Studies scholars: formerly establish the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association; go ahead with the third scheduled meeting 21

Ancient MI'Kmaq Customs: A Shaman's Revelations

2004

I Resume The article describes Mi'kmaq life just before European contact, based on oral history related by a Mi'kmaq shaman to Father Pierre Maillard about 1740. Included in the narrative are such activities as the procure­ ment and cooking of food, fashioning of cooking vessels and canoes, creation and preservation of fire, treatment of animal bones, and thwart­ ing attacks by marine animals. Glimpses are also provided of certain sociological phenomena. The shaman's account is the only known record where a specifically named Mi'kmaq person discusses what life was like before the arrival of Europeans, or where we hear his actual words.

Disappointing Indigeneity: Powwow and Participation Among the Plains Apache

Based on ethnographic research in southwest Oklahoma between 2006 and 2009, this paper examines Plains Apache identity through the narrative of disappointment that is often associated with native nonparticipation in cultural activities, particularly powwow. While recent research on the Southern Plains focuses largely on powwow and powwow participants, this research explores the perspectives of Apache people who are rarely active in powwow. Rather than a rejection of native or Apache identity, the results suggest that nonparticipation is a reflection of a complex interplay between the participation requirements of material capital, cultural capital, and contemporary kinship obligations.