Dene (Nation); Environmental Attitudes; *Knowledge Acquisition; Northwest Territories; *Sense of Place; World Views
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 356 927 RC 019 102 AUTHOR Raffan, James TITLE Frontier, Homeland and Sacred Space: A Collaborative Investigation into Cross-Cultural Perceptions of Place in the Thelon Game Sanctuary, Northwest Territories. PUB DATE 9 Mar 92 NOTE 439p.; Ph.D. Dissertation, Queen's University, Canada. PUB TYPE Dissertations/Theses Doctoral Dissertations (041) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC18 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS American Indians; *Canada Natives; Cross Cultural Studies; *Cultural Differences; Eskimos; *Experiential Learning; Foreign Countries; *Interdisciplinary Approach; *Land Use; Sociocultural Patterns; Whites IDENTIFIERS Dene (Nation); Environmental Attitudes; *Knowledge Acquisition; Northwest Territories; *Sense of Place; World Views ABSTRACT This dissertation explores how landscape acts as teacher in shaping perceptions of place. At the core of the study is the Thelon Game Sanctuary, located in the central Northwest Territories of Canada. This contentious piece of land has been used historically and is claimed currently by both Dene and Inuit groups. The land also has an intriguing European exploration history, and is valued by various Euro-Canadians for its wilderness characteristics or for its potential for uranium mining. The Chipewyan Dene of Lutsel R'e (Snowdrift) and the Caribou Inuit of Qamanittuaq (Baker Lake) were major primary sources and active collaborators in this study, using project materials for local history and school activities. Using the literature of place for theoretical perspective and the principles of "new ethnography" for method, this investigation employs for analysis historical, scientific, and ethnographic texts, as well as songs, stories, reports, interviews, photographs, literature, poetry, and films. Analysis suggests that four major components contribute to a sense of place (that is, defining oneself in terms of a given piece of land). These land-bonds are toponymic (related to naming places), narrative (involving personal or group stories or legends), experiential (associated particularly with dependence and survival), and numinous (spiritual). The land as teacher in shaping sense of place is explored in the context of indigenous knowledge and models of experiential education. (Contains over 350 references.) (Author/SV) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ****************************************************tx.****************** FRONTIER, HOMELAND AND SACRED SPACE: A Collaborative Investigation into Cross- Cultural. Perceptions of Place in the e.tZ Thelon Game Sanctuary, Northwest Territories Cz4 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) /This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of new or opinions stated in th.sclocu. ment do not necessanly represent olhual OERI position or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN9RANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC).- by James Raffan A thesis submitted to the Department of Geography in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen's University Kingston, Ontario, Canada 9 March 1992 James Raffan, 1992 Abstract This dissertation explores how landscape acts as teacher in shaping percep- tions of place. At the core of the study is the Thelon Game Sanctuary, located in the central Northwest Territories of Canada. This contentious piece of land has been used historically, and is claimed currently in territorial negotiations, by both the Lutsel K'e Dene of Great Slave Lake and the Inuit of Baker Lake. It also has an intriguing European exploration history.Using the literature of place for theoretical perspective, and the principles of "new-ethnography" for method, this investigation employs for analysis historical, scientific, and ethnographic texts, in addition to songs, stories, reports, interviews, photographs, literature, poetry and films. Principal bource material is derived from interaction with land and people in Lutsel K'e (Snowdrift), Qamanittuaq (Baker Lake), and in the Sanctuary itselfas documented on film, audio tape and through various journal keeping techniques. Analysis using techniques including poetry, visual art, and discursive writing reveal land-bonds as a function of toponymic, narrative, experiential and numinous connections between people. Land-as-teacher is explored in the context of indigenous knowledge and models of experiential education. iii (I Acknowledgements Completion of a project with this scope and geographic range would have been be impossible without support from contributors in Cttawa, Toronto, Kingston, Peterborough, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Yellowknife, Baker Lake, Snowdrift and in the Thelon Game Sanctuary itself. Funds to carry out the project came from the Federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Northern Studies Training Grant Program; the Territorial Department of Economic Development and Tourism; the McLean Foundation; Telemedia Publishing; the Keewatin District Board of Education; and Queen's University. Logistical support came from Helen and Doug Batten who left the light on in Lakefield when I was working at Trent; Chris and Nancy Hanks and Mary McCreadie who made me welcome in their homes in Yellowknife; Tom Laurion, Cathy Furchow, David Pelly, and the people at Air Tindi in Yellowknife who helped with travel arrangements to and from the Sanctuary; Robert and Karen Filipkowski, Vince Steele and Karen Blair, Peter and Linda Porte, and Hugh and Ruth Tulurialik who made we welcome in Baker Lake; J.0 and Hannah Catholique who invited me into their home in Lutsel K'e; Robert Chisnall and Janine Papadopoulos who took on my teaching load at the Faculty of Education while I was on leave in 1990-91; thanks too to interpreters Archie Catholique and John Pudnak; Nick Coomber and Mike Greco at the Canadian Heritage River System; Max Finkelstein at the Canadian Parks Service; Fred Loosemore and Wally Schaber with Trailhead in Toronto and Ottawa; Jimm Simon and Robin Reilly at GNWT Department of Economic Development and Tourism; Bart Robinson at Equinox; Andrew Stewart of the McLean Foundation; and special appreciation to Janis L. Kozolanka, artist and former student, who graciously, willingly, and ex- pecting no compensation, took on the task of bringing to life in black and white the faces of people to whom I spoke with stunningly fine results. Advice and guidance for the field phases of this project came from Andrew Hammond and Anna Buss at the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories; Chris Hanks, Bob Gamble and Liz Seale at the Yellowknife office of the Canadian Parks Service; Joanne Barnaby at the Dene Cultural Institute and Kevin O'Reilly at the Dene Nation head office in Yellowknife; Tom Andrews at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre; with thanks too to Chris O'Brien, Jamie Bastedo, Cathy Bergquist, David Murray, Robin Aiken, M.J. Patterson, and Stuart Mackinnon. For counsel, moral support, and encouragement of one kind or another at one time or another, I am grateful to committee members C.E.S. Franks and W.G. Lovell; and to colleagues Arlene Stairs, Mac Freeman, Barry Riddell, Bob Gilbert, John Wadland, Bruce Hodgins, Sue Wurtele, Bill Crumplin, Miriam Grant and Mike Ripmeester, who bought beer and gave me eight hundred and one reasons to carry on. John Fallis's electronic notes from Simon Fraser made it easier to log onto the Queen's mainframe at 4:44 A.M. iv At the heart of the project were five individuals whose many and varied con- tributions were pivotal. Extra gratitude goes to my boss and Dean, Paul Park, at the Faculty of Education, who was an enthusiastic booster of the initiative since inception; to friend and colleague Bert Horwood who answered the phones, picked up the slack in the Outdoor and Experiential Education Unit at the Faculty of Education, dealt with students in my absence, and, in addition to all of that,al- ways had time to listen, read, proof, challenge, counsel, appreciate and laugh about the ups and downs of this project; to proof reader, tea brewar, cookie maker, transcriber, editor, letter writer, and Dragon Lady Jan Carrick, who fixed all the loose ends; to supervisor Brian Osborne, my colleague and mentor, who led and inspired by example, gave courage, and always engaged me and the project with respect, good humour, and as if there was nothing he would rather be doing; and not least to my spouse, Gail Simmons, who, with daughters Molly and Laurel, went the distance with grace, compassion, resilience, determination and lotsof lovebalancing full-time job and other commitments with months of fieldwork, weeks of late nights and early mornings, days of reading and editing drafts, and hours of supportive counsel, drawing especially on her expertise with Canadian literature, her inclination to listen, and her ability to do five things simultaneously in two or three different places. And finally I am grateful to the many consultants who gave freely of their time and knowledge to help me come to understand the various cultural perspec- tives on the Thelon Game Sanctuary: Barnabus Aarnasungaaq; Vera Akumalik; Nathaniel Angu'juaq; Luke Arngna'naaq; Silas Arngna'naaq; Terry Arngna'naaq; Marie Bouchard; Joe Boucher: Marie Cassaway; Zepp Cassaway; Annie Catholique; Archie