AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC ACCOUNT of TSIMSHIAN WIL'naat'ał, POLITICS, PEDAGOGY, and LAW By

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AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC ACCOUNT of TSIMSHIAN WIL'naat'ał, POLITICS, PEDAGOGY, and LAW By View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by British Columbia's network of post-secondary digital repositories RAVEN BLOODLINES, TSIMSHIAN IDENTITY: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF TSIMSHIAN WIL’NAAT’AŁ, POLITICS, PEDAGOGY, AND LAW by Spencer Greening B.A., University of Northern British Columbia, 2011 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA November 2017 © Spencer Greening, 2017 Abstract Raven Bloodlines, Tsimshian Identity is an ethnographic discussion on the sociopolitical values lived by the Tsimshian. This thesis is written from my own Tsimshian perspective, describing my pedagogical journey of Tsimshian identity, politics, and law in a matrilineal society. This thesis aims to recognize the inclusiveness and importance of matrilineal ties between intertribal communities, and highlight how western interpretations of anthropological literature have led to colonial influence in areas such as individualized rights, responsibilities, and land ownership amongst the Tsimshian. I interviewed the Tsimshian Hereditary Chiefs of my phratry to gain insight into the responsibility held to one’s family, community, and nation. By understanding and living ancestral sociopolitical values, my work aims to add to the discussion of Indigenous methods, ethnography, and pedagogy, while helping the reader gain insight into Tsimshian sociopolitical structure and its influence on intertribal relationships. ii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... v Chapter One: Introduction to the Research ............................................................................... 1 The Tsimshian ........................................................................................................................... 2 Phratries and Matrilineal Governing Bodies ......................................................................... 4 Wil'naat'ał ................................................................................................................................. 6 Luulgit ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Gugwilx’ya'ansk ........................................................................................................................ 8 How Does My Perspective Influence the Research? ............................................................ 13 Thesis Chapters ....................................................................................................................... 20 Chapter Two: Literature Review .............................................................................................. 22 The Nomenclature of Tsimshian Societal structure ............................................................ 25 The First Wave - The Boasian Period ................................................................................... 26 Post-Boasian Era ..................................................................................................................... 35 Gitksan, Nisga’a, and Nomenclature .................................................................................... 44 Chapter Three: Methodology .................................................................................................... 48 Ethnography ............................................................................................................................ 49 Autoethnography ..................................................................................................................... 52 Indigenous Research and Indigenous Research Methods ................................................... 55 Tsimshian Methodology ......................................................................................................... 58 Interviews................................................................................................................................. 60 Interview Questions ................................................................................................................ 61 iii Chapter Four: Results ................................................................................................................ 63 Interviews................................................................................................................................. 63 My own Autoethnographic Journey...................................................................................... 76 Chapter Five: Conclusion and Reflections ............................................................................... 87 The Literature and Data Collection ...................................................................................... 89 Wil’naat’ał ............................................................................................................................... 91 Looking Forward .................................................................................................................... 92 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 93 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 95 iv Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to recognize all of those who have been involved in this chapter of my journey. First, I would like to thank the łagyigyet, sm’gyigyet, sigidmhana’ax, and wilgagoosk that have guided me throughout my cultural, spiritual, and academic work. Words cannot express how much you have influenced me and the path I am on now. I hope one day I can pass down the teachings, knowledge, and love that you have shared with me. I would like to recognize my original supervisor, the late Wii Goot, James Andrew McDonald, whose lifework with the Tsimshian people will be remembered for generations. T’oyaxsn Wii Goot. You have influenced my life for the better, and if it wasn’t for you I would not have found this research or comfort in academia. Thank you Ross Hoffman for not only stepping in as my supervisor, but also for being a teacher, mentor, and ally for years. You have influenced how I see the world and my relationship with it in ways that you probably don’t realize. Your thought, care, and dedication means so much. I would like to thank my committee, Gary Wilson and Charles Menzies, for their academic support of this thesis; I have the utmost respect for your breadth of knowledge and the time and energy you put into my research. I would like to recognize some of my friends in the academic world who have always been a consistent support network in times of need: Dana Lepofsky, Nancy Turner, Chris Picard, Antonia Mills, Margaret Anderson, Tina Fraser, Judy Thompson, and Susan Marsden. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family for doing some of the most important work throughout this endeavor, by putting in the day-to-day support that kept me healthy and believing in myself. Wii T’oyaxsut nuusm. Chapter One: Introduction to the Research The path to self-determination is an intense process and key aspect of decolonization amongst First Nations people today. In this journey Indigenous peoples must establish and define territory, discuss contemporary and traditional forms of politics and law, and transfer knowledge such as history, language, and traditional ways of living. This is a path and process that we as Indigenous people have walked for millennia, but since colonization have seen it pushed into a fog of colonial influence. The colonial influence has made achieving any of the aforementioned tasks laborious, and engaging in the western arenas where we re- establish these relationships needs much attention in itself. I believe that the process of self-determination in a western political setting can potentially further colonial thought unless the methods being used are rooted within appropriate methodologies and Indigenous knowledge. In order to do this there must be a strong sense of identity and where that identity comes from. For the purpose of this research, I will be addressing the topic of identity amongst the Tsimshian of the Pacific Northwest Coast and how it has shaped governance, politics, and pedagogical processes. I will refer to identity in this context as “political identity.” This study focuses on political identity within a Tsimshian context, which is rooted in its hereditary governance systems. Because of this I will be discussing political identity and pedagogical processes from the perspective of a member of the Ganhada (Raven) phratry and the political relationship between an individual, his phratry, his tribe, and his nation on the Pacific Northwest Coast. Throughout this study, this assessment of political identity is 1 coupled with the Tsimshian political, legal, and social concept of wil'naat'ał (matrilineal bloodline). This thesis, outlines my understanding of political identity in relation to “wil'naat'ał,” how its role is understood or misunderstood in literature and current Tsimshian politics, and its inevitable role in Tsimshian
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