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Religious Experience and Symbols of Presence Amongst the People of Eastern James Bay

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Religious Experience and Symbols of Presence Amongst the People of Eastern James Bay RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE AND SYMBOLS OF PRESENCE AMONGST THE PEOPLE OF EASTERN JAMES BAY Jennifer Mary Davis Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University Montreal December 2007 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Jennifer Mary Davis 2007 ii Abstract This study enquires into the relationship between cultural symbolism and religious behaviour in the development of a hunting and gathering society, the Cree of Eastern James Bay. Charles Taylor in Sources of the Self (1989) suggests that an individual’s cultural framework is apt to inform the perception of an alternate paradigm. He argues that in order to evaluate adequately such an alternate paradigm the framework from which judgements are made needs to be identified and understood. This study offers a review of Taylor’s ideas associated with identity. At the beginning of each chapter the pertinent areas of Taylor’s discussion are put forward as a context for research. From the geographical, topographical and linguistic data an analysis of how the environment is perceived by the people themselves is provided. The symbols used arise from the interaction between the people and the environment and call for a detailed analysis of the relationship between the activity of hunting and the celebration of that activity in the community ceremony known as Walking-Out (Wiiwiitahaausuunaanuu). The ceremony is aimed at initiating the young and at developing character. In the interrelationship between all aspects of the environment, individual and communal character is developed in conjunction with a rich spiritual symbolism which forms the basis of religious expression in every dimension of Eastern Cree life. The intention is to show how the beliefs and practices of the people of Eastern James Bay have been and are being maintained, developed and transmitted. The embodiment of behavioural patterns leads to the development of a character best equipped to engage in the cultural heritage based on a hunting/gathering lifestyle. A community that bases its subsistence on the parameters of a natural environment such as that identified in the first chapter and experienced by the Eastern Cree has and will continue to develop a meaningful contextual framework or narrative capable of bringing order as well as retaining sufficient fluidity to cope with the changing needs of the community. iii Résumé Cette étude analyse le rapport entre le symbolisme culturel et le comportement religieux dans le développement d’une société de chasseurs-cueilleurs, les Cris de la rive est de la Baie James. Dans Sources of the Self (1989), Charles Taylor suggère que le cadre culturel est susceptible d'informer la perception d'un paradigme alternatif. Pour ce faire, le cadre à partir duquel les jugements sont produits doit être identifié et compris. Cette étude comporte un examen critique des idées de Taylor concernant la question de l’identité. Au début de chaque chapitre, les thèmes abordés sont résumés et offrent ainsi un contexte pour la recherche. L’analyse de la façon dont l'environnement est perçu par les Cris eux-mêmes fait appel à des données géographiques, topographiques et linguistiques. Les symboles reliés à l'interaction entre le peuple et son environnement appellent une analyse plus détaillée de la relation entre les activités de la chasse et la célébration de cette dernière dans la cérémonie Wiiwiitahaausuunaanuu visant l’initiation des jeunes et le développement du caractère. La relation étroite entre tous les aspects spirituels de l’environnement favorise le développement du caractère autant individuel que communautaire, et donne lieu en même temps à un riche symbolisme à la base de l'expression religieuse des Cris de l’Est de la Baie James. L'intention est de montrer comment la croyance et les pratiques des Cris de l'Est de la Baie James se sont maintenues, développées et transmises. Une attention spéciale est apportée au processus d'incorporation des modèles comportementaux concernant un développement du caractère conduisant à s’engager activement dans un style de vie fondé sur les activités de chasse et de cueillette, dans le respect de l’environnement et de l’héritage religieux présent dans leur culture. Le défi à relever consiste pour les Cris dans le développement d’un cadre de vie qui puisse contribuer à la fois au maintien du style de vie et à une fluidité suffisante pour faire face aux besoins changeants. iv Acknowledgements My first encounter with indigenous peoples came through a research study on New France undertaken as a history project for Dr. Osar Cole-Arnal. His encouragement led me to conclude that I, as an immigrant, needed to understand my place in Canada in relation to the first peoples of the country. Dr. Robert Kelly introduced me to the research of Charles Taylor, which led me to live and work among people whose cultural framework was radically different from my own. The people of Eastern James Bay with whom I lived and worked became the subtlest of instructors as they incorporated me into their culture. I learned from these people that their cultural initiation is one that is always evolving in relationship with others. Former chief Kenneth Gilpin and the Eastmain Band offered me the opportunity to apprehend firsthand many of the nuances associated with an alternate cultural paradigm. To the Band I offer this research in the hope that it may reflect back to the people the education I received. Many individuals, indigenous and non-indigenous, have supported me during my research. I am indebted to Archbishop Caleb Lawrence who encouraged me to continue my studies, Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, who welcomed me to Montreal and helped to make study possible, and Professor Gregory Baum who, before his retirement, led me through the course-work and associated comprehensives. His reflective affirmation along with his direct enquiries engaged me in a conversation which has strengthened the understanding of my northern cultural experiences. I have been fortunate to find in Professor Maurice Boutin a supervisor of unprecedented calibre. His unwavering dedication to this project has challenged me to address the research from a phenomenological perspective. His insights as thesis supervisor have evoked a deeper search for meaning and an interpretation based on clarity of perception. v Others have supported my research, offered insights and facilitated enquiry: Laird Christie from Wilfrid Laurier University, Gerbern Oegema, Patricia Kirkpatrick, Ellen Aitken, and Torrance Kirby from the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill. Added to these are Toby Morantz and Colin Scott from the Department of Anthropology at McGill. Their thoughtfulness and constructive provocation has encouraged me to focus this research. I would be remiss if I did not thank certain individuals whose lives have intersected with my own and who shared their knowledge and encouragement. Theresa Dolinsek who welcomed me ‘home’ after a difficult surgical procedure not long after I came to live in Canada. She left with me the intense feeling of ‘belonging.’ Along the journey of discovery there are people I have come to know and respect such as Margaret Cheezo, Community Education Administrator who has aided me in Cree language, Dorothy Gilpin, Principal of the Wabannutao Eeyuu school, Sharon Moses Gilpin, Documentation Technician, and my e-mail correspondent Richard Preston whose long association with another Eastern Cree community has been invaluable to my research. People like Jacob and Ann Sealhunter of Chisasibi, Annie Tomatuk, Daniel Moses, and Chris Merriman of Eastmain, have all willingly contributed to my research. To Ruffin Isaya and Ethel Blais, former teachers in Eastmain now living in Montreal, I give my thanks for sharing their Montreal home with me as I travelled to and fro to continue my research. Added to these are my family, my daughters, Corinne and Melanie, and their partners, whose lives have become enriched through the experiences of northern Canada. By maintaining the concept of home, and consistency in relationship even though separated by thousands of kilometres, their continued support for my work instilled a deep reciprocal respect for our respective endeavours. I hope their children, James, Cameron, Quinn, and Connor, and baby, as their lives unfold, will find this study thought provoking and stimulating. Despite the many difficulties associated with being separated by distance and for many months at a time, both in Eastern James Bay and Montreal, my husband, Karljürgen, has remained my primary focus. To him I dedicate this work. vi Contents Abstract .............................................................. ii Résumé............................................................... iii Acknowledgements ..................................................... iv Illustrations .......................................................... viii Abbreviations.......................................................... ix Glossary...............................................................x Introduction ...........................................................1 1. The People : Contextual Considerations ..................................9 1.1 Location of Indigenous Peoples .......................................10 1.1.1 Cartographic Evidence ..............................................10 1.1.2 The People of Eastern James Bay ......................................15 1.2 The Terrain ........................................................17
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