Deg Xinag Oral Traditions: Reconnecting Indigenous Language And Education Through Traditional Narratives Item Type Thesis Authors Leonard, Beth R. Download date 05/10/2021 22:16:27 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8930 DEG XINAG ORAL TRADITIONS: RECONNECTING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION THROUGH TRADITIONAL NARRATIVES A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Beth R. Leonard, B.A., M.Ed. Fairbanks, Alaska May 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3286620 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3286620 Copyright 2008 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEG XINAG ORAL TRADITIONS: RECONNECTING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION THROUGH TRADITIONAL NARRATIVES by Beth R. Leonard RECOMMENDED: .. Advisory) Committee Chair <0> Chair, Cross-Cultural Studies APPROVED: Dean, College of Liberal Arts Dean of the Graduate School Date 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract “Deg Xinag,” literally ‘local language’ is the westernmost of the Athabascan1 languages. The language area is also referred to as “Deg Hit’an,” literally, ‘local people’. The Deg Hit’an are often referred to inappropriately in anthropological and linguistic literature as “Ingalik,” a Yup’ik word meaning Tice-infested’. There are currently three villages in western, interior Alaska where this language is spoken and about 20 fluent speakers of this language remaining. As I proceeded through my graduate research I came to understand the significance of indigenous language revitalization in relation to its potential contributions to indigenous and cross-cultural education. These contributions include establishing and enhancing self-identity and self-esteem for indigenous students, as well as contributing in-depth knowledge about local environments thereby enhancing place-based and funds of knowledge educational models (Bamhardt and Kawagley 2005: 15; Moll 1990). This dissertation presents an interdisciplinary analysis of a complex, cosmological Deg Hit’an narrative entitled “ N if’oqay N i’idaxir ” or “The Man and Wife” told in the Deg Xinag language by the late Belle Deacon of Grayling Alaska (1987b). Deacon also told her own English version and titled this “The Old Man Who Came Down From Above the Second Layer of the World” (1987c). Underlying structures and meanings used in the contexts of Deg Xinag oral traditions are currently lacking in most published materials for this language, making it difficult to learn and consequently, develop 1 The term “Athabascan” has varied spellings within the literature, including “Athagaskan” and “Athabaskan.” In 1997, Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), the interior Alaska tribal consortium adopted a resolution stating their tribes’ preference of the spelling using “b” and “c.” Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Chlturally-appropriate language learning programs and curriculum. This analysis encompasses the fields of Alaska Native/indigenous studies, anthropology, and folklore/oral traditions using philosophical and pedagogical frameworks established by indigenous scholars including Gregory Cajete, Oscar Kawagley, and Greg Sarris. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. 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V Table of Contents Page Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents...........................................................................................................................v List Of Figures.............................................................................................................................. ix List Of Tables ............................................................................................................................... ix Preface............................................................................................................................................xi Acknowledgements xi i i CHAPTER 1................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction to the Deg Hit’an Area.......................................................................... 1 Deg Hit’an Resource Documents.............................................................................. 5 Personal Introduction...................................................................................................7 Education, Literacy and Oral Traditions: Personal Reflections.........................11 Endangered Languages..............................................................................................17 Learning D in a xin a g (Our Language): My Own Journey.....................................20 Deg Xinag Language Materials.............................................................................. 21 Language Learning Methods and Challenges........................................................22 Language Documentation: Initial Methodologies.................................................25 Chapter 1 Conclusion................................................................................................29 CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................................ 31 Introduction to Athabascan Oral Traditions..........................................................31 Oral Traditions: Aspects of Documentation and Analysis.................................. 33 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vi Page Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Subsistence Beliefs and Practices................. 36 Survey Of Selected Deg Hit’an Literature............................................................. 42 Hunting Narratives.................................................................................................... 43 Hunting Narratives Summary..................................................................................48 Che I Xudhoy Narratives............................................................................................ 48 Chel Xudhoy Summary............................................................................................. 60 Creation Narrative: Q ’idighidhilinh Axa Nixudhidhit Ts’in’...............................61 Summary of Selected Deg Hit’an Narratives.........................................................63 Translations From English To Deg Xinag: The Lord’s Prayer........................... 64 Translations Summary.............................................................................................. 67 Chapter 2 Conclusion............................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER 3 ................................................. 72 Introduction to“Engithidong Xugixudhoy: Their Stories of Long Ago” 72 Overview of “Long Ago” or “Far Distant Time” Narratives...............................75 Overview of the Recording Context........................................................................79 Overview and Analysis of “Nif’oqay N i’idaxin: The Man and Wife” ............... 82 Narrative Summary of“Nif’oqay N i’idaxin: The Man and Wife” ......................86 “The Old Man Who Came Down From Above the Second Layer of This World” ........................................................................................................................ 90 Four Levels of the Deg Hit’an Universe.................................................................91 “The First Man and Woman” ...................................................................................93 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vii Page Epistemology and Ontology: Aspects of the Wife................................................96 Epistemology and Ontology: Aspects of the Pike............................................... 102 The Pike’s Role in Subsistence Practices.............................................................105 Vanhgiq : “Ice Cream” .............................................................................................106 Creation, Transformation, Symbolism, and Hierarchy......................................109 Chapter 3 Conclusion..............................................................................................110