article
Delaware personhood
Man in the Northeast • 42 • Published In 1991 • Pages: 17-27
By: Miller, Jay.
Abstract
Delaware conception of the 'person' (AWEN) has remained viable among older speakers of this language, both living or recently deceased in Oklahoma, and can be projected into the past using ethnohistoric and ethnographic sources. Delaware personhood is summarized using a generalized life cycle as an outline allowing for particular variation derived from age and gender. In contrast to previous treatments, which dealt with sociological aspects, symbolic dimensions are especially emphasized and Delaware soul beliefs are clarified. Gender asymmetry is such that man is the generic, inclusive, and unmarked category, while woman is the specific, exclusive, and marked one (p. 17). This document contains brief, general summaries on reproduction, naming, childhood, puberty, marriage, adulthood, maturity, death, and beliefs about souls, relevant primarily to the Oklahoma Delaware.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2003
- Region
- North America
- Sub Region
- Eastern Woodlands
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle ; 2002
- Field Date
- no date
- Coverage Date
- ca. 1860s-1980s
- Coverage Place
- Oklahoma, United States
- Notes
- Jay Miller
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 27)
- LCCN
- 84649122
- LCSH
- Delaware Indians