essay

Dry meat and gender: the absence of Chipewyan ritual for the regulation of hunting and animal numbers

hunters and gatherers : 2. property, power, and ideology • Oxford [Oxfordshire] • Published In 1991 • Pages: 183-191

By: Sharp, Henry S..

Abstract

In this article, Sharp takes issue with the conventional depiction of hunter-gatherers in which Chipewyans are singled out for their lack of ritual, i.e., hunting magic. Sharp immediately discounts as an explanation the legacy of Catholicism and the possible substitution of Catholic ritual for traditional practices. Rather he discusses Chipewyan ideas of causality, which are wrapped up in the notion of a common supernatural realm of man and beast. According to Sharp, the Chipewyan hunters have an intimate connection to animals on the supernatural level, one that does not entail any mediating ritualistic processes in order to achieve desired ends. This connection, or causality, in which an animal gives itself to the hunter is achieved through mental processes of knowing, understanding, and dreaming. As food processors, women have an outsider's relationship to this supernatural realm. The sharing of food in this context is mediated by gender identity itself and not by any ideas of ritualized exchange.

HRAF PubDate

2000

Region

North America

Sub Region

Arctic and Subarctic

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 1999

Field Date

Not Specified

Coverage Date

1770-1980

Coverage Place

north-central Canada

Notes

Henry S. Sharp

Includes bibliographical references (p. )

LCCN

87021216

LCSH

Chipewyan Indians