article
Death of a patriarch
Anthropology and humanism • 20 (2) • Published In 1995 • Pages: 124-132
By: Smith, David Merrill.
Abstract
This is a Chipewyan tale of an 19th century Métis leader, Francois Beaulieu. It tells of his conversion to Christianity after leading a life of debauchery and sin. He lived the rest of his life in penitence and the story tells how a sign following his death indicated that he had made it to Heaven. The story has a humorous ending, which calls into question the verity of the tale and acts as a disclaimer: "You believe what you want to believe." Such an ending is in line with Chipewyan egalitarian values and non-interference ethic, in which persons must discover their own meaning to life. A Geertzian wink at the end would not have been inappropriate.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2000
- Region
- North America
- Sub Region
- Arctic and Subarctic
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ;1999
- Field Date
- 1974
- Coverage Date
- 1974
- Coverage Place
- Fort Smith and Salt River, Northwest Territories, Canada
- Notes
- David M. Smith
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 132)
- LCCN
- 96641325
- LCSH
- Chipewyan Indians