- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- UBC Theses and Dissertations /
- The Tlingit land otter complex : coherence in the social...
Open Collections
UBC Theses and Dissertations
UBC Theses and Dissertations
The Tlingit land otter complex : coherence in the social and shamanic order Barazzuol, Richard A.
Abstract
This thesis deals with Tlingit notions about death, spirits, land otters and shamans. The linkage between these categories and their relationship to the social order are explored by examining Tlingit mythology. Particular myths are analyzed that embody the concepts and beliefs which the Tlingit used to deal with the unanswerable question: What happens when someone dies? Socially, there was a set pattern of ritual practices and a series of memorial feasts to dispense with the body and spirit of someone who died a normal death. Yet, there was an anomalous situation associated with death by drowning or being lost in the woods. The Tlingit indicated that people who died in this manner were taken by land otter spirits and could become shamans if certain conditions were met. This thesis contends that this explanatory scenario was an important aspect of Tlingit cosmology, since it provided a means of illustrating the source of shamanic power, and also of how that power was related to the social aspects of Tlingit culture. The myths dealing with land otter possession offer information about how shamanic power was attained and also provide a glimpse into the importance of the role of the Tlingit shaman as a mediator between the social and the spiritual domains.
Item Metadata
Title |
The Tlingit land otter complex : coherence in the social and shamanic order
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
1988
|
Description |
This thesis deals with Tlingit notions about death, spirits, land otters and shamans. The linkage between these categories and their relationship to the social order are explored by examining Tlingit mythology. Particular myths are analyzed that embody the concepts and beliefs which the Tlingit used to deal with the unanswerable question: What happens when someone dies? Socially, there was a set pattern of ritual practices and a series of memorial feasts to dispense with the body and spirit of someone who died a normal death. Yet, there was an anomalous situation associated with death by drowning or being lost in the woods. The Tlingit indicated that people who died in this manner were taken by land otter spirits and could become shamans if certain conditions were met. This thesis contends that this
explanatory scenario was an important aspect of Tlingit cosmology, since it provided a means of illustrating the source of shamanic power, and also of how that power was related to the social aspects of Tlingit culture. The myths dealing with land otter possession offer information about how shamanic power was attained and also provide a glimpse into the importance of the role of the Tlingit shaman as a mediator between the social and the spiritual domains.
|
Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
|
Date Available |
2010-09-17
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0097912
|
URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
|
Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.