Book Review: The Anguish of Snails: Native American Folklore in the West

For half a century Barre Toelken has studied Native American cultures in the West. In this volume he offers a perspective on how outsiders can approach the study of Native Americans using methods developed by the discipline of folklore. In doing so he displays a rare humility, exemplified by the book\u27s title. The structure of its shell, he tells us, records the ongoing responses of the living snail ; over time these form patterns whose meanings can be explored. Taking the snail shell as his metaphor for culture, he proposes that just as we can learn from studying the patterns in the shell the \u27agonies\u27 experienced by snails,\u27 so, too, we as outsiders can learn from the study of Native American cultural expressions something about a group\u27s beliefs and assumptions-its anguish, that is, the accumulated emotional load articulated in traditional contexts

Book Review: The Anguish of Snails: Native American Folklore in the West

For half a century Barre Toelken has studied Native American cultures in the West. In this volume he offers a perspective on how outsiders can approach the study of Native Americans using methods developed by the discipline of folklore. In doing so he displays a rare humility, exemplified by the book\u27s title. The structure of its shell, he tells us, records the ongoing responses of the living snail ; over time these form patterns whose meanings can be explored. Taking the snail shell as his metaphor for culture, he proposes that just as we can learn from studying the patterns in the shell the \u27agonies\u27 experienced by snails,\u27 so, too, we as outsiders can learn from the study of Native American cultural expressions something about a group\u27s beliefs and assumptions-its anguish, that is, the accumulated emotional load articulated in traditional contexts

Community in Native America: Continuity and Change among the Sioux

Community in Native America: Continuity and Change among the Sioux. The idea of « community », because it embodies the moral sense of a group integrated by common interest, is an important concept for understanding the social realities of American Indian life. In historical times, variations in community size and composition throughout the year brought about realignments of people according to seasonal activities. Since the creation of reservations, most American Indian communities have become sedentary, year-round settlements. This paper examines the Sioux Indians of the Great Plains ethnohistorically to track changes over time in the composition and meaning of community. In recent times, new definitions of community based on ideologies of blood and race are competing with older definitions based on kinship and face-to-face social interaction, common language, and common culture.La communauté amérindienne : continuité et changement parmi les Sioux. L’idée de « communauté », parce qu’elle incarne le sentiment moral d’appartenance à un groupe soudé par l’intérêt commun, est un concept important pour la bonne compréhension des réalités sociales de la vie des Amérindiens. À l’époque historique, les variations de taille et de composition des communautés, au cours d’une année, étaient dues aux diverses occupations saisonnières des personnes. Après la création des réserves, la plupart des communautés amérindiennes sont devenues des établissements sédentaires l’année durant. Cette étude examine les Indiens Sioux des Plaines d’un point de vue ethnohistorique, afin d’établir les changements qui ont eu lieu dans la composition et la signification du terme « communauté ». Récemment, de nouvelles définitions de ce concept fondées sur les idéologies de sang et de race rivalisent avec les anciennes significations construites autour des notions de parenté, d’interactions sociales, de langage et de culture.La comunidad en la América indígena : continuidad y cambio entre los siux. La idea de « comunidad », porque incluye el sentido moral de pertenencia a un grupo ligado por interés común, es un concepto importante para entender las realidades sociales de la vida de los indígenas norteamericanos. En los tiempos históricos, las variaciones en el tamaño de las comunidades durante el año generaba configuraciones variables según las actividades de la estación. Después de la formación de las reservas, la mayoría de las comunidades indígenas se volvieron sedentarias durante todo el año. Este artículo interroga los Siux de las grandes Llanuras en términos etnohistóricos para seguir los cambios en la configuración y el sentido de « comunidad ». En tiempos recientes, nuevas definiciones de la comunidad basadas en las ideologías de la sangre y de la raza competen con las más antiguas basadas en el parentesco, la interacción social, un idioma común, y una cultura compartida

Writing the history of North America from Indian country: the view from the north-central Plains, 1800-1870

This article is based on the premise that an insightful reconstruction of the specific cultural world of American Indians allows a clearer, more in-depth understanding of North American history as a whole. To illustrate our perspective, we examine a concept of geographical and cultural space denoted as “Indian country.” As a case study, we focus our analysis on tribes of the central and northern Plains between 1800 and 1870. Taking the view from this Indian country and using sources produced by Indian people themselves, such as the 1806 Arikara map of Too-Ne, it becomes easier to understand how Plains people envisioned territory and social groupings in their own ways. The confrontation between Indians and Europeans was fueled by mutual misconceptions of land ownership and social and political institutions. From Indian countries, we learn that some categories that seemed common to Euro-Americans, such as tribe or nation, chief, race, and métissage, were not universal categorizations that were understood in North America during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and that they need to be historicized. In this regard, the colonial conquest was not only territorial but was a way in which new social meanings and practices were created.Cet article suggère que la reconstitution des cultures amérindiennes dans leur spécificité permet de mieux comprendre l’histoire nord-américaine au sens large. Pour illustrer cette proposition, nous examinons le concept de « pays indien » et prenons comme cas d’étude les populations des Grandes Plaines centrales et septentrionales de 1800 à 1870. En adoptant pour point de vue le pays indien et en s’appuyant sur des sources produites par les autochtones eux-mêmes, telle que la carte de 1806 de l’Arikara Too-Ne, il devient possible de mieux comprendre la façon particulière dont les Indiens des Plaines concevaient leur territoire et leurs groupements sociaux. Certaines catégories, perçues comme communes par les Euro-américains – tribu, nation, chef, race, métissage – n’avaient pas la même pertinence dans les pays indiens des xviiie et xixe siècles et il importe donc de les historiciser. À cet égard, la conquête coloniale ne fut pas seulement territoriale, elle s’apparenta aussi à l’imposition de nouvelles catégories et pratiques sociales.Este artículo se basa en la idea de que la reconstrucción de las culturas amerindias en su especificidad permite una mejor comprensión de la historia norteamericana en sentido amplio. Para ilustrar esta propuesta, examinamos el concepto de “país índio”, y tomamos como caso de estudio las poblaciones de las Grandes Llanuras centrales y septentrionales entre 1800 y 1870. Adoptando como punto de vista el país indio y basándonos en las fuentes producidas por los mismos autóctonos como el mapa de 1806 de Arikara Too-Ne, resulta más fácil entender la forma original en que los indios de las llanuras concebían su territorio y su sociedad. Ciertas categorías percibidas como naturales por los euroamericanos – tribu, nación, jefe, raza, mestizaje – no tenían la misma relevancia en los países indios de los siglos xviii y xix, y por lo tanto es importante historizarlos. En este sentido, la conquista colonial no solo fue territorial, sino que también estuvo relacionada con la imposición de nuevas categorías y prácticas sociales

Histoire sociale de l’Amérique du Nord

François Weil, directeur d’études Migrants et migrations de France aux Amériques Le séminaire a mis l’accent sur deux thèmes principaux, le phénomène des départs de France vers les Amériques au XIXe siècle, et l’histoire sociale et culturelle de la Louisiane au XIXe siècle. L’étude des départs a permis de souligner l’écart paradoxal entre l’importance de l’émigration française vers les Amériques (par rapport à la migration vers les colonies de l’empire français, par exemple) et la faiblesse d..

Counterfactuals and revisionism in historical explanation

This article addresses the role of counterfactuals in historical and ethnohistorical explanation. Drawing primarily on examples from the Conquest of Mexico, it argues (1) for a useful role for counterfactual analysis, not in writing fiction, but in assessing pivotal causation and proofing causal arguments; (2) for a clearer understanding of causation in historical records, especially of ethnohistorical subjects; and (3) for a way in which this perspective can be employed to argue for solidly grounded revisionist interpretations of events.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Introduction

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67161/2/10.1177_0308275X9301300401.pd

Review of The Good Red Road: Passages into Native America.

In John G. Neihardt\u27s Black Elk Speaks, the red road represents the path of life, of peace, and of the continuity of the generations. To many American Indians today it stands for the old, traditional ways, a state of being in harmony with the universe. In this book, the symbol of the red road has been generalized to embrace all humanity, a deeply-felt psychological sense of oneness and balance that serves as counterpoint to the frenetic lifestyle of modem America