Confluence of the Two Rivers: Contact History and the Animal First Peoples
(rw)
World of Contact History - Example of the Schitsu'umsh
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World of the Animal-First Peoples
the
Schitsu’umsh
("the ones that
were found here" - Coeur d’Alene)
The Creator and Animal-First People - Amotqn "the one who sits at the head mountain" (Coeur d’Alene) - Akbaatatdia "the maker of all things first (Crow) - and the Titwa-tityá-ya "animal people" (Nez Perce) - the Animal-First People. (AKIN to Hindu Brahman)
- The world was brought forth and prepared by the Creator and the Animal/First People, such as Coyote, Crane, Salmon, etc., for "the coming of the human peoples." In their travels, they rid the world of most of its "man-eaters" and "monsters" and embed within it the provide the "gifts" the human people would need to prosper.
- Creation of Human Peoples, including the Schitsu'umsh (Coeur d'Alene) - Apsáalooke (Crow) - Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) - Suuyapi ("whites" - Coeur d'Alene) - Baashchiile ("person with yellow eyes" - Crow). The human people are a part of, inseparable from the landscape, yet incomplete, in need of assistance and guidance, as not all the "monsters" were destroyed.
During the Creation - "the Dreamtime" (Australian Aborigines), the entire landscape of the world is infused and embedded with "Gifts" -
- Gifts of foods and medicines - creation of the Animal and Plant Peoples, the means of shelter and transportation, family and tribal structures, as well as ceremonies and rituals to help perpetuate it all - such as the Sundance and Sweat Lodge.
- Gifts also of essential Miyp - "teachings from all things" - practical knowledge and moral ethics,
- as well Gifts of fundamental ontological Principles - the structuring of reality itself,
along with access to the Gift that animates it all, Baaxpée or Súumesh- "spiritual power.
The "Bones"
called "attributes and principles" in Carry Forth the Stories, beginning on page 171 -
"axiom" = a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, and self-evidently true. Will consider three types of "bones" or axioms:
ontological axioms = fundamental ways reality
is defined and organized
(dealing with dimensions of time, space, causality)
teaching axioms = knowledge and strategies of doing, and the ethics for engaging and interacting with others = Miyp (be they human, animal or spirit interaction), providing a a map to navigate the many paths over its landscape.
spiritual power axiom = animating, life-force, bringing forth life and altering the material world = Súumesh - Baaxpée
These "bones" that are seen etched deep into the rocks, river beds and valleys of the landscape and that are reflected in the oral traditions, such as Salmon and Coyote, such as Sedna. These are the Indigenous textbooks, the how (a map) to navigate the many paths over its landscape.
The "Flesh" - Oral Narrative as "Text"
Responsibilities of Storyteller:
Responsibilities of Story Listener:
Adding "Flesh" to the "Bones" to Bring the Stories "Alive"
the Palouse
Story Text: Salmon Goes Up River