NATAMST 90 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Indicator Species, Thick Description, Theoretical Ecology

• School: Berkeley
• Department: Native American Studies
• Course: NATAMST 90
• Professor: Diane Pearson

Document Summary

Prairie chickens dancing: ecology, mythology, and the changing. Stories told throughout time show how things actually happen throughout nature. Problem of translating myth from one sociocultural setting to another. Comparing nez perces with other ethnic groups = work as a social disadvantage. Farming destroys leks (prairie chicken dance ground) Male prairie chickens = have big tails, who dance to attract female prairie chickens. More attractive if are louder & more colorful. Observations of prairie chicken behavior is similar for both non-indians & native. Nez perces manifested a different attitude towards it. First morpheme = wey / weyekin (refers to spirit power) Spirit powers are akin to natural phenomena or are embodies in natural phenomena. May be water animals, land animals, weather phenomena, celestial phenomena, or inanimate objects such as rock. These powers populated the earth before humans came. Weyekin act in accordance with their nature. Grizzly bear is always fierce, always demanding his own way.