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Mi'kmaq Landscapes: From Animism to Sacred Ecology

Hornborg, Anne-Christine LU orcid (2008) In Vitality of Indigenous Religions
Abstract
This book seeks to explore historical changes in the lifeworld of the Mi'kmaq Indians of Eastern Canada. The Mi'kmaq culture hero Kluskap serves as a key persona in discussing issues such as traditions, changing conceptions of land, and human-environmental relations. In order not to depict Mi'kmaq culture as timeless, two important periods in its history are examined. Within the first period, between 1850 and 1930, Hornborg explores historical evidence of the ontology,epistemology, and ethics - jointly labelled animism - that stem from a premodern Mi'kmaq hunting subsistence. New ways of discussing animism and shamanism are here richly exemplified. Thesecond study situates the culture hero in the modern world of the1990s, when allusions to... (More)
This book seeks to explore historical changes in the lifeworld of the Mi'kmaq Indians of Eastern Canada. The Mi'kmaq culture hero Kluskap serves as a key persona in discussing issues such as traditions, changing conceptions of land, and human-environmental relations. In order not to depict Mi'kmaq culture as timeless, two important periods in its history are examined. Within the first period, between 1850 and 1930, Hornborg explores historical evidence of the ontology,epistemology, and ethics - jointly labelled animism - that stem from a premodern Mi'kmaq hunting subsistence. New ways of discussing animism and shamanism are here richly exemplified. Thesecond study situates the culture hero in the modern world of the1990s, when allusions to Mi'kmaq tradition and to Kluskap played animportant role in the struggle against a planned superquarry onCape Breton. This study discusses the eco-cosmology that has been formulated by modern reserve inhabitants which could be labelled a'sacred ecology'. Focusing on how the Mi'kmaq are rebuilding their traditions andenvironmental relations in interaction with modern society,Hornborg illustrates how environmental groups, pan-Indianism, and education play an important role, but so does reserve life. Byanchoring their engagement in reserve life the Mi'kmaq traditionalists have, to a large extent, been able to confront both external and internal doubts about their authenticity. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Book/Report
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Canadian Mi'kmaq Indians, animism, phenomenology of landscape, lifeworlds, environmental issues, traditionalism
in
Vitality of Indigenous Religions
pages
202 pages
publisher
Ashgate
external identifiers
  • scopus:84899209216
ISBN
978-0-7546-6371-3
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Centre for Theology and Religious Studies (015017000)
id
e9db90ef-6810-46a5-8a03-8ad8ad1d57f3 (old id 2117059)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 10:48:32
date last changed
2023-09-06 07:28:41
@book{e9db90ef-6810-46a5-8a03-8ad8ad1d57f3,
  abstract     = {{This book seeks to explore historical changes in the lifeworld of the Mi'kmaq Indians of Eastern Canada. The Mi'kmaq culture hero Kluskap serves as a key persona in discussing issues such as traditions, changing conceptions of land, and human-environmental relations. In order not to depict Mi'kmaq culture as timeless, two important periods in its history are examined. Within the first period, between 1850 and 1930, Hornborg explores historical evidence of the ontology,epistemology, and ethics - jointly labelled animism - that stem from a premodern Mi'kmaq hunting subsistence. New ways of discussing animism and shamanism are here richly exemplified. Thesecond study situates the culture hero in the modern world of the1990s, when allusions to Mi'kmaq tradition and to Kluskap played animportant role in the struggle against a planned superquarry onCape Breton. This study discusses the eco-cosmology that has been formulated by modern reserve inhabitants which could be labelled a'sacred ecology'. Focusing on how the Mi'kmaq are rebuilding their traditions andenvironmental relations in interaction with modern society,Hornborg illustrates how environmental groups, pan-Indianism, and education play an important role, but so does reserve life. Byanchoring their engagement in reserve life the Mi'kmaq traditionalists have, to a large extent, been able to confront both external and internal doubts about their authenticity.}},
  author       = {{Hornborg, Anne-Christine}},
  isbn         = {{978-0-7546-6371-3}},
  keywords     = {{Canadian Mi'kmaq Indians; animism; phenomenology of landscape; lifeworlds; environmental issues; traditionalism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Ashgate}},
  series       = {{Vitality of Indigenous Religions}},
  title        = {{Mi'kmaq Landscapes: From Animism to Sacred Ecology}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}