The Dance of the Ahtna Potlatch: a Mechanism for Cultural Survival and Societal Definition Through the Spending of Kinetic Energy
The dance portion of the Ahtna potlatch functions as a mechanism for cultural transmission. The decline of the Ahtna, Athabaskan population has increased the responsibility of the potlatch to maintain indigenous customs. The potlatch is one of the few remaining traditional Ahtna rituals, as many hav...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Open Works
1997
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/6326 https://openworks.wooster.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7354&context=independentstudy |
id |
ftcollegewooster:oai:openworks.wooster.edu:independentstudy-7354 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftcollegewooster:oai:openworks.wooster.edu:independentstudy-7354 2023-05-15T13:07:25+02:00 The Dance of the Ahtna Potlatch: a Mechanism for Cultural Survival and Societal Definition Through the Spending of Kinetic Energy Flint, Alison E. 1997-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/6326 https://openworks.wooster.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7354&context=independentstudy English (United States) eng Open Works https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/6326 https://openworks.wooster.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7354&context=independentstudy Senior Independent Study Theses Sociology and Anthropology text 1997 ftcollegewooster 2022-04-27T05:44:31Z The dance portion of the Ahtna potlatch functions as a mechanism for cultural transmission. The decline of the Ahtna, Athabaskan population has increased the responsibility of the potlatch to maintain indigenous customs. The potlatch is one of the few remaining traditional Ahtna rituals, as many have become extinct. The mortuary potlatch is the most commonly performed due to the high rates of suicide and alcoholism. Thus, the role of survival is inherent to the Ahtna potlatch as it is performed during times of crisis. The spatial structure and social roles of the dance portion mirror aspects of Ahtna society, defining it nonverbally. The act of dancing enables the spending of kinetic energy which heightens consciousness to allow a connection with spiritual icons from the remote past. This connection reinforces their historical, ancestral identity, which aids in the sustenance of contemporary Ahtna culture. Text ahtna The College of Wooster: Open Works |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The College of Wooster: Open Works |
op_collection_id |
ftcollegewooster |
language |
English |
topic |
Sociology and Anthropology |
spellingShingle |
Sociology and Anthropology Flint, Alison E. The Dance of the Ahtna Potlatch: a Mechanism for Cultural Survival and Societal Definition Through the Spending of Kinetic Energy |
topic_facet |
Sociology and Anthropology |
description |
The dance portion of the Ahtna potlatch functions as a mechanism for cultural transmission. The decline of the Ahtna, Athabaskan population has increased the responsibility of the potlatch to maintain indigenous customs. The potlatch is one of the few remaining traditional Ahtna rituals, as many have become extinct. The mortuary potlatch is the most commonly performed due to the high rates of suicide and alcoholism. Thus, the role of survival is inherent to the Ahtna potlatch as it is performed during times of crisis. The spatial structure and social roles of the dance portion mirror aspects of Ahtna society, defining it nonverbally. The act of dancing enables the spending of kinetic energy which heightens consciousness to allow a connection with spiritual icons from the remote past. This connection reinforces their historical, ancestral identity, which aids in the sustenance of contemporary Ahtna culture. |
format |
Text |
author |
Flint, Alison E. |
author_facet |
Flint, Alison E. |
author_sort |
Flint, Alison E. |
title |
The Dance of the Ahtna Potlatch: a Mechanism for Cultural Survival and Societal Definition Through the Spending of Kinetic Energy |
title_short |
The Dance of the Ahtna Potlatch: a Mechanism for Cultural Survival and Societal Definition Through the Spending of Kinetic Energy |
title_full |
The Dance of the Ahtna Potlatch: a Mechanism for Cultural Survival and Societal Definition Through the Spending of Kinetic Energy |
title_fullStr |
The Dance of the Ahtna Potlatch: a Mechanism for Cultural Survival and Societal Definition Through the Spending of Kinetic Energy |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Dance of the Ahtna Potlatch: a Mechanism for Cultural Survival and Societal Definition Through the Spending of Kinetic Energy |
title_sort |
dance of the ahtna potlatch: a mechanism for cultural survival and societal definition through the spending of kinetic energy |
publisher |
Open Works |
publishDate |
1997 |
url |
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/6326 https://openworks.wooster.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7354&context=independentstudy |
genre |
ahtna |
genre_facet |
ahtna |
op_source |
Senior Independent Study Theses |
op_relation |
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/6326 https://openworks.wooster.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7354&context=independentstudy |
_version_ |
1766050597309513728 |