Aboriginal/Anglo Relations as Portrayed in the Folklore of Micmac ‘Witching’ in Newfoundland
This article examines the social implications of the tradition found in certain parts of Newfoundland that an offended “Indian” can put a “wish” or “spell” on the offender. Narratives typically involve itinerant native basketsellers from Nova Scotia, but have been recorded in connection with Micmac...
| Published in: | Ethnologies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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Association Canadienne d’Ethnologie et de Folklore
1995
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1087458ar https://doi.org/10.7202/1087458ar |
| Summary: | This article examines the social implications of the tradition found in certain parts of Newfoundland that an offended “Indian” can put a “wish” or “spell” on the offender. Narratives typically involve itinerant native basketsellers from Nova Scotia, but have been recorded in connection with Micmac residents of the south coast as well; there is also a group of non-narrative reports about alleged Micmac methods of getting magic power. A full analysis of this material must set it in relation to the larger body of Newfoundland witch lore, but, as a subset with distinctive features, the idea of “Indian curses” poses many questions about native/European interaction. Did it foster fair (if guarded) relations, or hostility - or both ? Did it have a basis in Micmac culture, and did the Micmacs use it, or is it purely a folklore of “otherness.” Cet article s’interroge sur la signification sociale de la tradition orale observée parmi la population blanche de Terre-Neuve, voulant qu’un Indien offensé puisse jeter un sort à son offenseur. Les récits relatifs à cette croyance mettent généralement en scène des Micmacs de la Nouvelle-Ecosse exerçant le métier de vendeurs de paniers itinérants. Certains comptes rendus font aussi mention des méthodes grâce auxquelles les Micmacs avaient acquis leur pouvoir magique. Une analyse exhaustive de ces données devrait s’inscrire dans le contexte plus large du corpus terre-neuvien sur la sorcellerie, mais, en tant que sous-ensemble relativement homogène, les récits mettant en scène les jeteurs de sort indiens soulèvent plusieurs questions sur les interactions entre autochtones et Européens. La menace du sort a-t-elle engendré entre les deux groupes des rapports pacifiques ou hostiles ? Le sort lui-même a-t-il sa source dans la culture micmaque ou n’est-il qu’un produit du folklore de l’Autre ? |
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