Raven bloodlines, Tsimshian identity: An autoethnographic account of Tsimshian Wil'naat'al, politics, pedagogy, and law

• Other Authors: Greening, Spencer (Author), Hoffman, Ross (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia College of Arts, Social, and Health Sciences (Degree granting institution), Wilson, Gary (Committee member), Menzies, Charles R. (Committee member)
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Northern British Columbia 2017
• Subjects: Tsimshian Indians > Social life and customs; Tsimshian; Tsimshian*
• Online Access: https://unbc.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/unbc%3A58909; https://doi.org/10.24124/2017/58909

Raven Bloodlines, Tsimshian Identity is an ethnographic discussion on the sociopolitical values lived by the Tsimshian. This thesis is written from my own Tsimshian perspective, describing my pedagogical journey of Tsimshian identity, politics, and law in a matrilineal society. This thesis aims to recognize the inclusiveness and importance of matrilineal ties between intertribal communities, and highlight how western interpretations of anthropological literature have led to colonial influence in areas such as individualized rights, responsibilities, and land ownership amongst the Tsimshian. I interviewed the Tsimshian Hereditary Chiefs of my phratry to gain insight into the responsibility held to one’s family, community, and nation. By understanding and living ancestral sociopolitical values, my work aims to add to the discussion of Indigenous methods, ethnography, and pedagogy, while helping the reader gain insight into Tsimshian sociopolitical structure and its influence on intertribal relationships. Tsimshian ethnographic Indigenous intertribal relationship