Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond
We introduce and elaborate on the notion of "shared breath" as a way of understanding human and nonhuman copresence and offer descriptions and narratives about three Indigenous groups in Russia and Canada, namely, Veps, Western Woods Cree, and Interior Salish St'at'imc. These dat...
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ftunivhelsihelda:oai:helda.helsinki.fi:10138/333864 2024-01-07T09:44:23+01:00 Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond Siragusa, Laura Westman, Clinton Moritz, Sarah Area and Cultural Studies Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) Department of Cultures 2021-08-31T22:00:20Z 24 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10138/333864 eng eng The University of Chicago Press 10.1086/710139 Siragusa , L , Westman , C & Moritz , S 2020 , ' Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond ' , Current Anthropology , vol. 61 , no. 4 , pp. 471-494 . https://doi.org/10.1086/710139 ORCID: /0000-0001-6991-2313/work/80947360 8bb6fafe-ee03-4990-94f6-3f66dbcf1ac8 http://hdl.handle.net/10138/333864 000565429100004 openAccess info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ANIMALS ANTHROPOLOGY BEAR CANADA INUIT KNOWLEDGE MATERIALITY ONTOLOGY POWER 1181 Ecology evolutionary biology 5143 Social and cultural anthropology Article publishedVersion 2021 ftunivhelsihelda 2023-12-14T00:13:47Z We introduce and elaborate on the notion of "shared breath" as a way of understanding human and nonhuman copresence and offer descriptions and narratives about three Indigenous groups in Russia and Canada, namely, Veps, Western Woods Cree, and Interior Salish St'at'imc. These data illustrate vividly how the underused metaphor of shared breath sheds light on active participation in life by and respectful relations with nonhuman beings, thus surpassing other overly used spatial, physical, and spiritual metaphors. We move beyond the physical aspects of discrete spaces and materials in extending consideration to pertinent metaphorical and tangible aspects of the verbal, sonorous, and ritual performances undertaken by humans in order to negotiate and reinforce relations with other beings. Relationality is continuously accommodated and regenerated by human and nonhuman agencies through ritual acts that include blowing, chants, breathing, drumming, visualizing, and smoking. The shared breath through which these encounters take place emblematizes turning moments, when new directions may be taken and long-term relations of respect may be established, validated, and reinforced. Shared breath is both a medium and a modality of shamanic and animist relationality, offering a new way of looking at human-nonhuman contact and exchange in animist ritual contexts and beyond. Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper inuit HELDA – University of Helsinki Open Repository Canada Current Anthropology 61 4 471 494 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
HELDA – University of Helsinki Open Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivhelsihelda |
language |
English |
topic |
ANIMALS ANTHROPOLOGY BEAR CANADA INUIT KNOWLEDGE MATERIALITY ONTOLOGY POWER 1181 Ecology evolutionary biology 5143 Social and cultural anthropology |
spellingShingle |
ANIMALS ANTHROPOLOGY BEAR CANADA INUIT KNOWLEDGE MATERIALITY ONTOLOGY POWER 1181 Ecology evolutionary biology 5143 Social and cultural anthropology Siragusa, Laura Westman, Clinton Moritz, Sarah Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond |
topic_facet |
ANIMALS ANTHROPOLOGY BEAR CANADA INUIT KNOWLEDGE MATERIALITY ONTOLOGY POWER 1181 Ecology evolutionary biology 5143 Social and cultural anthropology |
description |
We introduce and elaborate on the notion of "shared breath" as a way of understanding human and nonhuman copresence and offer descriptions and narratives about three Indigenous groups in Russia and Canada, namely, Veps, Western Woods Cree, and Interior Salish St'at'imc. These data illustrate vividly how the underused metaphor of shared breath sheds light on active participation in life by and respectful relations with nonhuman beings, thus surpassing other overly used spatial, physical, and spiritual metaphors. We move beyond the physical aspects of discrete spaces and materials in extending consideration to pertinent metaphorical and tangible aspects of the verbal, sonorous, and ritual performances undertaken by humans in order to negotiate and reinforce relations with other beings. Relationality is continuously accommodated and regenerated by human and nonhuman agencies through ritual acts that include blowing, chants, breathing, drumming, visualizing, and smoking. The shared breath through which these encounters take place emblematizes turning moments, when new directions may be taken and long-term relations of respect may be established, validated, and reinforced. Shared breath is both a medium and a modality of shamanic and animist relationality, offering a new way of looking at human-nonhuman contact and exchange in animist ritual contexts and beyond. Peer reviewed |
author2 |
Area and Cultural Studies Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) Department of Cultures |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Siragusa, Laura Westman, Clinton Moritz, Sarah |
author_facet |
Siragusa, Laura Westman, Clinton Moritz, Sarah |
author_sort |
Siragusa, Laura |
title |
Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond |
title_short |
Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond |
title_full |
Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond |
title_fullStr |
Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond |
title_full_unstemmed |
Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond |
title_sort |
shared breath : human and nonhuman copresence through ritualized words and beyond |
publisher |
The University of Chicago Press |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10138/333864 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
inuit |
genre_facet |
inuit |
op_relation |
10.1086/710139 Siragusa , L , Westman , C & Moritz , S 2020 , ' Shared Breath : Human and Nonhuman Copresence through Ritualized Words and Beyond ' , Current Anthropology , vol. 61 , no. 4 , pp. 471-494 . https://doi.org/10.1086/710139 ORCID: /0000-0001-6991-2313/work/80947360 8bb6fafe-ee03-4990-94f6-3f66dbcf1ac8 http://hdl.handle.net/10138/333864 000565429100004 |
op_rights |
openAccess info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
container_title |
Current Anthropology |
container_volume |
61 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
471 |
op_container_end_page |
494 |
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1787425770564485120 |