Ways of Knowing: Experience, Knowledge, and Power Among the Dene Tha

Thomas S. Abler is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Waterloo and the author of A Canadian Indian Bibliography, 1960-1970.

This examination of the Dene Tha belief system is the result of 36
months of fieldwork by anthropologist Jean-Guy Goulet on the northern
Alberta reserve variously known as Chateh, Assumption, or Hay Lakes. The
Dene Tha are southern members of the Athapaskan-speaking subarctic group
usually identified as Slavey. Goulet commenced his long-term field
research among them in January, 1980, staying in the field for six-month
periods and then returning to his university duties in Ottawa. The
monograph is not a comprehensive ethnography, but rather a description
of the Dene Tha view of how their universe functions. Central to the
book are Dene Tha views of the importance of dreams and visions, what
they reveal about the actions of spirit helpers and souls (of both the
living and the dead), and how they affect the day-to-day lives of the
people in the community.

Goulet places this evaluation within the context of Dene Tha behavior
and beliefs about the acquisition of knowledge. In the Dene Tha view,
one does not have the right to interfere in the actions of another, even
a child. Nor does one “teach” others; rather, others learn by
observation and by following examples. An ethnographer would look in
vain for an informant willing to “teach” him or her about Dene Tha
culture; Goulet learned Dene Tha ways by observing and experiencing Dene
Tha culture.

Although conflict and confrontation are avoided in Dene Tha
interaction, there are two circumstances in which the hostilities kept
so carefully under the surface emerge. The first occurs when one is
under the influence of alcohol, the second is when one uses ones spirit
helpers to attack an enemy (the “medicine fight”). Goulet documents
the importance of spiritual strength and knowledge in protecting oneself
and one’s family from those who are hostile.

Another major theme is the role of the souls of deceased individuals.
Some cause problems for the living by seeking the death of someone who
could lead them from this world to the next; others return to this world
through reincarnation. Goulet discusses several cases in which the Dene
Tha were convinced that an individual was a reincarnation of someone who
had previously lived among them.

This perceptive and well-written study will be welcomed by subarctic
specialists, students of comparative religions, and anyone with an
interest in the Native peoples of Canada.