More Gunn Allen Greatness Feeding the Ontology Section of my Dissertation

“But the oral tradition has prevented the complete destruction of the web, the ultimate disruption of tribal ways. The oral tradition is vital: it heals itself and the tribal web by adapting to the flow of the present while never relinquishing its connection tot he past. Its adaptability has always been required, as many generations…   Read More

Fallacies or Fantasies

In Indigenous cultures myth is a complementary religious element to ritual. Unlike in a Western worldview, in which myths are considered fallacies or fantasies that are opposed to linear fact, myths are accounts of actual interchanges between ancestors and other relevant persons accessed through ritual. Gunn Allen makes the distinction that the symbolism in tribal…   Read More

Dissertation Quote

In Pueblo Gods and Myths, Hamilton A. Tyler asks, “Why do the Pueblos still dance? For whom do they dance? What do they mean by their dancing?” His examination of previous research revealed an obvious and conventionally satisfying answer: “For rain.” His response sheds light on the biased Western perspective in regard to Indigenous traditions,…   Read More