Where Happiness Dwells: A History of the Dane-zaa First Nations

Robin Ridington; Jillian Ridington; of the Dane-zaa First Nations elders of the Dane-zaa First Nations

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Where Happiness Dwells

A History of the Dane-zaa First Nations

Robin Ridington , Jillian Ridington and of the Dane-zaa First Nations elders of the Dane-zaa First Nations
In collaboration with: in collaboration with elders of the Dane -zaa First Nations

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2013

Published by

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About this book

The Dane-zaa people have lived in BC’s Peace River area for thousands of years. Elders documented the people’s history and worldview in oral narratives and passed them on through storytelling. Language loss, however, threatens to break the bonds of knowledge transmission.

At the request of the Doig River First Nation, anthropologists Robin and Jillian Ridington present a history of the Dane-zaa people based on oral histories collected over a half century of fieldwork. These powerful stories span the full length of history, from the story of creation to the fur trade, from the arrival of missionaries to modern land claim cases. Elders document key events as they explain the very nature of the universe.

The Dane-zaa were one of the last nations to experience the effects of colonialism. Where Happiness Dwells not only preserves their traditional knowledge for future generations, it also tells the inspiring story of how they learned to succeed in the modern world.

Author / Editor information

Robin Ridington is a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of British Columbia and has worked with the Dane-zaa First Nations since the 1960s. Jillian Ridington is an ethnographer and researcher who has worked with the Dane-zaa First Nations since 1978. Their books about the Dane-zaa include Robin's Trail To Heaven: Knowledge and Narrative in a Northern Native Community, and a co-authored book, When You Sing It Now, Just Like New: First Nations Poetics, Voices and Representations.

Reviews

Guy Lanoue, Department of Anthropology, Université de Montréal:
This book offers a highly original yet rigorous view of Dane-zaa culture and history. It will be an important book for all scholars of First Nations ... and for First Nations seeking a model to write their own histories.

Jean-Guy Goulet, Faculty of Human Sciences, Saint Paul University:
From the indigenous perspective, a writer is accountable first and foremost to the people he or she writes about. The writing must proceed in the form of stories, in the voice of speakers addressing people they know. This book is one of great respect and insight that will be appreciated by scholars and enjoyed by all its readers.

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Publicly Available

Front Matter
i

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Contents
v

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Illustrations
vii

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Preface, with Linguistic Note and Pronunciation Guide
xi

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Introduction: Trails of Time
1

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The Dane-zaa Creation Story
10

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Tsááyaa, the Culture Hero
25

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Shin kaa, the Vision Quest
45

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Archaeology, Prehistory, and Oral History
67

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The Early Fur Trade
97

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The Later Fur Trade and the Hudson’s Bay Company Killings
113

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Priests and Dreamers
136

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The First and Last Dreamers
156

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Kinship and Community
197

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The 1899 North West Mounted Police Census and Treaty 8
219

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Seasonal Rounds in British Columbia and Alberta
234

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The 1918 Flu Epidemic
253

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Losing Suu Na chii k’chige, the Great Fire, and Petersen’s Crossing
277

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The Place Where Happiness Dwells, Indian Reserve 172
302

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Today and Tomorrow
341

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Dane-zaa Stories and the Anthropological Literature
359

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Transcription of a Portion of the Charlie Yahey Creation Story (RDA, CY 11)
371

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Dane-zaa Kinship Terms
377

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Research Notes on Beaver Signatories
378

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Facsimile of the NWMP Census
381

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Works Cited
382

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Acknowledgments
390

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Index
392

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Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

August 3, 2023

eBook ISBN:

9780774822978

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

Main content:

420

https://doi.org/10.59962/9780774822978

eBook ISBN: 9780774822978

Audience(s) for this book

For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research

Where Happiness Dwells

Overview

About this book

Author / Editor information

Reviews

Topics

Table of contents

Front Matter

Contents

Illustrations

Preface, with Linguistic Note and Pronunciation Guide

Introduction: Trails of Time

The Dane-zaa Creation Story

Tsááyaa, the Culture Hero

Shin kaa, the Vision Quest

Archaeology, Prehistory, and Oral History

The Early Fur Trade

The Later Fur Trade and the Hudson’s Bay Company Killings

Priests and Dreamers

The First and Last Dreamers

Kinship and Community

The 1899 North West Mounted Police Census and Treaty 8

Seasonal Rounds in British Columbia and Alberta

The 1918 Flu Epidemic

Losing Suu Na chii k’chige, the Great Fire, and Petersen’s Crossing

The Place Where Happiness Dwells, Indian Reserve 172

Today and Tomorrow

Dane-zaa Stories and the Anthropological Literature

Transcription of a Portion of the Charlie Yahey Creation Story (RDA, CY 11)

Dane-zaa Kinship Terms

Research Notes on Beaver Signatories

Facsimile of the NWMP Census

Works Cited

Acknowledgments

Index

Bibliographic data