The Powwow in Alberta: hegemony and tradition creation

Abstract

This thesis is an anthropologtcal study of the lndian powwow in the Canadian province of Alberta. It presents the powwow as the result of the dialectics between social hegemony and Indian culture. Its theoretical aim is to develop, from a Historical Materialist perspective, the categories of ldeology and culture through the anthropological praxis. The first chapter consists of a conceptual construction of the powwow, and of a tentaUYe contribution towards the construction of a Marxist category of tradition. The second chapter traces the development of the powwow in the North American Plains, taking a brief look at the ceremonial forms that preceded and shed their influence on this modern ceremonial. Following a lineal time frame, this chapter aims to provide a general historical context to all subsequent exposition. The third chapter presents the history of the powwow in Alberta. Here the powwow is seen as the result of, on the one hand, larger cultural processes affecting North American Plains Indians in general. on the other hand, the powwow is seen as a product of the specific relationship between Indians and non-Indians in this province, from the first days of non-Indian settlements to the present. The fourth chapter traces the general ideological grounds on which the powwow ceremonial is rooted. It emphasizes the importance of hegemony in the creation of a modem Indian identity, and the perception by non-Indians of lndian ceremonialism as a non threatening, functional activity. Chapter five is a composite description of the powwow. It depicts its internal structure and organization, as well as its internal rules. On chapter six the powwow is approached from a dynamic, functionalist perspective. This chapter is an analysis of the powwow within its own phenomenic limits. Finally, chapter seven draws general theoretical conclusions on the interactions among hegemony, the powwow phenomenon and tradition creation.