Cis dideen kat : (When the plumes rise) : the way of the Lake Babine Nation / Jo-Anne Fiske ; with the assistance of Betty Patrick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fiske, Jo-Anne, 1946-

Contributor:

Patrick, Betty.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Carrier Indians--British Columbia--Babine Lake Region.

Carrier Indians.

Carrier law.

Potlatch--British Columbia--Babine Lake Region.

Potlatch.

Carrier Indians--British Columbia--Babine Lake Region--Government relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (272 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

When the plumes rise

Way of the Lake Babine Nation

Place of Publication:

Vancouver, BC : UBC Press, c2000.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The heart of the traditional legal order of the Lake Babine Nation of north-central British Columbia is the grand ceremonial feast known as the balhats, or potlatch. Misunderstood and widely condemned as a wasteful display of pride, the balhats ceremonies were outlawed by the Canadian government in the late nineteenth century. Throughout the years that followed, the Lake Babine Nation struggled to adapt their laws to a changing society while maintaining their cultural identity. Although the widespread feasting and exchange practices of the balhats have attracted continuous academic and political interest since the nineteenth century, little consideration has been given to understanding the legal practices embedded within the ceremonies. Cis dideen kat, the only book ever written about the Lake Babine Nation, describes the customary legal practices that constitute "the way." Authors Jo-Anne Fiske and Betty Patrick use historical and contemporary data to create a background against which the changing relations between the Lake Babine Nation and the Canadian state are displayed and defined, leading to the current era of treaty negotiations and Aboriginal self-government. Through interviews with community chiefs and elders, oral histories, focus groups, and archival research, Fiske and Patrick have documented and defined a traditional legal system still very much misunderstood. Their findings include material not previously published, making this book essential reading for those involved in treaty negotiations as well as for those with an interest in Aboriginal and state relations generally.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Prologue

The Political and Cultural Context

Investigating Social and Cultural Practices

The Lake Babine People: The Four-Clan Nation

The Balhats

Origin and History of the Balhats

The Way of the Balhats

Colonial Legal Orders

Contemporary Justice Issues

Conclusion

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [242]-248) and index.

ISBN:

1-283-11170-5

9786613111708

0-7748-5064-7

OCLC:

70772854