Hare Indian Research Articles

Mobility as an Aspect of Stress in an Arctic Community1

Environmental sources of stress, in terms of scarce fur and food resources, the need for adequate shelter, and the physical hardships involved in obtaining these necessities, persist as features of life in some contemporary sub‐arctic communities. In a small, isolated village of Hare Indians in the boreal forest of Canada's Northwest Territories, a variety of social sources of stress has also been found to affect the people. These include acculturative influences, a local feud, prolonged periods of bush isolation and population concentration, and expectations and obligations for generosity and reciprocity. Given the people's strong emphasis upon emotional restraint, aggression as a means of relieving stress is almost entirely restricted to periods of heavy drinking. Population mobility is a major factor in the control and release of stress. The annual cycle consists of several phases of band dispersal and ingathering; each phase has its characteristic tensions. Successive periods of population redistribution relieve many stresses which have been generated in previous phases. Each new phase, in its turn, creates other stresses which find release in the next part of the cycle. Mobility is also high within each cycle phase, and movements are connected with tensions of isolation, boredom, interpersonal friction, and drinking. High mobility thus serves both to generate and relieve stress within a social and ecological framework.

Hare Phonology: An Historical Study

1. The Hare Indians, according to Jenness,l lived in northwestern Canada, 'west and northwest of Great Bear lake, extending in the east to a little beyond the Anderson river, and in the west to the first line of mountains west of the Mackenzie river'. Their language, spoken by about four or five hundred people, belongs to the Athapaskan stock. The Hare data on which this paper is based were collected in 1929 by FangKuei Li; I am grateful to him for permitting me access to the material. Li's texts and field notes were recorded phonetically; the phonemic interpretations here presented are mine. The sources of data cited from other Athapaskan languages are: Chipewyan (Chip.), F. K. Li, 'A list of Chipewyanstems', IJAL 7.122-51 (1933); Hupa, Edward Sapir, field notes (ms.); Kutchin (Kut.), Edward Sapir, field notes (ms.); Mattole (Mat.), F. K. Li, Mattole, an Athapaskan language (Chicago, 1930); Minto, Michael E. Krauss, 'Proto-Athapaskan-Eyak and the problem of Na-Dene: The phonology', IJAL 30.118-31 (1964); Navaho (Nav.), Edward Sapir, field notes (ms.); Sarsi (Sar.), F. K. Li, 'A study of Sarcee verbstems', IJAL 6.3-37 (1930); San Carlos Apache (SC), H. Hoijer, field notes (ms.) The abbreviation PA stands for Proto-Athapaskan.

Bilateral Kinship and Action Groups among the Hare Indians of Northern Canada : A Cross-Section of a Changing Society

Bilateral Kinship and Action Groups among the Hare Indians of Northern Canada : A Cross-Section of a Changing Society