Midterm SOCI320

Wasicun

"...a round stone, a bird's claw-to which the Dreamer had imparted a Wakan spirit [...]" (Hassrick, pp. 290)

Partial avoidance

"...made it improper to look directly at the other person, or to speak except under most urgent conditions-was required for all persons whom a man called "sister," ''female cousin," or "father-in-law." Similarly, a woman should avoid her "brothers," "male cousins," and "mother-in-law." (Hassrick pp. 116)

Winkte

"To speak a woman's grammar"; served role of keeper of knowledge of spiritual ceremonies and ritual and providing spiritual names to young men

Hassrick argues that conquest was key to Sioux nationalism. How did the social function of war and conquest change during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?

Became a demonstration of national vanity and individual honor Changes to the coup system: scalp taking; "recreational" conquest-raiding and horse stealing

Folkways

Popular customs

Informal Relationships

Relationships with a looser code of conduct such as friendships.

Achieved Status

Status earned through effort

Ascribed Status

Status given at birth

What is the importance of the horse to the development of Sioux culture during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?

Successful nomadism dependent on the dog and the horse. The horse enabled the Lakota to accumulate things and not just have enough to get by. This also led to greater giving and allowed people to increase their social status since they were able to give more. Horses allowed them to expand their range and territory and also became a means of exchange.

How was the White Buffalo Woman important to Lakota culture?

Taught the Lakota to value peace over war, established the incest taboo, and established that femininity had a valued role in Lakota society. Also, brought them the sacred pipe.

Roles

The expected social behavior of a specific social position. Your role is based on your status.

Nagi

personality

Sororate

the practice of marrying a wife's sister

Niya

vitality

Complete avoidance

"Not only must they not look at one another but they might not speak. In an exceptional situation wherein communication became essential, a brief conversation might be carried on through a go-between, but this would indeed constitute an emergency." "...[D]emanded between "sons" and "mothers-in-law" and between "daughters" and "fathers-in-law" (Hassrick, pp. 116)

Wicasa Yatapicas

"Supreme Court"; made up of four head chiefs selected from the headmen of each division Formulated "national policy, formally approved or disapproved actions taken by the headmen of the various divisions during the past year, endorsed or rejected plans proposed by subordinates, and sat in judgment on offenses against national unity or security" Because it only met once a year, it had limited power

What was the Lakota relationship to the animal kingdom, especially in terms of religion and spirituality?

"To a degree, all animals were sacred" (Hassrick, pp. 194). Were not wasteful in their hunting strategies and were grateful for the sacrifice animals made to support human life. Animals were also important to the different Dreamer "cults" of the Lakota who dreamed of different animals and must follow certain obligations because of this.

Waka'n

"anything that is hard to think about or is beyond explanation"; includes the sacred and holy, but also includes "profane" things, like twins

Kola

"men who had pledged exclusive devotion to one another (Hassrick, pp. 20)

Status

Any position within a hierarchy

Institutions

Collections of behavioral patterns by which a society meets its general or basic needs (both cultural and structural) (ex: family, religion, economy, politics, education, health care).

Who were the Nacas? What social function did they serve at both the tribal and divisional level?

Council of national advisors. Comprised of former headmen, famous retired hunters, and distinguished hunters. Considered important sources of wisdom and council and were relied upon to advise current tribal and divisional leaders.

What is "counting coup" and why was it important to the members of the Sioux nation? For what activities could one be accorded a coup? What were the ramifications of accumulating many coups? How could women effectively "count coup?"

Counting coup was the custom of winning prestige against an enemy. Risk of injury or death was required to count as a coup. This was important because it showed bravery. Women did not typically engage in any physical aggression, but their quilling, tanning, and virtue feasts were as comparative as coup counting.

Tiyospaye

Extended family. The tiyospaye, not the nuclear family, was the sustaining element of life.

What were the four reasons for participating in the Sun Dance, and how were they referred to by the Lakota?

Fulfillment of a vow in return for a favor granted by the gods in time of need or distress To secure supernatural aid for someone else, but more often to obtain aid for themselves To seek a vision Become a shaman The four forms of dance at the Sun Dance, in ranked order, are the Buffalo Dance, "Gaze at the Sun Buffalo", "Gaze at the Sun Staked", and "Gaze at the Sun Suspended"

What social functions did the avoidance taboo fulfill?

Hassrick says that it reduced the chances of "mother-in-law problems" (pp. 116)

Social Strata

Hierarchically arranged collections of statuses

Primary Groups

Long-term, face-to-face, intimate interactions. Typically informal.

What were the cardinal virtues for the Sioux nation and how were they different for different genders?

Male virtues: Bravery, fortitude, generosity, and wisdom Female virtues: Bravery, generosity, truthfulness, and childbearing Bravery was foremost for men and women. Wisdom was hardest to achieve for men and childbearing was most important for women.

material culture

Material objects that distinguish groups of people (ex: clothes, architecture, transportation, etc.)

In general, how did the division of labor among the Sioux differ along gender lines? What specific tasks were the different genders responsible for?

Men were considered to be the providers and were expected to locate and kill the game for women to clean and process. Men also produced tools of hunting, war, and religion, as well as other items as necessary to supplement their wealth. Women engaged in domestic tasks, including child rearing within the limitations of the avoidance taboo.

Who were the Akicitas? What social function did they serve at both the tribal and divisional level? How did their role change over time?

Military policing societies. Originally functioned as societies of men organized to promote military professionalism. Akicitas were necessary for the protection of the tribe as it expanded across foreign territory Role changed from military to civil policing as the tribe came to control the plains and today it has returned to its original military function

Mores

Moral imperatives

Formal Relationships

Relationships with a more strict code of conduct. Typically relationships in professional settings (ex: professor-student, boss-employee, etc.)

Oceti Sakowin

Seven Council Fires; composed of Four Dakota bands, two Nakota bands, and the Titonwan (or Lakota)

Secondary Groups

Short-term, based on common interests.

Norms

Social rules or standards of conduct used to evaluate "normal" behavior.

Why was the Sioux migration from northern Minnesota to central and western South Dakota so remarkable? In what ways did their culture change in order to make this transition successful?

The Algonquin forced the Oceti Sakwan out of northern MN, forcing different bands into different areas. The Lakota settled in western SD and east central Wyoming. Lakota had to adapt to a different climate and vegetation and primarily had to change their hunting tools and strategies as buffalo became their primary food source.

Lakol Wicoh'an

The Lakota "way to live"/"way of life"; the Lakota way of life includes spirituality-the two cannot be separated Local/geographic: the Wicoh'an is specific to geography—it may not apply to other locations (e.g. German controversy over the Sun Dance) "Place" is critical It is not universal-it works for the Lakota and those who choose to follow No "evangelism"--never forced on anyone

What is the spiritual significance of the number four in Lakota culture? How was the number four important to the Lakota conception of Superior or Associate gods or in discussing the characteristics of the gods? How was the number four enacted in the sweat lodge ceremony or in preparation for the Sun Dance? Provide examples.

The number four is related to the four categories of "controllers" that the Lakota identified. There are both four Superior and four Associate gods, a 1:1 ratio. The Associated gods were considered to be the counter to the Superior gods. During the sweat lodge ceremony, stones were passed into the lodge in groups of four, the pipe was passed around four times each time it was smoked, water was sprinkled on the hot rocks four times, and the shaman sang songs that are spiritually pleasing four times. During the Sun Dance, there are four purposes for undergoing it, as well as other aspects of the ceremony itself that include four.

How was nomadism important to the Lakota economy in terms of hunting and production?

Their economy relied on the buffalo and because buffalo roam, the Laktoa had to move with them.

Discuss the importance of the dog and the horse to Lakota nomadism. In what specific ways did Lakota culture, specifically its economy, change with the introduction of the horse?

They aided in carrying loads between sites. Because the horse could carry larger loads, it allowed the Lakota to accumulate more and give away more, in accordance with their cultural value of generosity. The horse also enabled them to hunt and defend more territory. The horse provided a medium for exchange

What was the levirate and the sororate marriage expectations, and how did they relate to the interactional expectations between sibling in-laws? (i.e. brothers with their sister-in-law and sisters with their brothers-in-law).

This custom produced familiar relationships between brothers with their sister-in-law and sisters with their brothers-in-law

What was the relationship between the tiyospe, division and tripe, and who were considered the political leaders of each?:

Tiyospaye: family hunting group/extended family. Governed by a male of the grandparent generation. Division: Extended-extended family, collections of tiyospaye, organized across patrilineal lines. Under the authority of four chiefs (also referred to as "headmen'') Tribe: Summer council, met as a whole only once per year. Formulated national policy, approved or disapproved actions taken by the headmen of the various divisions during the past year, sat in judgment of offenses against national unity or security. Leaders were the Wicasa Yatapickas "Supreme Court '' which was made up of the 4 head chiefs selected from the head men of a division.

How is the Lakota family organized? How do the Lakota relationships of brother, sister, aunt, uncle, children etc. differ from western culture?

To the Lakota, the tiyospaye (extended family) was the most important. If you were a man, all of your brother's children were also your children and all of your sister's children were your nieces and nephews. The opposite was true for women. A grandparent is any generation beyond the mother/father generation, including any in-law elders. A brother's children are a man's kid's siblings. A cousin is anyone unrelated by blood, marriage, or adoption.

Subcultures

Values and related behaviors that distinguish groups that also vary within the larger culture.

non-material culture

Ways of thinking and doing that distinguish groups of people.

What are the basic differences between Native American and Western cultural patterns?

Western: Singular, systematic, dualism between spiritual and material, competition, craniological, caraphatic. Native: Plural, historic, unity between spiritual and material, cooperative, cardiological, apophatic.

Law

Written and highly enforced codes of conduct

Iniowaspe

a small pit; "was dug to serve as a receptacle for the heated stones" for sweat lodge (Hassrick, pp. 267)

Wani-sapa

communal buffalo hunt; occurred under grave circumstances Organized under the authority of the Naca's

Wiconte

death

Heyokas

dreamt of thunder and then: "...expected to act antinatural, always to play the clown. They must wear foolish clothes, live in ragged tipis, sleep without blankets in winter, and cover themselves with heavy robes in summer" or be struck by lightning

Nagila

essence

Tates

family hunting parties; organized whenever buffalo or other game were near camp When buffalo moved on, so did the camp

Levirate

made it customary for a man to marry his deceased brother's wife

Sicun

power/force of good; without it, one could succeed at nothing; with it, virtually anything was possible

Wotawes

protective devices

Wicasa Wakan

shaman

Wakan Tanka

unifying "force" NOT a "being", but a force; NOT the equivalent of "God" in traditional religion-this was added by Christian Lakota

Hanbelachia

vision quest/"The earth [...] removed from the iniowaspe [...] made into a little mound about two paces distant from the entrance and just in front of the pile of rocks and firewood where the stones were to be heated" for the sweat lodge (Hassrick, pp. 268) (might mean two things?)