Research Catalog
Crow is my boss : the oral life history of a Tanacross Athabaskan elder / Kenny Thomas Sr. ; edited by Craig Mishler ; translations by Irene Arnold ; transcriptions by Gary Holton.
- Title
- Crow is my boss : the oral life history of a Tanacross Athabaskan elder / Kenny Thomas Sr. ; edited by Craig Mishler ; translations by Irene Arnold ; transcriptions by Gary Holton.
- Author
- Thomas, Kenny, 1922-
- Publication
- Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, c2005.
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | Request in advance | ANT. T 363 c | Off-site |
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Details
- Additional Authors
- Mishler, Craig.
- Description
- ix, 267 p. : ill., 1 map, ports. (some col.); 24 cm.
- Summary
- Born in 1922, Kenny Thomas Sr. has been a trapper, firefighter, road builder, river-freight hauler, and soldier. Today he is a respected elder and member of a northern Athabaskan tribal group residing in Tanacross, Alaska. As a song and dance leader for the Tanacross community, Thomas has been teaching village traditions at an annual culture camp for more than twenty years. Over a three-year period, folklorist Craig Mishler conducted a series of interviews with Thomas about his life experiences. Crow Is My Boss is the fascinating result of this collaboration.
- Written in a style that reflects the dialogue between Thomas and Mishler, Crow Is My Boss retains the authenticity of Thomas{u2019}s voice, capturing his honesty and humor. Thomas reveals biographical details, performs and explains traditional folktales and the potlatch tradition, and discusses ghosts and medicine people. One folktale is presented in both English and Tanacross, Thomas{u2019}s native language. A compelling personal story, Crow Is My Boss provides insight into the traditional and contemporary culture of Tanacross Athabaskans in Alaska.
- Series Statement
- The civilization of the American Indian series ; v. 250
- Uniform Title
- Civilization of the American Indian series ; v. 250.
- North American Indian thought and culture
- Subject
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-259) and index.
- Language (note)
- English and Tanacross.
- Contents
- Orthographic note: the Tanacross writing system/Gary Holton -- Introduction/Craig Mishler -- Dihtaad Oxten -- Mansfield man: my family and childhood -- Trapping and prospecting days -- Medicine people, ghosts, and stick Indians -- Greetings from Uncle Sam: World War II -- Changes after the war: marriage road building, firefighting, drinking, and recovery -- We don't say potlatch for nothing -- Becoming a song and dance leader -- Living in two different worlds: subsistence and cultural preservation -- Traditional stories: Yaniida'a Naxuldek : Yaamaagh Telcheegh : Raven tries to marry : K'eetl'aa Ta' and Sts'ay Nitle' : The crippled boy who saved Mansfield (bilingual text) -- Some final words: living by the straight board.
- ISBN
- 0806136596
- LCCN
- ^^2004055323
- OCLC
- 56014547
- Owning Institutions
- Harvard Library