A comparison of some gigantic characters in Iroquois and Saami traditions

Authors

• Thomas McElwain

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67168

Keywords:

Sami (European people) -- Religion, Indians of North America, Iroquois Indians, United States

Abstract

A comparison of similar narrative figures in presumably unrelated cultures may contribute to the discovery of blind spots and new areas of reflection in ethnographical description and thus indirectly contribute to a better basis for comparative studies. The lack of money and precious metals in the Iroquoian repertoire shows contrasting concerns between Saami and Iroquoian tradition, suggesting new directions of reflection on the Iroquoian material, namely in terms of hunting and warfare luck in the context of guardian and helping spirits. The stereotyped simplicity of the Iroquoian material in contrast with the variety of the Saami material suggests 1) the superimposition of a heavier load of concerns and values on the Saami figures and opens for reflection the possibility of an archaic Stallo who more purely represents the interaction between the human and the natural world in terms of guardian and helper spirits; and 2) the possibility of approaching the Saami material from the point of view of local repertoire and concern in order to reduce false problems of complexity. The Saami material serves to clarify the particular configuration of the Stone Coat tradition through a comparison of similarities and contrasts. Also, the Iroquois material may stimulate some clarification of some aspects of the Stallo tradition.