Seven
Elements of Culture in Kwakiutl Tribe
(Image is from Google)
I
Heard The Owl Call My Name is a novel about a
clash of culture. This novel was written by Margaret Craven. She created an
admirable character in Mark Brian. He is a young Anglican vicar who is unaware
that he has only a few years to live and he is sent to work among the
Tsawatanieuk, an American Indian tribe of the Kwakiutl people. For centuries,
the Kwakiutl lives along the Northwest Coast in British Columbia, Canada.
Through the
novel, the readers will know about the culture of Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakitul).
According to
Koentjaraningrat (1985), there are seven elements of culture such as language,
religious system, art, technology system and equipment, livelihood system and
economic system, and knowledge.
First element is
language. The language family of Kwakiutl
people is Wakashan. The Wakashan language of the Kwakwaka'wakw is only spoken
on the Northwest Coast of the North American continent. In modern times, the
language is called Kwak'wala. Some example words of Kwak'wala are bagwanam
means man, t'sadak means woman, nla means sing, and bau means leave.
The most important element that appears in
the novel is religious
system. Mythology, symbols, and funerals are included in religious system of Kwakiutl people. The
religion of the Kwakwaka'wakw is based on their beliefs that such powers are
found in all things in nature. Some animals and a tree play an important part
of their beliefs such as salmon, raven, owl, and cedar tree.
Kwakiutl people believe that salmon are supernatural beings which live in their
own village
under the sea and become a symbol of extraordinary power and perseverance. They
also believe that it is the raven with the supernatural powers which places the
sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky. They believe that owl is a sign of
death. When someone hears the owl call his name like Mark does, he knows his
time of death is coming. Moreover, they believe that cedar tree is the main
wood which has power to make vicarage, canoe, and clothes.
In addition, there are three ways of
funeral. First, the body of dead people is placed in the open box and hoisted
into a tree or hole of stone. It is done with a reason that the body of dead
people is to be eaten by birds. Second, the body of dead people is burnt and
the ash is scattered. The reason is to be eaten by salmon. Thrid, the body of
dead people is buried in the ground. It is done for important chiefs only.
Besides that, the
readers will know that the deepest beliefs of the tribe are relieved in the ritual
dances. The dances are Potlatch dance,
Grouse dance, Moon dance, and Cannibal dance (Hamatsa dance). Potlatch dance is a spiritual
dance to share wealth and material goods to show goodwill for the rest of the
tribe. In Grouse dance,
there are twenty six characters with different masks, songs, and dances. Moon dance is performed in pantomime
by two men. Cannibal or Hamatsa
dance is a dance that one boy in the village must perform for three days and is
infested with the Hamatsa's spirit. He will then become a man.
Third element of
culture is art. The Kwkwaka'wakw people
use cedar tree to make remarkable canoes, large food
bowls, and everyday utensils. The most popular art in Kwakiutl tribe is totem
pole. Totem pole is large wooden pole that depicts the animals and family
symbols that family believe to link them to the spirit world.
Fourth element is
technology system and equipment. The technology system of Kwaiutl tribe is
woodworking. They make everything that they need in their daily life from cedar tree.
Sometimes, they use spruce roots, or grass as well.
Next element is livelihood
system and economic system. Traditionally, the Kwakwaka'wakw people are fishers and
gatherers. Fishing season begins in the
spring and ends in the fall. In the winter, the people stay
in their village and do very little gathering. Economic system that they have
depends on their livelihood as fishers and gatherers.
The last element of
culture is knowledge. Kwakiutl children learn about their culture such as
language, ceremonial dancing, mythology, and the traditional arts from their
elders and their chiefs.
After all
the readers will know about the culture of Kwakiutl tribe in the Northwest
Coast in British Columbia, Canada through the
novel that they never know that the tribe in the novel is a real tribe. They
will find seven elements of culture, for example language, religious system,
art, technology system and equipment, livelihood system and economic system,
and knowledge.
Yogyakarta, March 28, 2016
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