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8. Self-Discovery
- University of Michigan Press
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tHE MButI (CONGOLESE PYGMIES) consider themselves Mbuti because of their nomadic hunter–gatherer way of life. If one of them were to join a farming village, his new lifestyle would be so alien to his kin that they would no longer consider him Mbuti. Nor would he identify himself as Mbuti. Their identity is profoundly rooted in how and where they live, rather than on blood relationship or culture of origin. In the words of an Elder named Moke, “The Forest is our home; when we leave the forest, or when the forest dies, we shall die. We are the people of the forest.”87 Many of us base our ethnic identities on the country (or countries) of our Ancestors’ origin, even thought we may never have traveled there and know little or nothing of its language and culture. We have an abstract connection with the past rather than a current relationship with a living culture. Cultural traditions are important, as they give us ways to deal with everyday emotions such as anger and jealousy, along with ways to take responsibility for our own actions rather than feeling victimized or blaming others. When we have no functioning cultural identity, we lack the traditional tools to help us with these daily affairs of life. Cultures will preserve and transmit these tools through stories. A storyteller will often choose one story specifically for someone in her audience. She knows that the story will gift the others also, because in a community the actions of one touch all. The following stories are examples of the repertoire of insight and guidance a storyteller in a living culture has at her disposal. Chapter Eight Self-Discovery k 53 k 54 Our PEOPLE HAvE A SAYING that when all is quiet under a blanket of Snow, Makwa (Bears) wake up. Now these are not ordinary Makwa who hibernate when the Snow lies deep. No, I’m talking about the Makwa who wait to come out during the White Season, when the nights are long and cold and virtually all of life is snug asleep in warm, sheltered places. On nights like this, only the far-off call of Ma’eengan (Wolf) or Gookookoo (Owl) remind us that anything at all might still be moving about. On one such night, a young Boy named Nigig Inzow (Otter-tail) sat up late by himself. His family was long asleep, snuggled into a pile of plush furs, and yet his fretful mind would not let him join them. He could find nothing to do but stare at his faint shadow, which was cast on the wall by the pale, yellow glow of the fading Shkode (Fire) in the center of the Lodge. He was a carefree Child, always clear in what he thought and felt. Only now, as he approached his tenth Winter, his life began spinning in a confusing web of feelings. tonight he stared at the wall as though searching for something in his silhouette that he couldn’t find inside himself. The wailing chorus of nearby Ma’eengan shook Inzow out of his trance. As the howls trailed off to rejoin the stillness, Inzow’s eyes opened wide in a sudden realization: “I’ll go and see Mishomis (Grandfather)! He is wise like a Mountain; perhaps he can help.” Two Hungry Bears self-acceptance It was all Inzow could do not to awaken his family. He quickly tended Shkode, snatched his Wagosh (Fox) fur robe, and darted out the door. Even before he got the robe fully wrapped around him, he was across the clearing and entering Mishomis’s Lodge. “It is very late and you are awake, Honored Mishomis,” Inzow said in a surprised voice as he entered the cozy Lodge. The Elder was not only up but he was building up Shkode, as though he were expecting someone. “Mishomis is also opposite the door: the place for greeting visitors,” thought Inzow. “Perhaps the doorway was drafty and he wanted to sit where it was warmest.” Out of respect, Inzow kept his confusion to himself and sat in the traditional place for Children: to the left of the door, from where they could easily run errands for their Elders—or as they saw it, scoot out quickly to play. [54.165.248.212] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:20 GMT) k 55 Chapter Eight: Self-Discovery “Honored Mishomis,” spoke Inzow straight away, “this Boy’s belly is being torn apart; it feels like two...