World Visions: Plains Vision Questing as Epistemology

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Magic, Spirits, Shamanism, and Trance" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

We combine archaeology, oral history, and ethnography to argue for the epistemological power of visions and their complementary role—along with ontology and ordering schemes—in the fabric of Native American philosophies and practices. Waking visions and dreams are central to the long-term cultural history of Plains people. Among the Blackfoot, for example, they are closely related to coming of age, spiritual vows, and acquiring enough knowledge to become “elders” in society. Archaeology and cultural practice indicate a close connection between vision questing and specific landforms as well as connections with stunning viewsheds. We provide illustrations from recently recorded, high-elevation vision quest sites in the northern Rocky Mountain Front.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Magic, Spirits, Shamanism, and Trance   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37895.0