CHAPTER 4: Names tell us stories: learning about Niitsitapi personal names
4.2 Summary
In this chapter, I have, to the best of my ability, presented what I have learned about Niitsitapi personal names and naming practices through my research. The progression of thought and ideas throughout the chapter is, as I stated in the introduction, a reflection of my journey in carrying out this project; insofar as I started out with the basic goal of learning about the stories, or histories, surrounding Niitsitapi personal names; which led to my investigation of other cultural concepts associated with naming; which in turn brought me to a much deeper level of knowledge and understanding than I began with, or even anticipated to reach. The overall result of this largely intuitive and fluid approach to the research is that I have been able to present what I consider to be a fairly comprehensive overview, not only of the uses and functions of Niitsitapi personal names within the context of the culture in which they are embedded, but also of some of the cultural concepts, or philosophies of thought, that appear
83 to underlie the entire approach to the giving and receiving of names in traditional Niitsitapi society.
In the first part of the chapter, I discussed how Niitsitapi personal names are passed down, or transferred, together with akáítapiitsinikssiistsi ‘stories of the past people/ancestors’, and how this gives the people who carry the names a sense of identity, in terms of knowing their own history, and understanding where they come from. I also explained how the values and beliefs that come to be embedded within the names are transformed into expectations towards the name bearers to live up to their names, and to carry them in accordance with those things that they stand for. This helps to establish personal as well as social identity; the latter having to do with how the name bearers present themselves to the community at large. I then moved on discuss how Niitsitapi personal names are often given out, or transferred, within the context of pommakssin ‘transfer/exchange’, a process which involves concepts such as saponihtaan
‘paying or putting into something’ (the notion of giving things sacrificially in exchange for names), as well as aistomatoo’p ‘it is done to our bodies/beings’ (the concept of embodying, or ‘becoming’ one’s name). The ceremonial aspects of pommakssin were illustrated with reference to two names transfer ceremonies that I witnessed during one of my visits to the Kainai Reserve. Pommakssin is tied into the notions of sstowa’pssi ‘growth’, and kamota’pii
‘protection’; within the context of naming, personal names are usually given out in order to bring these things to pass in the lives of those people who are receiving the names. I also discussed how the Niitsitapi concept of kimmapiiypitsin ‘the practice of being kind to others’
appears to be a key element underlying the transfer of names, insofar as personal names are usually given out for the purpose of ensuring that kainaisoka’pii ‘all good things’, including sstowa’pssi and kamota’pii, become manifest in the lives of the name bearers. It was emphasised that these things are not only intended for the benefit of the individuals themselves, but also for the welfare of the community as a whole. This underscores the importance of the social aspect of naming in Niitsitapi culture. In the latter part of my discussion, I addressed some of the spiritual dimensions of Niitsitapi personal naming that I have become aware of during the course of my study, and suggested the possibility that Niitsitapi spiritual beliefs, as an inseparable part of everyday life in traditional Niitsitapi society, underpin and connect every aspect of name giving and receiving in traditional Niitsitapi culture.
84 At this point, I would like to share with the reader how I have personally experienced the reality of some of the concepts that I have explored, in the course of carrying out this project.
First and foremost, I have had the privilege of receiving a Niitsitapi personal name, Iinisskimmáákii, ‘Buffalo Stone Woman’ (§3.7.2). A full description of my naming ceremony is given in Appendix 2. In carrying this name, I now have some measure of social identity in the Kainai community. For example, I can now introduce myself by my Niitsitapi name, and tell people the story of how I received the name; which gives me a sense of
‘belonging’ in the community, and perhaps ‘softens’ local perceptions of me being an outsider. Furthermore, and far more importantly, by going through the process of receiving this name, and learning the story behind it, I have had the opportunity to actually live out some of the Niitsitapi cultural concepts and practices that I have written about in this chapter (§4.1). The name, for instance, was transferred to me in the traditional Niitsitapi way; in ceremony, by an elder, and with witnesses. Pommakssin ‘transfer/exchange’ and saponihtaan
‘sacrificial giving’ were essential elements of this transfer, insofar as I purchased and gave gifts to Narcisse (and later to Ryan and Adrienne) in exchange for the name.
I have also experienced these concepts in some other ways. For instance, in order to pursue and obtain the kind of knowledge which I needed to write this dissertation, I have engaged in pommakssin, insofar as I have taken part in certain exchanges with the people who have shared this knowledge with me. At a physical, or material, level, these exchanges have entailed giving gifts such as tobacco, clothing, and cash, to participants in my interviews. At a more personal, and emotional, level, I have pursued, and am still pursuing, relationships with certain people in the Kainai community, in exchange for the knowledge that has been transferred to me. All of my exchanges have come through saponihtaan, or personal sacrifice, whether this has been financial sacrifice; sacrifice in the sense of frequent travel away from home and separation from family; or self-sacrifice in the sense of putting time, energy, and much emotion into relationships, and into the project itself. Through this, however, I have experienced sstowa’pssi; in terms of having learned first-hand what it takes to carry out a research project of this nature, and in negotiating all of the challenges, including personal challenges, which go with the territory. It will probably only be some time in the future when I will be able to see the full extent to which sstowa’pssi has been manifest through my life as a result of this endeavour, but I am sure that it will contribute towards kainaisoka’pii in my journey through opáitapiiysin.
85 As I explained at the outset of this chapter, everything that I have written about here is based on what people in the Kainai community have shared with me around their names, based on their own personal experiences and perceptions. Basically, all that I have really done here is articulate, in writing, those portions of the vast existing Niitsitapi oral literature on names, which I have encountered and attempted to come to grips with, during the course of my study. As such, I would like to draw this section of the dissertation to a close not with my own comments, but with some of the thoughts that have been expressed to me in the conversations that I have had with many different Niitsitapi people around their names, over the past three years. The following quotations, in my view, capture the essence of the entire discussion that I have presented in this chapter, and provide it with a fitting conclusion:
If I really want to be who I am, if I go to a meeting and introduce myself, I will say, “My name is Mamio’kakiikin”, because actually that’s my name.
(Mamio’kakiikin, Adam Delaney, 14 September 2006, personal interview)
My obligation [with respect to my name] is to know the history of the name, to ensure that the legacy of the name lives on…responsibility has been given to me through my name…names are extremely important…it gives you a sense of belonging…if you know the story behind the name, it adds to the strength of that name. (Aatso’to’aawa, Andy Blackwater, personal communication)
The fact that some of our Blackfoot names cannot be translated into English is not that important from a traditional viewpoint, because the name in the Blackfoot language is sufficient in itself to keep our language, traditions, and culture, alive. (Mamio’kakiikin, Adam Delaney, 29 September 2006, personal interview)
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