Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Religion & Culture / Religious Studies

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Kay Koppedrayer

Advisor Role

Thesis Supervisor

Abstract

Two Voices is the story of Sylvia Jamieson Sandy, a 95 year old Elder and Clan Mother of the Wolf Clan, Mohawk Nation, Six Nations Territory on the Grand River. The thesis employs the methodology of borrowing in which the participants use each other’s gifts and talents; the participants are Sylvia and her urban-raised cousin who has been entrusted by Sylvia to carry her story outside of Six Nations Territory. In her own words, Sylvia tells of her experiences and memories of the Jamieson family, and her life as a teacher, an entrepreneur, a community member and Elder. Sylvia’s story, spanning most of the twentieth century, shows the effects of assimilation on her people, the degree to which assimilation has penetrated and changed Haudenosaunee culture and Sylvia’s own adjustment to and battles against this encroachment. Included are discussions of Sylvia’s agency, independence and her life long service to her family, her community and her people. The collaboration from which Two Voices arose also highlights how Sylvia helped to bring home her urban-raised cousin.

Convocation Year

2001

Convocation Season

Fall

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