Oldal 110 [110]
CANADIAN LANDSCAPES/ PAYSAGES CANADIENS
of a set of moral rules, let us examine exactly what taboos can be found among
the Denesuline and what their meaning is. Ihe Denesuline must have regarded
wolves and wolverines as manifestations of the supernatural as Hearne men¬
tions several times that the nation did not kill them because it was considered
a taboo. Ifsomeone did kill a wolf or a wolverine, he was despised by the others,
and essentially became an outcast of the tribe. Ihere are, however, several
different explanations as to why the Denesuline would not kill those species.
It could either be out of "silly superstition [...] no longer observed by many"
(Hearne 225). Or, wolves and wolverines could also be regarded as totem ani¬
mals. Hearne mentions that whenever they find a pack of wolves, the wolf pups
are never harmed. As a matter of fact, they play with the pups, some of them
paint their faces with red ochre and then carefully put them back in the den
(240). This may imply that wolves were thought to be totem animals and the
Denesuline tried to gain their goodwill by not harming their pups.
During his journey, Samuel Hearne explains this taboo by combining it
with that of foxes and otters, claiming that they were considered “more than
animals” (Hearne 145). However, he does not go into detail as to what exactly
the indigenous might have considered them to be, his wording suggesting that
they were regarded as supernatural beings, possibly shapeshifters.
In Chapter 9 of his work — written while Hearne was already in London — he
elaborates on this prohibition. Here, too, he mentions this taboo along with
that of several other wild animals. In the relevant passage, however, he traces
its roots back to the Denesuline’s attitude to the dead. As has been mentioned,
the Denesuline do not bury their dead but leave them in the care of carnivorous
animals at the place where they died. As carnivores feed on the cadavers of the
deceased, this could be reason enough for them not to eat these animals (Hearne
224). Also resulting from this practice, there was a widespread belief among
indigenous people that their deceased siblings lived on in these animals in
some form. Unfortunately, Hearne’s report does not go into any detail about
what form this afterlife may take, but native animism suggests that it is to be
conceived as a spiritual form. Thus the extension of the concept of taboo to
the entire species merely speaks of the respect they have for all their deceased
(Hearne, 224).
This, however, is in conflict with one of Samuel Hearne’s other statements,
which Matonabbee’ backs up with his own words. One of the author’s justifi¬
cations for the alleged lack of religion among the aborigines is that the aborig¬
ines have no concept of the future, namely, the time after one’s death and the
afterlife. However, while we are talking about taboos concerning foxes and
other predatory animals, this does not seem to be the case with wolves. If the
7 Matonabbee was the indigenous leader on Hearne’s third, successful trip. Hearne considered
him his only aboriginal friend, and his work often refers to Matonabbee’s responses.
s 108 +