adventure, literature and philosophy as well as in the social sciences
and the humanities.

The encounter between Europeans and Indians—some of whom
had established powerful and brilliant civilisations (1)— produced a
tremendous impact on Western consciousness, as Christopher
Columbus (2) stated at the very “discovery” of the Americas (3).
The effects of this encounter are still alive today whereby the
experience of the “other” (the Indians, for instance) is often mediated
through a still developing knowledge: the social sciences and the
humanities. This experience of the “other” brings to the surface the
very groundroots of Western thought. The history of this production
of texts— which can be linked to that of the ideologies of which they
are products—constitutes a research area that is currently in rapid
expansion.

But on the Pacific Northwest Coast, this work of historical
exploration has only begun. At this time, research is based primarly
upon English written documentation: there is very little importance
given to texts in French, Spanish, Russian or German, in spite of
their importance. In defence of anglophone authors however, it
must be said that non-English sources are widely dispersed and are

often difficult to access.

_ The aim,.of this paper is to discuss, for the first time, the
francophone contribution to the study of Pacific Northwest Coast
Indian‘societies and languages. As space is limited, I will offer a
short description of the historical development of these texts; I shall
also invite the reader to consult a more detailed bibliography of this
material (4).

There is general agreement that the knowledge one has of the
world—its perception through a given language—is related to the
inherent characteristics of the latter. Each language has its own
symbolic universe, its own way of dealing with the notions of time,
space and interrelation (Whorf, (5)). Although it is possible to
translate one into another, differences between languages—at the
conceptual or semantic level—are significant enough to be considered
when evaluating descriptions given in these different languages of
social and cultural realities. In this instance, the reality is that of the
Pacific Northwest Coast Indians as described by French, English,
American and Canadian authors, each producing their own anthro-
pology. This suggests the viability of exploring an extended hypothesis
of Whorf, which would examine the production of knowledge per
se.

For example, the notion of power is not the same in an African,
Asian, Amerindian or European society: the description which is
given of it differs not only according to the individuals producing
this description, but depends as well on the language which they
use. Each language conceals a whole set of specific cultural notions,
concepts, symbolic and political perceptions which are, at the same
time, the intrinsic products of its own history.

As there exist French, English and American anthropologies
(each with its own school of thinking), it is crucial to consider facts
upon which they agree when we compare different descriptions of a
given social reality. For this reason, the analysis of francophone
texts on Pacific Nortwest Coast Indian languages and cultures is of
particular importance. It is presumed, in this context, that a Franco-

Le chronographe Volume III no. 1-2, Printemps-Eté 1986

KNOWING OTHERS...

phone contribution is the production of texts which are developed in
French or written by Francophone authors and/or which participate
in the wider Francophone cultural and social fabric.

B. WHO ARE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
COAST INDIANS?

The Native Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast form a socio-
cultural entity distinct from any other indigenous peoples of the
Americas. Their cultural area comprises more than 3,000 km along
the coasts of Alaska to Oregon. They have inhabited the region for
more than 8,000 years. Together, these societies, with their own
languages (there are more than twenty different languages in British
Columbia alone) and cultural and artistic attributes, form a civilisation
based on resources provided by the sea (which, in the absence of
agriculture, was literally “cultivated”, salmon and whales being
abundant) and the forest (with its primordial cedars and wild berries
to be gathered). Although linguistic differences remain significant,
the Indians share a similar environment: the same natural resources,
types of habitat and material cultures. The rituals, ceremonials (i.e.
potlatch) and extraordinary mythological universes together with an
artistic production of often common inspiration, have woven a strong
socio-cultural network between these different communities (and
this over an immense geographical area). (6) The main cultural
areas are, from North to South (cf. linguistic map):

1. The Tlingit: from Yakutat to Cape Fox. Their language is related
to the Athapaskan linguistic stock.

2. The ‘Haida: they inhabit the Queen Charlotte Islands and several
adjacent islands in Alaska.

3. The Tsimshian: live on the continental coast, just accross from
the Queen Charlotte Islands.

4. The Wakashan: they are divided into two major linguistic groups:
the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) and Nuuchahnulth (Nootka).

5. The Salish: (Coast and Interior).

Each of these groups comprises distinctive linguistic divisions
and sub-divisions. In terms of their artistic achievements, there
exist, beyond regional differences and borrowings, aesthetic cor-
relations between Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian artforms (the so-
called “Northern style”) as well as between the Kwakiutl and the
Nootka; the Salish constitute a more distinct entity (7). Native
cultures and languages have been extensively studied, mainly in
English.

C. THE FRANCOPHONE CONTRIBUTION.

1. General setting:

At the beginning of the 16th Century in Canada, Jacques Cartier
and those who followed him here to North America, were over-
whelmingly impressed by the habits and customs of the “savages”
who, according to them, were still living in the “childhood of Nature”
(8). This vision of man in a state of Nature, of the “barbarian” —the
savage—is a conception which prevailed already during the Roman

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