Date of Award
10-1994
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Anthropology
Supervisor
Professor Richard Preston
Abstract
This dissertation is an ethnography of Mashkeko ('Swampy Cree') children's art. Specifically, the way in which Cree-speaking children in Kashechewan - a small isolated community on the west coast of James Bay - use drawings as a form of discourse is discussed. Using techniques developed for the structural analysis of myths, the content and form of 200 drawings made by ten Mashkeko children aged 6-12 years are compared and contrasted to show some general characteristics of Mashkeko children's art. It is hypothesized that these drawings function in a way that is analogous to speech and writing. The theoretical relevance of this hypothesis to some current debates about the structure of language is discussed.
Recommended Citation
Fulford, George Taylor, "Children's Drawings in a Mashkeko Cree Community" (1994). Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper 2284.
http://digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca/opendissertations/2284