Kunsi ksapa and wisdom: Dakota kunsis' hitunkankanpi of the hekta and dehan or grandmother knowledge and wisdom: Dakota grandmothers' stories of the past and present

• Main Author: Myran, Deborah
• Other Authors: Kulchyski, Peter (Native Studies)
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Dakota Kunsi Knowledge; Dakota Oyate
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/24038

I was born to Philip Myran and (late) Alma Myran in the community of Cankaga Oti (Birdtail), Manitoba. Our family belongs to the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) of the Dakota Oyate (People)which includes; five sisters and two brothers. Because our family moved from the community of Cankaga Oti when I was very young, I became disconnected form our tiospaye (relations). Consequently, this migration to a rural farm, and later an urban centre, resulted in a generation of children who were uncertain of our Dakota cultural values. Upon returning to Manitoba, as a young woman, I was introduced to tiospaye and female responsibilities which had been absent for most of my childhood. As I reached adulthood, I became keenly aware of the many important responsibilities Dakota women and kunsis carry for our families and for our communities. However, both of these experiences, living in the wasicu world and the practice of walking the red road, allow me to walk between two cultures. The Dakota oyate call this makoce nupa umanipi (walking in two worlds). This experience has generated a cultural and spiritual interest to bring our kunsi voice alive in the academia, where the female voice was temporarily silenced, I want to honor and respect our kunsi voice through tradition. The Dakota people call this wicakihnapi (to follow in our ancestor's ways, traditions). This thesis is part of my own journey of learning the past and present positions and responsibilities of Dakota kunsis. I have examined a selection of scholarly articles on Dakota culture, with an emphasis on what has been said, or not said, that pertains to women.