Open Collections

Abstract

This is a study of the documented oral accounts of the Micmac people of Atlantic Canada for their potential as historical source material. William G. Doty's perspectives on mythography are adapted into an historical-functional approach to stories in the accounts. Consideration is given to the nature and history of the oral accounts, how they came to be recorded, and role of t he recorders in shaping the accounts. Finally, a sample of the documented accounts are analyzed for evidence of change in Micmac spirituality and religious beliefs from contact in the seventeenth century to the mid-twentieth century.