On Instructing the Youth
"The elders used to counsel those who were behaving negatively. They would confront the person and bluntly tell him of his shortcomings.
"Nowadays if you talk to a young person that way, his self-esteem will plunge down. Back then the elders didn't expect young folks to pity themselves when they reproached them. They spoke to them openly about their faults. They'd say, 'You pitiful one. How sorrowful it is to see you behave in such a way. You have brought this condition on yourself by not adhering to your elder's teachings, and you will remain in this pathetic state in your brief existence on earth.'
"After several attempts to instruct the young one the elder might say, 'Keggutma tang akuliitgun anqatalriaten [You are about to slip out between my teeth].' The young one remained inside the elder's mouth as long as he continued to receive the instruction offered to him. Since he considered the young one to be inside his mouth, he'd say that he was about to slip out through his teeth if he ignored the instructions..."
"We should not leave leave these young people alone. They will think behaving that way is normal. They are living their lives today with no one to guide and admonish them. Some improve their behavior when we give them advice. That development will be a big help to the villages, not to take them away to Kass'aq [White man] jails where they will not instruct them. They will only be changed here through constant encouragement. It is as if these people are going hungry because they do not have anyone to discipline and instruct them. They are not aware of this sort of disciplinary method."
--Words of two Yup'ik Elders, quoted from "Wise Words of the Yup'ik People," by Ann Fienup-Riordan
"Nowadays if you talk to a young person that way, his self-esteem will plunge down. Back then the elders didn't expect young folks to pity themselves when they reproached them. They spoke to them openly about their faults. They'd say, 'You pitiful one. How sorrowful it is to see you behave in such a way. You have brought this condition on yourself by not adhering to your elder's teachings, and you will remain in this pathetic state in your brief existence on earth.'
"After several attempts to instruct the young one the elder might say, 'Keggutma tang akuliitgun anqatalriaten [You are about to slip out between my teeth].' The young one remained inside the elder's mouth as long as he continued to receive the instruction offered to him. Since he considered the young one to be inside his mouth, he'd say that he was about to slip out through his teeth if he ignored the instructions..."
"We should not leave leave these young people alone. They will think behaving that way is normal. They are living their lives today with no one to guide and admonish them. Some improve their behavior when we give them advice. That development will be a big help to the villages, not to take them away to Kass'aq [White man] jails where they will not instruct them. They will only be changed here through constant encouragement. It is as if these people are going hungry because they do not have anyone to discipline and instruct them. They are not aware of this sort of disciplinary method."
--Words of two Yup'ik Elders, quoted from "Wise Words of the Yup'ik People," by Ann Fienup-Riordan
posted by Eric John at 8:23 PM
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