Heyoka
Heyoka is a common term for the clowns, contraries, reverse reaction warriors, and fools that existed among the Plains Indians .
history
When Lakota Indians first saw European clowns , they used the word Heyoka , which they also used to name their own clowns. The anthropologist John Plant uses the term Heyoka in his scientific research to include the clown, the contrary and the mad warrior.
The anthropologist Julian Steward published research results on the clown for the first time with his dissertation The Clown in Native North America in 1929. Members of the examination committee were Alfred Kroeber and Robert Lowie . A year later, Steward published the article The Ceremonial Buffoon of the American Indian . In this publication, he described the contradictory behavior ( contrary behavior ).
Verne Ray (1905-2003) was interested in the opposing behavior, and he related it in his research to the ritual dances of the Indians. In this context, he described a reverse reaction .
Heyoka
The word Heyoka comes from the Dakota Siouan language and can be translated as clown or opposites . John Plant has investigated this ethnological phenomenon in the following Plains Indian peoples in particular:
| Language family | people |
|---|---|
| Sioux | Absarokee , Assiniboine , Hidatsa , Lakota , Mandan , Ponca , Santee |
| Algonquin | Arapaho , Atsina , Cheyenne , Plains Cree , Plains Ojibwa |
| Caddo | Arikaree , Pawnee , |
| Uto-Aztec | Comanche ( Shoshone branch), Plains Shoshone |
| Kiowa | Kiowa |
| Na-Dené | Kiowa Apache |
Among the Plains Indians, contraries were those “who indulged in an extraordinary lifestyle, doing the opposite of what others usually did. In doing so, they turned all the conventions into their opposite ”. While the clowns depicted ceremonial figures and only appeared within rites or ceremonies, the contraries lived a contrary way of life day and night.
Contrary behavior means doing the opposite of what is actually normal or conventional. In most cases, the wrong language is used, sometimes also called reverse language. It's a way of speaking that reverses the actual meaning. For example: "No" means "Yes" , and "Hello!" means "goodbye!" . Wrong language also implied doing the exact opposite of what other speakers say or ask for ("reverse reaction"). If someone who acts according to the Heyoka principle calls out, "Grandfather, come here" , however, he means that the grandfather should go away.
Differences and similarities
John Plant sees the main difference between clowns and contraries in the fact that a clown only took on the prominent role within a tribe during a performance : he put on a mask, wore a costume and adorned himself with special accessories. After the end of a performance, the respective clown returned to his normal role within the social group. Nevertheless, the clowns also belonged to informal groups, such as age-graded societies or dream cults . It was also customary to adopt some tricks from shamanism in the humorous game . Contemporary references to the clinic clown can be made here.
Among the Plains Indians, contraries were individuals who not only temporarily assumed a special role, but consistently and always did the opposite. Their opposing behavior was not tied to any performances, rituals or wars: the contraries behaved contrary to everyday life . This ethnic figure of the Plains Indians was unique, without historical models, and it did not exist in any other culture.
Contrary behavior was not only pronounced among the clowns and the contraries of the Plains Indians, but also among members of special warrior organizations. Their reverse reaction warriors reacted in the event of war to military orders with the opposite reaction: for example, if the signal to attack came, his comrades attacked, whereas the wrong warrior withdrew. And when the order to retreat came, his comrades had already given up the fight, then the wrong warrior attacked.
literature
- John Plant: Heyoka. The contraries and clowns of the Plains Indians . Wyk auf Foehr, 1994; 2nd edition 2000, ISBN 3-89510-011-0 .
- John Plant: Crazy Dogs and Foolish Men. Sidelights on Plains Indian Culture . In: Eveline Dürr and Stefan Seitz (eds.): Religious ethnology contributions to American studies. Ethnological studies, Volume 31. Lit Verlag, Münster 1997, ISBN 3-8258-3259-7 .
- John Plant: The Plains Clowns, their Contraries and related Phenomena . Vienna 2010.
- Verne Ray: The Contrary Behavior Pattern in American Indian Ceremonialism . In: Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. No. 1/1945, pp. 75-113.
- Julian Steward: The Clown in Native North America . Dissertation. University of California, Berkeley, 1929 a. Taylor & Francis 1991.
- Julian Steward: The Ceremonial Buffoon of the American Indian . In: Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters. No. 14/1930, pp. 187-207.
Web links
- The Plains Indian Clowns, their Contraries and related Phenomena (PDF). (PDF; 976 kB) John Plant, accessed October 31, 2010 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ John Plant: The Plains Indian Clowns, ... (PDF; 976 kB), p. 2.
- ↑ John Plant: The Plains Indian Clowns, ... (PDF; 976 kB), p. 2f.
- ↑ John Plant: The Plains Indian Clowns, ... (PDF; 976 kB), p. 3.
- ↑ John Plant: Heyoka. The Contraries and Clowns of the Plains Indians , p. 10
- ↑ John Plant: The Plains Indian Clowns, ... (PDF; 976 kB), p. 4f.
- ↑ John Plant: The Plains Indian Clowns, ... (PDF; 976 kB), p. 15f.
- ↑ John Plant: The Plains Indian Clowns, ... (PDF; 976 kB), p. 23f.