Sugpiaq Russian Orthodoxy---Conceptual Analogy In Religious Syncretism In Nanwalek Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2009Religious conversion is often highly unstable, can be nominal in nature, and may not have lasting effects on converted people and their culture. For the Sugpiaq of Nanwalek, however, Russian Orthodoxy has become "native" (and Native) in the sense that it has been incorporated into everyday Sugpiaq reality, and referred to as such by all in the community. Therefore, examining the unique history and practice of Orthodoxy in Nanwalek provides insight into the process of integration of a foreign religious idea into a new cultural environment. The focus of this dissertation is on contemporary Sugpiaq Russian Orthodoxy, as it is formulated in culture-specific analogies and conceptualized through the process of religious synthesis. In Sugpiaq Russian Orthodoxy, Russian traditions and Russian Orthodoxy are mediated through a Sugpiaq cultural logic to create and re-create a culturally specific religious identity. To better understand the process of internalization, this dissertation explores the interplay between Orthodox and traditional Sugpiaq understandings of power, hierarchy, social status, and authority. By doing so, it offers insight into how people interpret certain aspects of their religion according to their own ontological reality, in order to integrate foreign religious ideas into the local cultural context. Based on Sugpiaq Russian Orthodoxy, I propose a new term, conceptual analogy, which can be used to explore people's thought processes in assigning cultural significance to religious meaning, as well as through cultural dynamics that govern the selection and maintenance of religious affiliations. Although conceptual analogy is not restricted to one particular religious or cultural tradition the analogy that is conceptualized is always culture-specific. Therefore, conceptual analogies can be found in all situations where an ongoing conversation develops through syncretism, which is an inherent aspect of religion, as cultural internalization and re-conceptualization. Conceptualizing Russian Orthodoxy through Sugpiaq understandings of reality and fully integrating it into their community made it possible for people in Nanwalek to maintain their Orthodox faith. Thus, Russian Orthodoxy is no longer a foreign religious concept in Nanwalek, but rather a significant component of Sugpiaq identity

Using the R-PAS\u27 Aggressive Content Score for the Evaluation of Aggressive Behaviors in Children

The Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) was developed in 2011 as analternative to the previous Comprehensive System. The goal was to improve the psychometrics,and particularly the validity, of this assessment method. The norms for children werequestionable in the Comprehensive system (e.g., outdated, low numbers of subjects) and validitystudies for children were sparse. One of the indicators included in the R-PAS system, theaggressive content indicator (AgC), is intended to reflect aggressive behavior, but few studieshave examined the validity of this indicator. This study examined the validity of AgC in asample of 32 children and adolescents receiving services at a residential treatment center.Subjects\u27 AgC scores were analyzed in relation to demographics and diagnosis, as well as ratingsof aggression and conduct problems from the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2(BASC-2) Parent and Teacher Reports. Correlations between the AgC score and BASC-2aggression and conduct problems scores were not statistically significant. None of thecorrelations between AgC score and a diagnosis of Conduct Disorder, Oppositional DefiantDisorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or Mood Disorders were significant either. Given thesmall sample size, null results may be a result of power concerns. The lack of significantcorrelations may however, indicate that operational definitions of aggression used in variousforms of measurement reflect different constructs

Honda country: relocalization through technology in Nanwalek Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2014It should not be assumed that the introduction of a new technology automatically wipes out past cultural practices. Instead, it is often the case that these offerings are integrated into a current routine. For the Sugpiat of Nanwalek, Alaska, there is a constant need to negotiate between what to change and what to preserve. My research explores how a cultural group judges a new technology based upon shared boundaries and understandings. I examine how the decision to accept all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) has allowed for increased participation in subsistence practices, effective resource management, and material and emotional reunification with those things that went before. Many of the activities and "places that count" are no longer merely fragments of memory for many in the village; rather, they are physical and contemporary in their importance. In my dissertation, I define relocalization and demonstrate how relocalization was made possible through purposeful decision-making and adaptive traditions and did not simply occur because of the existence of ATVs and their random internalization.Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1 Research Questions -- 1.2 The Place -- 1.2.1 Subsistence -- 1.2.2 Trails -- 1.3 The People -- 1.3.1 Makari's Chugach Story -- 1.4 Brief Historical Overview -- 1.4.1 Early Contact Period -- 1.4.2 Nanwalek's Russian Ancestors -- 1.4.3 The Sale of Alaska -- 1.4.4 Fur Trading and the Alaska Commercial Company -- 1.4.5 Walter Meganack's Port Graham Settlement Story -- 1.4.6 Herman Moonin's Epidemic Story -- 1.4.7 Self-governance and BIA Influence -- 1.4.8 The Alaska Native Settlement Act -- 1.4.9 The Exxon Valdez -- 1.4.10 Nanwalek Today -- 1.5 Introduction to Remaining Chapters -- Chapter 2: Research Methods and Issues -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 My Coming to Nanwalek Story -- 2.3 Research Notions -- 2.4 Research Genesis -- 2.5 Introduction of Research Design -- 2.6 Coordinating Outsider Techniques with Insider Perspectives -- 2.7 Local Relevance -- 2.7.1 Communication on the Local Level -- 2.7.2 How My Honda went Hunting Story -- 2.8 Conclusion -- Chapter 3: The Use and Maintenance of ATVs -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Honda Usage and Tradition -- 3.3 Hondas and Nanwalek -- 3.4 Hondas as Indicators of Status -- 3.5 Eric Kvasnikoff's Story -- 3.6 Everyday Honda Realities in Nanwalek -- 3.7 Conclusions -- Chapter 4: ATVs and Related Health Issues -- 4.1 Mobility and Modes of Transportation -- 4.2 Chronic Health Issues -- 4.3 Preventable Health Issues -- 4.4 Conclusion -- Chapter 5: From Delocalization to Relocalization -- 5.1 Adaptive Range -- 5.2 Ethnic Identity -- 5.3 Community Membership -- 5.4 Delocalization and its Principles -- 5.5 From Sámi to Sugpiaq -- Chapter 6: Discussion and Summary -- 6.1 Decision Making and Relocalization -- 6.1.1 Woodstove Story -- 6.2 Relocalizing the Notion of Sustainability -- 6.3 Relocalization through Adaptation -- 6.4 Relocalization of the Places that Count -- 6.5 Summary -- References -- Appendix

Parataxis in Latin colloquial and poetic texts : a treebank-based analysis

Paratactic is a label applied to texts which are more informal and spontaneous in their construction. The conventional cause of this difference is that there is a natural preference for parataxis in spoken Latin which is adopted in registers similar to the spoken language in their context and style. A text is paratactic if it uses fewer finite subordinate clauses and instead constructs discourse out of disconnected main clauses. I argue here that this definition of parataxis is a poor descriptor of informal Latin, and that, defined this way, it rather characterizes stylized speech such as that found in poetry and forensic speeches. If we define simplicity as fewer components which in turn have fewer embedded components, and complexity as instead an increase in said components, then texts which are traditionally considered informal are not simpler at the level of the finite clause. I argue here that it is actually at the level of the noun phrase and specifically in participial phrases that informal texts are simpler. I use a medium-sized corpus of manually annotated dependency treebanks to operationalize this study and describe the differences between informal Latin texts, poetry, and other prose works.Includes bibliographical references

Case Study Instruction In Educational Psychology Courses

The case study method of instruction affords students the opportunity to see the real-world applications of what they are learning and to actively engage in problem-solving. The purpose of this study is to examine current research on the use of case- based instruction and consider how this method might be of benefit to students enrolled in educational psychology courses in either the traditional classroom or web-assisted learning environment

Digital Representation of Indigenous Peoples through Sharing, Collaboration, and Negotiation: An Introduction

In the past decade, digital media have been increasingly employed in museums in a variety of ways. This practice capitalized on the new medium’s effectiveness in connecting a variety of stakeholders across multiple key issues. Projects representing Indigenous communities are not an exception to this trend. This special issue critically reflects on the politics of representation in the process of reframing culturally specific concepts in a digital environment. In addition to discussing potential benefits of digital media to working with Indigenous communities, papers in the special issue also carefully weigh the benefits and shortcomings virtual environments may bring to digital collaborations with Indigenous communities

Fabrics : What\u27s New?

Discusses new fabrics and fabric finishes that have come on the market

Teaching Archival Research Methods through Projects in Ethnohistory

During the spring semester of 2015 and the fall semester of 2016, two cohorts of students at the University of Alaska Anchorage learned archival research skills as part of their methodological training in the course, Ethnohistory of Alaska Natives, which subsequently led to the development of further individual research projects. As part of the course, students provided metadata to folders within an archival collection. This article explores the semester long projects, including the hardships of finding and using culturally appropriate metadata, lessons learned, and the impact the project had on students, the archivist, and instructor

Local text cohesion, reading ability and individual science aspirations: key factors influencing comprehension in science classes

In response to the concern of the need to improve the scientific skills of school children, this study investigated the influence of text design (in terms of text cohesion) and individual differences, with the aim of identifying pathways to improving science education in early secondary school (Key Stage 3). One hundred and four secondary school children (56 females, 48 males), aged 12–13 years took part in the study. To assess the influence of local cohesion (lexical and grammatical links between adjacent sentences) in science texts, we measured students’ comprehension (through multiple choice questions) of science text that was high and low in local cohesion. To explore the role of individual differences, students completed tests to measure general reading ability, general intelligence, facets of conscientiousness, science self-concept and individual, friends and family aspirations in science. Students were more accurate in answering comprehension questions after reading text that was high in cohesion than low in cohesion, suggesting that high local text cohesion improved students’ comprehension of science text. Reading ability predicted increased comprehension for both text designs. Individual aspirations in science accounted for unique variance for comprehension for high cohesion text. Implications for the teaching of secondary school science are discussed