The paper consists of an accounting of a series of ecstatic experi-
ences that arose from and informed my work among the Kainai (or
the Blood Tribe), members of the Blackfoot Confederacy in south-
ern Alberta. On the basis of personal experiences and experiences
reported by colleagues in publications and conversations, it is clear
that the transformation of the researcher by virtue of immersion in
a fieldwork culture is not merely inevitable but desirable, as trans-
formations contribute to the production of meaningful, valid ethno-
graphic knowledge. Accordingly, this paper argues that in the end,
“who I am,” as transformed through ecstatic experience, contrib-
utes not only to personal and professional development but, more
importantly, to the production of valid local knowledge.
I begin with a reflexive narrative of my journey, starting in 1996 , on
the path toward the Sundance. This account is modeled after Kainai
epistemological principles to clarify the meaning of the narrative and
is presented in a format consistent with Kainai storytelling traditions
as four steps to the Sundance. I follow with a review of some of the
principles that govern the production of knowledge among the Kai-
nai, to argue that ecstatic experiences contribute to the production of
valid ethnographic knowledge and that the failure to share such sto-
ries of ecstasis does a great disservice to the discipline and its practi-
tioners and especially to our fieldwork cultures.
- Reveal or Conceal?
barbara wilkes