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Experiences of Power among the Sekani
Just as the Transformer did not alter the essences of humans or gi-
ant animals, people who come in contact with the transcendental are
not necessarily transformed in any fundamental way. They have ac-
cess to the transcendental and its pre-Transformation powers, and
these acquired powers usually cause men to become more successful
in the hunt. While it may be tempting to think of enhanced abilities as
resulting from contact with some spiritual force, in reality people be-
come more “efficient” because they feel more graceful and confident.
They simply feel better because they are attuned to themselves and to
the people and natural environment around them. Again, while it is
true that these beliefs enable the Sekani to shift agency from individ-
ual abilities to a wider and invisible dimension, it is also important
that people who are said to have received power have achieved a bal-
ance between themselves and others, and between themselves and the
natural environment. In other words, “power,” hunting “luck,” and
the Transformer’s actions are perfect metonyms of balance and har-
mony: in each case, potential polarities (contemporary humans versus
the transcendental; contemporary humans versus contemporary ani-
mals; early humans versus early monstrous animals) are attenuated by
bringing the two poles closer to one another (contemporary humans
obtain transcendental power; contemporary humans eat animal flesh
if the animal sacrifices itself; early humans move closer to animal per-
fection, and early animals move closer to human imperfection). The
ideal is always integration that does not sacrifice or eradicate the el-
ements that define the opposition. In other words, Sekani notions of
integration favor placing elements in a relation of complementarity
rather than on a hierarchical ladder; or, put another way, they create
an arbitrary hierarchy to reach a state of equilibrium.
In brief, acquiring power is the result of an experience. It is not some-
thing that can be taught. Nor is power a gift in the usual sense of the
word, even though it is acquired from animals, who, after all, are en-
ticed into the contact that results in power. Power can be thought of
as a disease, a contamination by a force stronger than the individual.
The trick is to limit contact, which Athapaskan hunters do by a se-
ries of prohibitions and taboos, such that people do not become dom-
inated by the force they are actively seeking. One such prohibition is
