Skidi-Pawnee Relationality and the Horse: Kinship Epistemologies of Horse-People to Human-People found in Skidi Lore (Stories & Songs)

Abstract

I use my own upbringing and background as the granddaughter of a Skidi Band Chief, Pahukstâtu’ (Pumpkin Vine) clan Chief, and Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma President. Uppitt (my grandfather) and my father have instilled in me many the cultural values and mores that shape our relationship(s) with the natural world. My methodology uses exploration of my upbringing and values utilizing autoethnography as a vehicle to support my research. As such, I will explore Skidi ontology and epistemology as it relates to human-person/horse-person relationships. I focus on the relationships between horse-persons and human-persons to interrogate the perception of horses, “Indians” and the West. I ask: how do and did Skidi think and relate to “the horse?” What is the importance of the ongoing relationships with horses? I will chronicle these relationships probing the “horse” as it exemplifies Skidi religion, community values and philosophy using autoethnography and documented Skidi lore (songs & stories) through a process called sieving. This study will add to the academic discourse on relationality where AIS and TEK scholarship intersect. The measure of the research in this project is about responsibility and accountability. What I find and how I put together, written, interpreted, and conferred, what I’ve discovered and revealed (with consent of the Skidi-Pawnee) about horse-person and Skidi-person relationship(s) is accepted and adds to Skidi epistemology.