The Presence and Role of Ancestors in North American Indigenous Cultures, and Beyond

In my presentation, I argue that ancestors as “spectral beings” present a challenge for Euro-American scholars. Ancestors play a powerful role in many cultures, and yet due to various forms of secularism, Euro-American scholars tend to discount the role of ancestors—including in their own Euro-American cultures. My window into this large topic is North American Indigenous cultures in the context of settler colonialism. After making broad comments about the role of past and future ancestors in North American Indigenous cultures, giving special attention to the work of Kyle Whyte of the Potawatomi Nation, I focus on the work of Leslie Marmon Silko. Ancestors are prominent characters in Silko’s writings: they are a tangible, practical part of life. Finally, I argue that, when viewed from the perspective of Silko’s Indigenous extraordinary beings, we gain a new sense of “spectral” ancestors in Euro-American cultures and traditions.