The symbolic dimension of mountains in Yukon: transformation stories, midnight hikes and glacial archaeology

Abstract

This paper analyzes the symbolic dimension of mountains in Yukon and the emergence of glacial archaeology in the northwest of Canada. Traditional views on mountains in this part of the world are mostly utilitarian in nature, as expressed in names such as Rabbit Peak or Ibex Mountain, which describe the potential of certain elevations as places for hunting. The higher and less accessible mountains are perceived as places of fear and danger, which should be avoided as much as possible -especially peaks covered in massive glaciers, such as those in the coastal ranges. The foundation and purpose of the cautionary tales known as “glacier stories” is too keep people at a distance from the dangers of ice-covered peaks. Typically associated with native groups in the Pacific Northwest, the “transformation stories” describe landscape features -such as prominent rocks or mountains- as petrified ancestors. Peculiar transformation stories describe weather-controlling mountains and rocks as “menstruanting”, and they become associated to young girls and their puberty rituals.