Heyoka

Heyoka is a common term for the clowns, Contra Ries, perverted Warrior (reverse reaction warriors ) and fools that existed at the Plain Indians.

History

As Lakota Indians first saw European clowns, they called them with that word Heyoka, with whom she also had named their own clowns. The anthropologist John Plant includes in his scientific investigations with the term Heyoka why the clown, the Contrary and the mad warrior.

The anthropologist Julian Steward published his dissertation The Clown in Native North America in 1929 for the first time research on the clown. Members of the audit committees were Alfred Kroeber and Robert Lowie. A year later, Steward published the article The Ceremonial Buffoon of the American Indian. In this publication, he described the contradictory behavior ( contrary behavior).

Verne Ray (1905-2003) was interested in the contradictory behavior, and he related it in his research on the ritual dances of the Indians. He described in this context, a reverse reaction (reverse reaction).

Heyoka

From the Dakota Siouan - language the word Heyoka, which can be translated with the terms clown or opposites comes. John Plant has studied this phenomenon in particular for the following ethnological peoples of the Plains Indians:

The Plain Indians Contra Ries were those persons "who were dedicated to an exceptional lifestyle in which they carried out the opposite of what others usually did. Here, they returned all conventions into its opposite. " While the clowns represented ceremonial figures and occurred only within rites or ceremonies, but completed the Contra Ries day and night a contrary way of life.

Contrarian behavior means to do the opposite of what is actually normal or conventional. It mostly a wrong language is used, sometimes called reverse language. It is a manner of speaking, in which the actual meaning is turned vice versa. For example: "no" then say " Yes ", and " Hello! " means "goodbye ". The wrong language also meant that the exact opposite is done by what other speakers say or ask ( " reverse reaction "). Gets one who acts according to the principle Heyoka, "Grandpa, come here," so he says, however, that the grandfather should go away.

Differences and similarities

The essential difference between clowns and Contra Ries sees John Plant in the fact that a clown the prominent role within the tribe took over only during a performance he put on a mask, wearing a costume and decorated himself with special accessories. After the end of a performance of the respective Clown returned to his usual role back within the social group. Nevertheless, the clowns were in addition to informal groupings such as age- graded societies or cults dream. Usual it was to take a few tricks from the shamanism in humorous game. Here you can make contemporary references to the hospital clown.

The Plains Indians Contra Ries were those individuals who temporarily took over not only a special role, but they did consistently and at all times the opposite. Your contrasting behavior had no attachment to any performances, rituals or wars: The Contra Ries behaved contrary commonplace. This ethnic character of the Plains Indians was unique, without historical precedent, and it existed in any other culture.

Contrarian behavior was pronounced not only in the clowns and the Contra Ries of the Plains Indians, but also among members of special warriors organizations. Their perverted Warrior (reverse reaction warriors ) reacted in case of war on military orders with an opposite reaction: for example, if the signal came to attack, attacked his comrades, whereas the perverse warriors withdrew. And when the order came to retreat, his comrades had already given up the fight, then attacked the wrong warrior.