CUTTING MEAT, SEWING SKINS, TELLING TALES - WOMENS STORIES IN GAMBELL, ALASKA

Data collection, their documentation, and the equivocal role of Native consultants have long been major concerns in anthropology. In this ar ticle, the construction of ethnographer/consultant relationships and t he nature of the narratives which develop in the context of data colle ction are explored. I discuss ways in which Native experts and non-Nat ive researchers interweave their life histories and storied lives in t he course of field research. I attempt to examine these sensitive part nerships, each characterized by the specific ties between researcher a nd consultant which develop during this process. I then consider these relationships and their implications for the research we do in light of recent discussions of anthropology, reflexivity, and the other.