KALLAHAN INVOCATIONS TO THE DEAD

Invocations (la'tuk) in the form of benediction of Kallahan ancestors are constructed from four speech activities: addressing, appealing, gi ving examples, and argumentation. In addition, they assume shared expe riences between the speaker and the ancestor personified by a living m ember of his family. While analogous to normal dialogue, however, thes e modes exhibit substantial differences: the ancestor does not answer; the request for beneficence takes place in a feast which itself is th e result of ancestral munificence, even if this cannot be deduced from the meaning of the invocation. This article goes on to examine four p ragmatic concerns that affect the way these Kallahan la'tuk are unders tood.