Recounted and enacted narratives: The genesis and endurance of community as found in the treaty rights debate

This study triangulates quantitative and qualitative methods to discover the heroes and villains in the recounted and enacted stories of the heterogenous mid‐level moral community formed in northern Wisconsin in response to the 1983 Voigt decision. In the quantitative study, SYMLOG analysis defined the parameters of the enacted narrative (N = 156 university students). European Americans and Native American Indians were diametrically opposed to each other, each perceiving the other as the villain. Twelve people, including tribal elders and other mediators, were interviewed in a field study that focused on the recounted narratives. These narratives were congruent with others’ perceptions of the enacted narratives, but added surprising information about how the enactments were perceived. When enacted and recounted stories were integrated, five actors emerged. The media and other social institutions were the antihero; the mediators were the protagonist. Recountings were perceived as enactments that created division or brought healing.

Key terms:

• Narration
• cognition
• re‐cognition
• hero
• villain
• mid‐level moral community
• 1983 Voigt decision
• SYMLOG analysis
• enacted narrative
• recounted narrative
• antihero
• meta‐paradigm
• mediators