A Comparison of Wet'suwet'en Cases of the Reincarnation Type with Gitksan and Beaver

This article describes the belief in reincarnation held by the contemporary Wet'suwet'en, or Bulkley River Carrier Indians, based on twenty-eight cases investigated using the methods of Ian Stevenson. The Wet'suwet'en cases are compared to the cases I have studied among two neighboring native groups in British Columbia, Canada: the Gitksan to the west and the Beaver to the northeast. The three groups have different beliefs in the possibility of cross-sex and multiple reincarnation which may relate to their differing attitudes towards succession to hereditary titles. However, the concept of reincarnation gives all three groups a similar perspective on personality formation which affects the way children are treated. While cultural patterning shapes the belief in reincarnation, further research is necessary to assess whether something like reincarnation may be actually taking place.