Dara Kelly uses two broad tunnels to illustrate the main findings of her research.
The first broad tunnel, “A’wənə snə’ps, the time without advice, refers to the time of unfreedom when Coast Salish people went without advice and knowledge because gatherings were forbidden. The absence of gatherings meant that Coast Salish knowledge could not be inherited by future generations through ceremony and oral history, resulting in a generational gap between Coast Salish that learned about the economy of affection and those who had no opportunity to do so. Kelly explains that this unfreedom is experienced at the individual and intergenerational level. Individually, the unfreedom has been expressed emotionally through crying and weeping and intergenerationally, the Coast Salish people today are continuing to overcome the effects of colonization.
The findings under “A’wənə snə’ps, the time without advice are reflected in the table below.
The second tunnel, Áyelexw, “to come back to life”, represents the freedom to live life with value according to the Coast Salish Riverworldview. Kelly uses the theory of the Capability approach to illustrate the degree to which individuals can meaningfully exercise freedom in their lives. At the centre of evaluating freedom is capability, which is not so much about income or wealth but the "real opportunity to pursue [one's] objectives... [by taking into account] the relevant personal characteristics that govern the conversion of primary goods into the person's ability to promote [their] ends." In essence, the theory proposes two ways to enhance freedom: opportunity to pursue and achieve things that are valued, and being able to freely exercise ones options. The four findings that emerge from the perspective of Áyelexw to bring about the achievement of freedom can be broadly summarized as: wealth, work, principles of exchange and spiritual exchange.
A more thorough description into each of those findings is provided in the table below.
