Hello!

The question prompt for this blog is question 3: What are the major differences or similarities between the ethos of the creation story  and the story that King tells us in the Truth About Stories?

I was not raised with any one form of religion. My parents were both born in Christian households that were active church goers when my parents were young but were the type of families that started to just go every Easter and Christmas. At my Grandparents house we still say a grace before family meals, but nowhere else is a sort of organized religion found. Growing up we had an Osborne book of World Religions which introduced me at a very age to other forms of religions. My Mom is interested in Buddhism and has some Buddhist quotes around the house. We did however learn, although I do not remember when, the Christian creation story which has guided me throughout my life thus far. I do not remember who taught this to me or when, but as far as I can remember, I was aware of the Christian creation story and other religious as well. So that is my background into religion.

One of the major differences that I immediately noticed upon viewing was the introduction of a woman. There is no male mentioned in conjunction with the woman, she is independent of anyone else. The woman is an explorer who enjoys discovering the world around her. The woman’s role in the creation story is that she explored the world around her and then created life (the Twins) who could expand it. The woman is the sole creator of life and she is central to the story.

The creation story in the Bible has both a man (Adam) and a woman (Eve). Eve is the one who breaks God’s only rule: do not eat from the tree of good and evil. Eve eats the apple (this is contested) and therefore gets humankind shunned from the oasis that God created and “sin” is now a thing. The woman is solely to blame. The woman is not in charge of creating life, the Spirit of God does. Her role is mostly negative. This still is a reason that Christian followers put woman in different roles (usually within the household) because they are supposedly worse than men and caused the creation of sin.

My creation story devalues the role of women because it says Eve is responsible for humans having Earthly desires whereas King’s story displays how women are needed to create life. This contrast in the role of women was one of the first things I picked up on. Women are treated very poorly in parts of the Bible, starting with the creation story. This is drastically different from my own personal views, yet I still am a believer of the creation story of the Bible. Is it possible to be a Christian feminist if the Bible puts women down from the get-go?

The other main difference that stood out to me is the role of evil or conflict in both of the stories. In King’s story, it concludes with everyone saying that they are going to get along and what a beautiful world they live in. Whereas, the creation story of the Bible ends with Eve and Adam getting cast out in the vast wilderness without their God. King’s story paints a much brighter picture of the world and the inhabitants of it. I find the Bible to sort of cast humans as faulty from the start and did not allow Eve and Adam to see the beauty of the world. King’s is inherently more positive.

Although my creation story that is the story of the Bible is different from the story that King presents, both of them are beautiful stories with beautiful words. Both should be equally told and explored so individually we can decide for ourselves what creation story resonates with us.

The Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1989 was created by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and passed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is a law in Canada that was enacted to protect and enhance different cultures, diversities, ethnicities, languages, etc and signalled that it would welcome all different types of people who came from different backgrounds. The Act is dissimilar from other state legislation in Canada’s past that discriminated against certain groups of people such as the Chinese Head Tax and other policies similar to it.  This act is one that tried to fix the racial discrimination that had happened and allowed by the state previous to it.

Section 3 (1) of the Act is where its motivations are:

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the Government of Canada to(a) recognize and promote the understanding that multiculturalism reflects the cultural and racial diversity of Canadian society and acknowledges the freedom of all members of Canadian society to preserve, enhance and share their cultural heritage(b) recognize and promote the understanding that multiculturalism is a fundamental characteristic of the Canadian heritage and identity and that it provides an invaluable resource in the shaping of Canada’s future

(c) promote the full and equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins in the continuing evolution and shaping of all aspects of Canadian society and assist them in the elimination of any barrier to that participation

(d) recognize the existence of communities whose members share a common origin and their historic contribution to Canadian society, and enhance their development

(e) ensure that all individuals receive equal treatment and equal protection under the law, while respecting and valuing their diversity

(f) encourage and assist the social, cultural, economic and political institutions of Canada to be both respectful and inclusive of Canada’s multicultural character

(g) promote the understanding and creativity that arise from the interaction between individuals and communities of different origins

(h) foster the recognition and appreciation of the diverse cultures of Canadian society and promote the reflection and the evolving expressions of those cultures

(i) preserve and enhance the use of languages other than English and French, while strengthening the status and use of the official languages of Canada; and

(j) advance multiculturalism throughout Canada in harmony with the national commitment to the official languages of Canada.

The Act’s intentions were of a good ethical standing and shaped the way that Canada is made up today. Canada is home people of many different cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, and languages. Immigration has helped Canadians have a more diverse neighbourhood leading to the break-down of many social taboos, such as inter-racial marriage or having French immersion schools. Multiculturalism certainly has impacted my own life, coming from a strong Ukrainian family. I grew up taking Ukrainian dance lessons and attending Ukrainian cultural festivals near Edmonton.  These festivals are widely attended by both Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians and is an example of Canada does try to celebrate other cultures (plus there is free perogies so it is worth it).

However, this is still a pervasiveness of British whiteness that exists in Canada. Daniel Coleman in his White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada explains how Whiteness “still occupies the position of normalcy and privilege in Canada” (7). In Canada, those identify as White still experience more privilege in society and frequently are represented in Canada, through government, corporations, and public workers. “White” is still considered widely as the ‘normal’ culture in Canada and while others are legally protected under the Multiculturalism Act, they are still considered ‘other’. While it is great that Canada throws multiculturalism festivals, it is rare that the British Whiteness is represented. This is because it is considered the norm; there is nothing to throw a festival for because it is considered not different from what most people in Canada experience.

The Government of Canada has come far in the last century, but it is still widely a White Males playground and lacks in diversity. Since the Government is the group that governs the ‘state’ of Canada and those who are represented are White, male, and generally not young, that is the pervasiveness of British Whiteness still having an effect in Canada today. Even though the Multiculturalism Act has changed the face of different cultures legally, it does not change it culturally in Canada where British Whiteness is the norm and any one else is then othered.  Recent reports show that feelings of anti-Muslim sentiments are growing even though the Act is supposed to rectify that.

So how multicultural are we really? How much do we still assume British Whiteness is the norm? Do we as a state contribute to honouring the Multiculturalism Act in its true intentions? Not at all, 100%, and probably not.

Works Cited

Geddes, J. (2013, October 3). Canadian anti-Muslim sentiment is rising, disturbing new poll reveals. Macleans. Retrieved from http://www.macleans.ca/politics/land-of-intolerance/

Keung, N. (2015, January 2). Parliament’s lack of diversity goes beyond race, gender: study. The Star. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/01/02/parliaments_lack_of_diversity_goes_beyond_race_gender_study.html

In an article called “A Map That Roared”, Sparke’s analyzes the statement that Judge McEachern made when examining a map that was created by the Gitxsan and Wet’swuet’en’s bands that detailed their remapping of their land that had been taken away from them during Canada’s colonization of First Nations land (and peoples). It was during a case where they were going up against the government for ownership claims and a notice of responsibility for the resources and land that was lost during the colonization of the area. Upon analysis of the map, Judge McEachern, the judge says “We’ll call it the map that roared!”

Sparke throws out a couple of ideas about what the interpretation could mean, such as a reference to a movie that is a satire of Cold War politics. His main interpretation is that the map ‘roaring’ is symbolic to the resistance that the First Nations were showing in their map. Since the map was going over the proposed areas that the law case was deciding, such as power lines, self-government areas, roads etc, the First Nations map was resisting the colonized restructing of their land. The colonizers who overtook First Nation land created their own type of maps and changed the landscapes. The map in question resisted that by displaying the effects that colonialism had on First Nations. The map refused the way that the colonizers wanted the land to be shaped.

The judge ended up denying the Gitxsan and Wet’swuet’en’s claim to ownership and failed to recognize the loss of resources and land that was forced upon these bands when colonizers took over the area.

Cartography and the world of maps, geography, and living things, points to how symbols of land, our land, whoever’s land, is important and symbolic and can have a great impact. As a geography student, I am constantly fascinated by maps and the importance of them. Maps can tell a story and map-making is not bias-free. Take our version of the world map for example. Is there a correlation between the fact that the countries in the Northern half of the map are traditionally the colonizers, and the bottom of the half is the half that is being colonized? Is it because the Northern half is represented as higher, therefore better? Yet colonization on the same half of the Earth occurs still. These are all questions that may be found in maps and the meanings that hide among them.

In my own hometown of Vernon BC, old maps label my area of town “Snob Hill”. Nowadays that would not be permitted but 100 years ago, it was an identifier.

The map that roared can be seen now as a bigger, wider symbol of a rebirth of resistance from First Nations, whether it is through Idle No More or the recent pipeline protests in BC and Alberta, more and more of Canadians are ‘roaring’ and it is about time that all of us roar.

Home is a word that packs a lot of punch and I throughly enjoyed reading everyone’s description of home. We all come from very different background and have vastly different experiences so it was intriguing to discover and delve into each other. I am writing on three peers blogs whom I found our experiences of home connected and shared similar values with mine. I will be sharing Melissa Kuiper‘s blog titled “Where We Grow,” Whitney Millar‘s blog titled “Let Me Come Home”, and Jamie King‘s blog titled “Home. Yes, we are home.”

One thought that I had during my reading of these three blogs was that each person had a very emotional connection to their personal meaning of home. Regardless if the writers attached home to a physical structure, or it was ghost-like and was a feeling that transferred with them wherever they went, no one had a lacklustre account of what home meant to them.

“It’s been a challenge letting myself get attached to any one place or person, so really accepting anywhere or anyone as an emblem of “home” is monumental for me.” – Melissa Kuiper

“(…)what does it mean when you get tired of these places? When you’re ready to leave them behind as placeholders for nostalgia, instead of retreading to make new memories?” – Whitney Millar

“They all came back at different times and as I greeted each person, I witnessed a vast display of grief, from almost jocular hellos to hugs that lasted minutes.” – Jamie King

Other people, loved ones in our lives where major central themes to our stories of home. Melissa talks about her family at length that gives context to her story, mentioning her Nanay and their relationship being home. Jamie describes the comrodity that the people at the outdoor theatre at which she worked had, how their stories intertwined throughout hers. Melissa tells how she tried to include pieces of her family when she was not with her family, such as a card her Mom slipped in her bag or making ramen noodles that her Grandmother made for her at home.

The physical structure of home was detailed throughout the blogs as well. Melissa beautifully describes her childhood home “two stories, three bedrooms, with different coloured carpet in every room” which really connected me to my childhood home as well. Whitney mentions that she is lucky to have her physical home also contain the emotional home. Jamie brings imagery to the farm, such as the wide acres of land and porches where the cast and crew gathered.

I felt that my blog reasoned with these three because all of us connected our personal stories of home with people, whether we are with them or not. I resonate home with a particular set of girlfriends (as well as my own lovely family) and I really felt that these blogs had that sense of bonding with people in a particular setting, whether that is the physical structure of a home or an outdoor setting. I enjoyed Jamie’s blog as it takes place in the Okanagan which is where mine is located as well and the sense and culture up here is wonderfully described in her blog.

I was touched by the level of emotion displayed in the blogs and appreciated the content. Home is a shifting idea but I feel we all have deep roots of our homes and will remain grounded within that.

There was just five of us and the moon that night. Five fresh-faced 13 year old’s, all with a future ahead of them that they did not even realize. None of us knew just quite what our paths held, all we knew is that it was summer and we were camping. This most likely was the most mature and grown-up thing we had experienced thus far. As we made our way down the water, snaking down the unlit path, we giggled and then hushed as we were terrified by the woods. The woods surrounded us and haunted us. We stuck to the concrete path that led to the water.

“Let’s jump in!” My friend Lila’s voice rang out. She was always the daredevil of the group, she had a slightly tough exterior and the most physical of the group. The rest of us nervously laughed on, we were not going to go swimming. It was midnight, pitch black, and we had sneaked away from her Mom. Then her voice called out again “But let’s do it naked!”

Suddenly none of us could look at each other. It was the time of our lives where we were starting to develop a mature body and none of us were confident in the fact that we were not fat, our breasts were fine, and we did not need to wax off all of our eyebrows. But slowly we shimmered out of our swimsuits, and ran individually into the water.

When I was immersed, I could not see my friends but I could hear their movement around me under water. I was 13 but looked much older. I thought my thighs were too fat and my stomach too flabby. I felt so ugly at 13 compared to my friends, some of which were already allowed to do things I was not allowed to do, and were allowed to look like a teenage, something I was not allowed to do. Under water I realized though, that on the beach, on the shores of where I spent my summers, all my friends were too insecure. We all did not possess the confidence to take pride in our bodies. As I emerged, I saw their naked silhouettes and noticed our differences. One of my friends was overweight and another was all skin and knobby knees. Another looked like she could be in her twenties and another like she was perfectly 13. I guess I was somewhere in between.

We all started shrieking as we came up from the water, it was cold, dark, and mysterious. The nervousness we had mere minutes earlier had disappeared with our bathing suits and we boldly took turns jumping off the rocks. As we shivered out in the lake, we promised that we would remain friends and always be there for each.

This is the actual site of the affair, the water is simply beautiful with the clearest sky you can imagine.

We were surrounded by the mountains of the Okanagan valley and surrounded by local history that created this beautiful hidden swimming lagoon. This was home to us. This is my home because I spent my childhood and my teenage years. This is my home because the parks and wilderness that cover the Okanagan is my backyard. My home is this valley and all the friendships and family that remain inside of it.

Today, 3 out of the 5 are still best friends with the other two drifting apart. We still too this day go skinny-dipping every summer and every time we have all grown into ourselves and started to if not appreciate, at least accept, the bodies that we had been given. Friends like this are the most powerful type of friendship around, someone who has seen every bit of you (quite literally in this case) and still loves you. Home is wherever these girls are.

The Okanagan is my home, with its clear blue skies, picture-perfect shorelines, and the stories of nature that I grew up and have created for myself. I will forever soak up the sky and the hot summer nights.