According to Carlson, Aboriginal stories that are influenced or informed by post-contact European events and issues are “discarded to the dustbin of scholarly interest” because the modern audience defines aboriginal authenticity with being pre-contact (56). This is problematic because this can render modern aboriginal stories dishonest or unauthentic. Salish stories belong to the Salish, if the modern scholar chooses an attitude of rejection, this can contribute to an extinction of Salish culture.
My first instinct was that if the Salish stories are of oral tradition, there might be an issue with a diminishing audience since fewer and fewer people are speaking Salish. As I read more into the discussion question, I realized there is a heavier ongoing issue. Carlson describes the Western academic accuracy with proven evidence, yet Salish academic accuracy can only be proven with memory and experience. As an endangered culture, there are many complications with this standard. Because there are different standards, the very fact that one culture relies on written evidence and one thrives with the oral tradition means that the very roots of this discussion is laced with extreme unfairness.
Carlson explains it is very difficult for Salish stories to be unauthentic since “for the Salish historian, bad history is considered to have potentially tragic consequences for both the teller and the listening audience. Ancestral spirits are said to be extremely concerned with honour, integrity and accuracy, so in effect its expected that bad things would happen if their story was altered or abused (59.) This means that if there were any uncertainty in the process of recalling a story, the teller would actually choose to keep quiet from the start. Additionally, I would like to argue that the exact information behind a story is pretty irrelevant in the big picture. A story is a celebration of a culture, a reflection of acceptance. Stories impact generations of whole cultures and whole societies’ way of thinking. I am generally happy about the way some of my classmates know a little bit about the Chinese epics such as Romance of The Three Kingdoms or knowing who the monkey King Sun Wu Kong is from Journey to The West. It is irrelevant to me that my classmates have some names of the characters wrong because they learnt it from a video game, or if they got some of the events wrong because they read it in a Japanese Manga. The Chinese situation is different from the Salish as the Chinese do have many examples of written texts that are qualify for Western academic approval. As long as books are not being erased, Western and Chinese stories will preserve; however, Salish storytellers cannot live eternally.
Carlson writes “Harry Robinson’s account of literacy being stolen from Coyote by his white twin conform to all the standard criteria associated with a genre of Salish narratives commonly referred to by outsiders as legend or mythology with one exception – they appear to contain post-contact content” (Carlson 56). Disregarding the part about post-contact content, it is already difficult to define an “authentic story” in a constantly changing and progressing world. There may be an issue of a lack of respect for a culture, if post-contact stories are not being considered authentic. Myths and legends are stories that define a culture and society. The Salish societies are now all “post-contact,” the Salish and their cultures should all remain respected, especially under the circumstances where it is uncertain if there is anyone to pass on the relay of the Salish culture.
Brewitt-Taylor, C. H. San-kuo-chih: San-kuo, or Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, 1925. Web.
Carlson, Keith Thor. “Orality and Literacy: The ‘Black and White’ of Salish History.”Orality & Literacy: Reflectins Across Disciplines. Ed. Carlson, Kristina Fagna, & Natalia Khamemko-Frieson. Toronto: Uof Toronto P, 2011. 43-72.
NW Profiles: Saving Salish – a Language Revival. YouTube. KSPS TV, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urIlnR_6fRE>.
Robinson, Harry. “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King Of England.” Living by Stories: a Journey of Landscape and Memory. Ed. Wendy Wickwire. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2005. 64-85.
Sheri Linden March 6. “Review: ‘Journey to the West’ a Rollicking Tale of Demon Hunters.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 06 Mar. 2014. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-journey-to-the-west-review-20140307%2C0%2C3970762.story#axzz2vbwE7qaH>.