Articles: Legend of the Silent Bell & The Pongo’s Dream

These two stories are very similar in nature but grounded in the male and female experience as a difference. The first one I read was the Legend of the Silent Bell, this story was heard to read. As, it was written in a fashion that brought out the anxiety and anguish of the protagonist through the lines on the page. The continuing promise of the bell being named after Clara, and her continuing sacrifice on behalf was the people was touching and heart breaking. Half way through the story I felt like this story was not going to have a happy ending. As the devilish behaviour of the “master” archetype still pleading for more and more. This relationship between the two characters in this story reminded of the indigenous land rights battles that are happening today. And, the tireless pursuit of reconciliation and indian residential school settlements. The constant hurrying up to slow down and dredging an already oppressed people through the mud (so to speak.) And, for what? More promises and compromises? The anger finally felt by the girl in the end was the nail in the coffin for me. As it was something that was so human and heroic that you really felt like she deserved to win, but of course it doesn’t always happen like that. And, this story was an example of that sad fact.

The Pongo’s Dream story was again very touching and heartfelt. As well as cunning and mischievous (which I appreciated as in the last story we didn’t really get any restitution. The small nuanced details like the slave being short and the subtleties of society shown in the beginning were very Cusco. Having been there and lived there on on off one summer I really felt the authenticity of the story and message. Because, so often we get cheesy stories from Disney that depict indigenous storytelling but its not done correctly or respectfully. And, in addition is something that more non-indigenous audiences find amusing and not the people themselves. I felt like this story was speaking directly to Peruvian people. And, had messaging and experiences centred to the indigenous experience for not only the time period it was written but still rings true today. Like, the small comment about how a “half blood” community member looked down on the “indian” and spoke openly about his displacement in society. This is something that many indigenous people experience till this day, is differing experiences because of colour, blood quantum, and mixed nationality. For people who was a colonized people the ancestral people who eventually got assimilated and blended with the new power leaders of the country or more fair skinned were treated better. So it now becomes a war amongst community members for who is more like the normal and who is more like the latter (which of course, to gain power and control they had to other the traditional indigenous societies.) Effectively making the traditional indigenous groups and people them hate themselves so they would submit. This is an underlying theme throughout this story, for me. Is the self hatred oppressed people bring on themselves and each other. Which maybe wasn’t central to theme or discussion we had but is something that stuck out for me because so often again we don’t hear this side of the story. And, we definitely don’t hear stories where the oppressed turns the tables on the master and suggests he eat shit for eternity. Pretty badass if you ask me.