Month: February 2020

My blog for this assignment will focus on question 3 which asks for an explanation of Northrop Frye’s seemingly inappropriate choice of example of the contradictions in Duncan Campbell Scott’s work.

In The Bush Garden: Essays on the Canadian Imagination Frye comments on the juxtaposition of  “the sophisticated on the primitive” (221). This juxtaposition in literature, in Frye’s opinion, is demonstrative of the tension present in Canadian society and culture. Frye argues that Canada does not have a distinct literary tradition because it is lacking a distinct culture, in part, due to tensions like those between the primitive and sophisticated. The tension does not allow for one strong tradition to emerge. To give an example of cultural tension, Frye comments on Duncan Campbell Scottds ability to write on both classical music and Indigenous people in the wilderness of Canada. Frye sees these two topics as completely incongruous and the fact that Scott, a Canadian, can write about both in the Canadian context is demonstrative of the lack of a coherent Canadian culture.

The reason Frye’s examples of tension in Scott’s work is a perplexing choice is because there is an even more obvious and glaring example from Scott’s writing. Scott worked in the department of Indian affairs in Canada which was responsible for the policies that implemented residential schools in Canada among other injustices. Scott was very open about his views of Indigenous people in Canada and his goal was to leave “not a single Indian in Canada that [had] not been absorbed into the body politic“. The policies written by Scott are examples of a type of literature in Canada. Political policy is literary, it is written word constructed from experience with specific purpose, goals and meaning just as novels and poems are.

At the same time that Scott was responsible for writing unjust Indigenous policy in Canada he was also a poet. Scott’s poem “The Onondaga Madonna” is focused on an Indigenous woman. In his poem Scott says this woman’s “pagan passion burns and glows” and she has “wilderness in her veins”. Scott’s poem romanticizes the Indigenous woman describing her spirit as well as parts of her body. The poem also extends its romantic tone to the woman’s “weird and waning race”. In his poem Scott romanticizes the disappearance of the Indian race despite being part of the cause.  Scott’s poetry and his policy are a good example of the juxtaposition between the primitive and sophisticated described by Frye.

With the above in mind, why would Frye choose the lesser example present in Scott’s writing to make his point?

To explain this, Frye’s theory of literature and criticism needs to be taken into account. Frye felt that authors could not write literature that directly reflected Canadian cultural experiance. Instead it was his position that all literature was separate from but informed by experience. Frye believed that literary genres like romance, poems, and established traditions like British literature or common plots were the template from which all literature was created.  To clarify further, Frye felt an authors experience could not be directly translated into a literary work, it can only provide inspiration for a new interpretation of a preexisting genera and story line. This means that Scott’s political writing and Canadian writing in general did not need to take the Canadian experience, including the mistreatment of Indigenous people, into account. From Frye’s perspective, Scott’s policy and political writing did not impact the literary world, nor did it need to inform his writing.

Frye does not mention the difference between Scott’s literature regarding Indigenous people and the policies he is writing because, in his opinion, it is not relevant to the autonomous literary world. This says a lot about the Canadian Literature of the time. Frye did not see the need and or importance of literature reflecting the experience of Canadians nor did he criticize it for being out of touch with the unfair treatment of Indigenous people in Canada. Frye’s one condition, that it conform to literary forms, was met.  The literary forms transformed the actual experience of Indigenous people and the true feelings of policy writers like Scott into romantic poems and thrilling stories. This allowed for the popularity of poems that glorified and romanticized the vanishing Indigenous people while they were treated cruelly and unfairly by policy makers such as Scott.

Work Cited:

Frye, Northrop. “The Bush Garden: Essays on the Canadian Imagination” House of Anansi, 1971.

“The Onondaga Madonna” (1898) by Duncan Campbell Scott and Racialization” Canlit Guides, https://canlitguides.ca/canlit-guides-editorial-team/poetry-and-racialization/the-onondaga-madonna-1898-by-duncan-campbell-scott-and-racialization/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2020.

“Until There Is Not a Single Indian in Canada” Facing History and Ourselves, https://www.facinghistory.org/stolen-lives-indigenous-peoples-canada-and-indian-residential-schools/historical-background/until-there-not-single-indian-canada. Accessed 25 Feb 2020.

I would like the following posts to be reviewed for my evaluation please!

Assignment 1.5 – https://blogs.ubc.ca/ehomuth/2020/01/23/assignment-15-youll-never-believe-what-happened/

This blog post contains my story of how evil came into the world. I was especially proud of this one because storytelling is not my forte but I liked how it turned out.  I think the loss of hope that my main character suffers as a result of the Trickster’s story is a good example of an evil coming into the world.

Assignment 2.4 – https://blogs.ubc.ca/ehomuth/2020/02/07/assignment-24-q-3-lutz-and-our-bias/

In this blog I address John Lutz’s comments in his article Myth and Memory Rethinking Stories of Indigenous- European Contact. There are many ways to interpret Lutz’s comment that Europeans need to make sure to view first contact stories from an indigenous perspective. I believe my interpretation as outlined in this blog is very well supported and shows the import of Lutz’s comments to readers.

Assignment 2.6 – https://blogs.ubc.ca/ehomuth/2020/02/19/assignment-2-6-answer-to-question-6/

My blog for assignment 2.6 focuses on Carlson’s argument against scholars use of authenticity as a benchmark for considering Indigenous stories. I explain and expand on Carlson’s argument and the ramifications of the use of authenticity as an evaluatory tool.

Thank you!

First and foremost, I promise to work on my titles.

Secondly, thank you for reading my blog despite my horrible titles!

In his article, Carlson argues that scholars dismiss Indigenous stories that contain post-contact elements because the stories are no longer viewed as authentic. Authentic in this case does not mean lacking in historical accuracy, nor does it mean that historians cannot verify the source of the story. In this case, the stories are authentic if they aren’t “influenced or informed by post-contact European events” (Carlson 56). Historians use of authenticity as the measurement of legitimacy, as opposed to considering the source or the history, is harmful because Indigenous people do not view authenticity as a proper way to examine their stories and it arbitrarily dismisses certain stories.

Carlson argues that the use of authenticity as a measurement bias’s scholars to Indigenous stories that contain elements that are viewed as post-contact. In Harry Robinson’s story of the twins “part of the deal struck with the younger twin…was that his descendants would one day travel to the home of the elder twin’s dependents” (10). The story of the twins predicts the eventual colonization of Indigenous lands. The appearance that the story is based on the foreknowledge of this event makes it appear to be inauthentic. The argument for inauthenticity is based on the belief that the story was created or altered to fit real life events. The story appears inauthentic but in reality, Indigenous people had many experiences with visitors off the coast estimated as early as  1,000 a.d., who did not always make contact. These visitors may have inspired the stories.  Further, our modern society has the same stories of unknown people visiting and/or colonizing earth.

Carlson makes this point about his fellow scholars and their analysis of Indigenous stories to highlight the harmful bias that is present in the resultant opinions and scholarly theories. Modern scholar’s use of authenticity as a measurement of Indigenous stories is a colonial way to view Indigenous stories.  This bias has caused scholars to pick and choose Indigenous stories to label authentic, with the rest being tossed aside and labeled as tainted by contact. In reality, their method of analysis is tainted by colonial norms and bias.

Carlson does not argue against the study and analysis of Indigenous stories, he instead proposes that they be considered from the Indigenous perspective and with Indigenous criteria. The genera of the story of the twins is referred to “in Harry Robinson’s Okanagan Salish language as shame-ma-ee” (Carlson 56). Shame-ma-ee stories are not analyzed for authenticity they are considered within an Indigenous context and history. History and story telling are very important to Indigenous people as stories are a record of their past. Stories also have power to call spirits and hand down knowledge. The use of authenticity as a method of analyzing Indigenous stories is in direct conflict with Indigenous stories which are all considered special and deserving of respect. Carlson highlights this point in his article and warns of the danger and harm of Indigenous stories being haphazardly “discarded to the dustbin of scholarly interest” (56).

In summary, Carlson believes that scholars consideration of Indigenous stories from their colonial perspective causes them to unjustly, and to their detriment, dismiss Indigenous stories on the grounds of authenticity. This is damaging because it results in studies of Indigenous stories that are based on a colonial bias and from a colonial perspective. It is impossible for studies of this nature to result in meaningful interpretations of Indigenous stories because any conclusion drawn will be due to a problem in  the method of study not the result of the study.

Work Cited:

Carlson, Keith Thor. “Orality and Literacy: The Black and White of Salish History” ed. Carlson, Kristina Fagna, and Natalia Khamemko-Frieson. University of Toronto Press, 2011. 43-72

Datta, Ranjan. “Traditional Storytelling: an Effective Indigenous Research Methodology and its Implications for Environmental Research” Sage Journals, 9 Nov. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1177180117741351. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

Klein, Christopher. “The Viking Explorer Who Beat Columbus to America” History, 24 Sept. 2018, https://www.history.com/news/the-viking-explorer-who-beat-columbus-to-america. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

Robinson, Harry. “Living By Stories: A Journey of Landscape and Memory” ed. Wickwire, Wendy. Talonbooks, 2005.

In his book, John Lutz states that a difficulty of interpreting the first contacts between Native peoples and Europeans is “enter[ing] a world that is distant in time and alien in culture, attempting to perceive indigenous performance through their eyes as well as those of the Europeans” (32). Lutz starts his book with this request for many different reasons.

First, to make his reader examine their bias. Through the writing, editing and compilation of his book Lutz  came into contact with many different people with different backgrounds and biases. Everyone has implicit bias, an important step to recognizing your bias is admitting that you have one. The next step is to work towards overcoming your bias but also to remind other of their bias. Lutz pointing out the difficulty in interpretation is a tactful way to remind readers to recognize their potential biases. When considering first contact stories between Europeans it is important to recognize a European bias when considering the Native perspective. It is also important to remember to examine the indigenous perspective. Consideration of the Indigenous perspective is still a relatively new concept in academia, especially consideration that includes respect for indigenous beliefs and their validity.

Another reason Lutz begins his book with a reminder that these stories are “distant in time and alien in culture” (32) is to combat the difficulties inherent in examining Indigenous stories in general. Indigenous stories that have been written down in English are lacking many crucial elements that would allow readers to examine the stories from an indigenous perspective. The translation from Indigenous languages to English is imperfect. “Languages contain a wealth of cultural information” (Maclean) that is lost in translation.  The stories are intended to be told orally which allows for more interpretation by the storyteller including voice inflection, pauses and intimacy. “The cultural “rules” regulating the oral tradition” (Simpson) are also integral to the story and the story’s interpretation. They also regulate the conditions that the story can be told in i.e. who needs to be present which can limit the number of times the story is told and how many people can hear it.

Another problem with interpretation of Indigenous culture is the period of time when the residential school system was active. The residential schools, among many cruel effects, hindered or halted the continuation of the Indigenous oral tradition by outlawing their ceremonies and language. Children were taken from their families unlawfully, removing them from the influence of their elders who were responsible for passing on stories, beliefs and traditions. The Indigenous tradition of storytelling and recording history is oral. These oral stories, as mentioned above, are ceremonially told in the Indigenous language and sometimes to specific family members. The family members who would have been imparted with the stories may have been taken to residential schools and may never have returned because the mortality rate was so high. If they returned they may not have sufficient knowledge of the language to understand the story.

During the time that the Indigenous people’s language and practices were outlawed the oral historical tradition was effectively outlawed. Lutz requests that his readers ensure they observe first contact stories from the Indigenous perspective not just the European. This request does not assume that his readers are European nor does he assume that it is more difficult for Europeans to interpret Indigenous behaviour in first contact stories. Lutz is assuming that it is harder for everyone to interpret the Indigenous perspective in a first contact story. Lutz’s statement that his readers should try to view the first contact stories from the Indigenous perspective is resultant and reflective of the harm that has been done to Indigenous populations. It is an incredibly unfortunate truth that it is hard for anyone to understand the historical Indigenous perspective because we lost the context during the residential school period. Lutz assumes that even Indigenous people may have a hard time viewing the encounter from this perspective because of the irreversible harm that was done to their culture which disabled the ability of Indigenous people to freely pass down their culture and history.

Lutz rightly assumes that some readers may have an implicit bias that they need to confront in order to interpret the first contact stories from both perspectives. This assumption is fair because we all have implicit bias. Lutz further assumes that the Indigenous perspective of first contact is remote to all readers, not just Europeans, because Indigenous records of their history and traditions were immutably injured.

Work Cited

Kelly, Lewis. “How to check your unconscious biases” Folio, https://www.folio.ca/how-to-check-your-unconscious-biases/. Accessed 6 Feb 2020

Lutz, John. “Myth and Memory Rethinking Stories of Indigenous- European Contact”, UBC Press, 2007.

MacLean, Taylor. “Lost in Translation: How Language Can Contain a Worldview,” University of Toronto, https://indigenousstudies.utoronto.ca/news/lost-in-translation-language-and-worldview/. Accessed 6 Feb 2020

Simpson, Leanne. “Stories, Dreams, and Ceremonies: Anishinaabe ways of learning” Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, vol. 11, no. 4 – Summer 2000, https://tribalcollegejournal.org/stories-dreams-ceremonies-anishinaabe-ways-learning/. Accessed 7 Feb 2020

Home is an interesting topic. Everyone has an idea of what it means to them but we all have very different was of describing it. As I read through my classmates stories it was amazing to me how many stories I identified with wholeheartedly and how many were completely foreign feelings to me. Home is so particular to people, places, times, memories etc. but many of us are connected by the similarities in how these things compound into our sense of home.

Many stories were similar to mine in that we didn’t have any one particular place that we called home. For me, home has always been a very fluid concept. I moved a lot when I was a kid, spent a lot of time at my grandparents house, my aunts house, my uncles house and many more. I was completely at home in all of them but none of the houses were home to me. Like many of us, my sense that these places were home came from the ease and happiness, many people also mentioned the feeling of safety, that I knew I would find while I was there. These were also places where my family would gather. Gathering of friends and family was also a key similarity in stories of the feeling of home. It wasn’t unusual for Christmas to be at my Grandparents, Thanksgiving at my Uncles and Halloween at my parents. Regardless of whose house we were in I knew that my entire family being there would make it home.

Another similarity is the memories of peoples, places, smells and tastes that can make you feel at home. Many people spoke about foods that were prepared during holidays or food that was always prepared by their dad or mom. For me, maple syrup tastes like home because my Grandpa made it at his sugar shack and we ate maple candy whenever it snowed. The memories associated with the food fostered a feeling of home that became associated with that food. Food was spoken of particularly often because it is an easily (in most cases) transportable feeling of home. Many stories that I read where people moved away from home mentioned making a particular food when they were feeling home sick. This food and the memories of eating it with friends and family helped remind them of home. Many writers also had strong connections to natural elements or areas that made them feel at home. Some people feel more at home within the borders of their province while others feel at home with their feet in a stream or a lake. I personally feel a sense of home every time I’m submerged in a lake because I spent all my summers as a child until now at a lake in Ontario. Finally, the largest similarity was that it seems as though everyone who has a feeling of home rather then a place that they call home seems to agree that “home is where the heart is” is the best description of home.

The biggest difference that I noticed between stories like mine and other stories was the origin of the feeling of home. Many stories describe a search for home that I could not identify with. I have never know what it was like to not feel a sense of home because I have always felt it from a person, place, feeling, smell, food, etc. I also noticed that this search for home took a lot of writers on journeys whether that be across the world or to a new province. It was a new concept to me that individuals may choose to move in search of a feeling of home. I searched the www and found that many displaced Indigenous people are moving to cities to reunite with family and to try to find a sense of home in the same way that many of my classmates  had described.

Another difference. which I expected to encounter, was the feeling of home being connected to a specific house or location. I know that many people are very strongly connected to their childhood homes or the towns they grew up in. It was very interesting to hear the reasons why and to read descriptions of what that feeling is like. Many people also found their sense of home in one particular person. This person was evidently very important to them. The fluidity in my feeling of home means that any family member, friend, partner, etc. can provide a feeling of home. Sometimes I even seek out different people for the feeling of home depending on what I am struggling with. To hear stories of such a strong unwavering connection to one individual was very interesting.

In Summary:

Similarities includes:  home as a feeling, people (especially family) being home, the senses (tastes, smells, etc.) as connections to home, memories creating the feeling of home, places that you have never been before feeling like home and the feeling that “Home is where the Heart is”.

Differences: some people didn’t feel a sense of home inherently, searches for home, home being achievable, home as a destination, a particular location or house rather then a feeling, and home being a particular person.

Works Cited:

McIntyre, Jamie. “Sugar Shacks Northern Ontario” Northern Ontario Travel, 4 Apr. 2017,  https://www.northernontario.travel/northeastern-ontario/sugar-shacks-northern-ontario. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.

Friesen, Joe. “Growing Indigenous Population Reshaping Cities Across the Country” The Globe and Mail, 26 Dec. 2016,  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/growing-indigenous-population-reshaping-cities-across-the-country/article33436120/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.