Question 1: In his article, “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” King discusses Robinson’s collection of stories. King explains that while the stories are written in English, “the patterns, metaphors, structures, as well as the themes and characters, come primarily from oral literature.” More than this, Robinson, he says “develops what we might want to call an oral syntax that defeats reader’s efforts to read the stories silently to themselves, a syntax that encourages readers to read aloud” and in so doing, “recreating at once the storyteller and the performance” (186). Read “Coyote Makes a Deal with King of England”, in Living by Stories. Read it silently, read it out loud, read it to a friend, and have a friend read it to you. See if you can discover how this oral syntax works to shape meaning for the story by shaping your reading and listening of the story. Write a blog about this reading/listening experience that provides references to both King’s article and Robinson’s story.
Thomas King, in his article “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” introduces several different genres of native literature that does not in any way fall under the limited categories of “pre-colonial” or “post-colonial” literature. King presents a fundamental argument about the nature of native literature:
“post-colonialism purports to be a method by which we can begin to look at those literatures which are formed out of the struggle of the oppressed against the oppressor, the colonized and the colonizer, the term itself assumes that the starting point for that discussion is the advent of Europeans in North America. At the same time, the term organizes the literature progressively suggesting that there is both progress and improvement.” (King 184-185).
The term ‘post-colonial’ infers that native literature evolved as a result of colonialism that the arrival of the Europeans changed the way that native literature is shared. It emphasizes the Europeans and insufficient focus on native literature. The term itself is equally as exclusionary as the act of colonialism itself. King emphasizes some other genres that deviate from ‘post-colonial’ and ‘pre-colonial’ literature, which is often exclusionary to native traditions and histories. The terms imply that native literature moves from savagery to civilized, which promotes racist perceptions. While native literature has evolved, much of it remains proprietary towards native cultures. For example, Harry Robinson’s “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King of England,” which is an account of the colonial experience through the native perspective. King explains that the unique writing style of Robinson retains the “patterns, metaphors, structures as well as the themes and characters [that] come primarily from oral literature” and thus, has changed the way readers interact with Robinsons’ stories (King 186). The reason for is this assertion is because Robinson’s story requires the reader to hear the tale aurally and experience it orally.
The story requires reading through a few times to fully gauge the whole story, especially from the non-native perspective, because the story is not created for me. From the perspective of a non-native, some symbolism is lost to me; for example, the importance of Coyote. Furthermore, the story is about colonialism, yet not really about colonialism. From the perspective of someone who has studied colonialism relationships carefully from the European perspective, the general narrative of colonialism is present. However, the connections are not entirely stable to me, and in reality, it should not be. An exciting part of this story is Coyote’s encounter with the King of England. The King and Coyote discuss the treatment of the natives in which the King justifies the behaviour: “your word, it sounds like war. Sounds like war. If you are King and I am King, we should fight” rather than provide a plausible explanation to the act of taking land (Robinson 71). Robinson presents this discussion as a conversation, and it makes sense to the reader. The treatment of natives by Europeans is extremely violent and indeed like a war on the natives. However, a question remains. The word that Coyote tells the King sounds like war to the King, but what is the word to Coyote? The answer is not tangible for the non-native, but perhaps it is when read by a native. This world is created by their history and by their culture, not mine. I still want to know though because words are an exceptionally crucial part of the cultural infrastructure.
I do not believe that I can understand the entire story unless all the pieces are explained to me by the natives, and even then, I know that it is impossible. Reading “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King of England” is like listening to a song that I once heard when I was young, but I no longer remember the lyrics. I know the story of colonialism, the effects, and the crimes, but I do not know the details, and I do not know the perspective of the natives. There are, after all, many different perspectives and experiences with colonialism. No matter how many times I read or listen to the story, there will always be pieces missing from the final picture. Perhaps this is what King is trying to say. Native literature can be shared, but no matter how many times it is shared, it cannot be enjoyed in its entirety because the context of history, culture, and social connection are meant only for native people.
Works Cited:
Félix, Adolfo. “Blue Earth Globe on Table,” Unsplash. 24, Feb. 2018. https://unsplash.com/photos/4JL_VAgxwcU.
King, Thomas. “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” Unhomely States: Theorizing English-Canadian Postcolonialism. Mississauga, ON: Broadview, 2004. 183- 190.
Lim, Johnny. “The Importance of Words,” Odyssey, 22 Feb. 2016, https://www.theodysseyonline.com/importance-of-words.
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.
Shoemaker, Nancy. “A Typology of Colonialism,” Perspectives on History, 01 Oct. 2015, https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/october-2015/a-typology-of-colonialism.