Hello and welcome to my blog for ENGL 470, a Canadian studies English course examining Canadian literary genres!
I’m Cassie, a third year Geographical Sciences student minoring in English, and I’m really excited to start delving into a realm of literature that I haven’t previously had many formal academic opportunities to explore.
The overall goal of this course is to study the colonial European literature and traditional Indigenous literature and orature in a comparative environment. More specifically, this course will focus on whose stories we hear and don’t hear, the connections between literature and nation building, as well as the processes that led to the creation of Canadian literary genres.
Throughout the history of Canada, there has been a systematic racial prejudice and discrimination against Indigenous peoples. In 2008, Prime Minister Harper delivered an apology on the behalf of Canada regarding this blatant historical mistreatment of Indigenous groups and in 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report was released. This report essentially established that “reconciliation is not an Aboriginal problem… [but] a Canadian one” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, vi).
Reconciliation is defined by the report as “establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in [Canada]. In order for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 7). This is an important idea within Canada, not just socially, but also in terms of literature.
Learning about how Indigenous traditions and cultures contributed to Canadian literature as we presently know it is important to the concept of reconciliation, as it allows students to gain a deeper respect for Indigenous worldviews and supports the re-establishment and reclaiming of the cultures that were almost completely lost due to the cultural genocide enacted against Indigenous peoples in Canada. My main personal goal while taking this course is to grow my understanding of the part Indigenous peoples have played in this country throughout history from a literature perspective. I also hope to gain a better understanding in how the power of Canadian stories and narratives can support reconciliation.
Works Cited:
Pascal, Charles. “New stat holiday should be an ‘accountability day’ to take stock of TRC’s Education Calls to Action”. OISE. University of Toronto, n.d.. Web. 6 January 2019.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. 2015. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Web. 6 January 2019.
“What reconciliation is and what it is not”. Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. Blog. Indigenous Corporate Training Inc., 16 August 2018. Web. 6 January 2019. <https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/oise/News/blog_natl_aboriginal_day.html>
Hi Cassie!
I enjoyed reading your perspectives on reconciliation’s role within literature. Your background in geography sounds like it could prove useful in this course, as land is so intimately tied to Canadian literature, and the stories we tell ourselves about land so often play into our mythologies of ownership. In particular, I found the article you posted about what reconciliation is and what it is not really engaging; it is thought-provoking to think about how we can incorporate accountability within our readings of literature, our teachings, and our interactions between government and citizen.
The recommendations outlined in the 94 calls to actions provide concrete ways to encourage reconciliation, but I am curious about your thoughts on how reading literature engages with this dialogue; is it adequate to diversify the authors we read, or to change the curriculums we teach? Or does reconciliation require some more abstract approaches when it comes to a communication form like literature that is both direct and specific in its wording, but disconnected in its delivery?
Hi Charlotte,
Thank you for your question, it is definitely a thought provoking one! I think that reading literature and changing school curriculums is only one step in the long journey that is reconciliation. Those two simple things are not going to solve the majority of problems, but I think their role in reconciliation is the creation of understanding around indigenous issues, especially in the younger generations who are currently going through the school system. I think the story about the woman who wanted to tell her historical story through song in a courtroom from Chamberlain’s book outlines your question well. Many indigenous stories are oral, and therefore lose meaning if they are simply written down. So adding indigenous literature into curriculums is adequate to start the exposure process, however other more “abstract” steps need to follow in order to create true understanding.
Hello Cassie
Thank you for your quick dive into the issue.
Reconciliation is tough. We can all hope to be making strides in that area by education and understanding. However there remains to be issues that will not easily solved. The hardest question for us to answer right now knowing how to understand issues that affect many different groups of people. The Mi’qmaq of the maritimes have different issues than the Cree of the prairies or the Dene of the Mackenzies. In the same breath there are indigenous people who are strongly against pipelines on their land, while other indigenous people would welcome infrastructure and jobs. How do you suppose Canada listens to all voices?
Thanks
MM
Hey Maxwell,
You are definitely correct in saying that each different group of people will have different issues and different perspectives. I think Canada as a nation still hasn’t quite figured out how to fairly listen to all the varying voices within it. Even though there are claims that Canada is trying to hear everyone, more often than not, the voices that end up silenced are those that tend to oppose actions taken by the government. I took a class in environmental impact assessment last semester and one of the major themes of the class was how, when it comes to major projects on traditional indigenous territories, there is a systematic failure to consult the indigenous peoples on the land, all in the effort to ensure that the project goes through, which is only one example of the selective silencing of voices.