{"id":59,"date":"2016-03-02T13:19:19","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T20:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/?p=59"},"modified":"2016-03-07T23:20:17","modified_gmt":"2016-03-08T06:20:17","slug":"authenticity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/2016\/03\/02\/authenticity\/","title":{"rendered":"Authenticity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Assignment 2.6:<\/strong><\/p>\n

5) \u201cTo raise the question of \u2018authenticity\u2019 is to challenge not only the narrative but also the \u2018truth\u2019 behind Salish ways of knowing \u201c(Carlson 59). Explain why this is so according to Carlson, and explain why it is important to recognize this point.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Salish Welcoming by Joseph Wilson<\/p><\/div>\n

In Carlson\u2019s article, <\/span>Orality and Literacy: the \u2018Black and White\u2019 of Salish History, <\/span><\/i>he outlines how Salish histories<\/a> challenge, dispute and question our Western history and ways of knowing. \u00a0When conflicting histories arise between Western and Indigenous groups we tend to question Indigenous histories rather than our own. \u00a0We consider ourselves the ultimate fact keepers, and in many ways we are. \u00a0Whether it is our history of settlement or an academic paper it is protocol to acknowledge our sources. \u00a0We keep meticulous records of events and everything is written down, but much of Canada\u2019s history is skewed in the settlers\u2019 favour. After all \u201cHistory is written by the victors\u201d (Winston Churchill<\/a>). \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With\u00a0the certainty we hold in our own history it leads us to question other accounts. \u00a0In the case of Carlson\u2019s article he discusses the consequences of questioning the authenticity of Salish history, and shows how the Salish are meticulous record keepers too. In fact \u201chistorical accuracy in the Salish world is a matter of great concern\u2026\u201d (Carlson 57). Since Salish histories were not written down they assessed the accuracy of stories by comparing them to the previous renditions of the same story (Carlson 57). Listeners would have to remember the other versions they had heard of the same story and determine if the storyteller was accurate enough. Carlson also references Wendy Wickwire about the process which she calls \u201coral footnotes\u201d (57). \u00a0Oral footnotes are when a storyteller verbally cites their sources or other forms of authority to establish their legitimacy as a storyteller. \u00a0For Salish storytellers oral footnotes are essential to establishing one’s authority as a reliable and good storyteller. \u00a0If one did not do this their story, particularly if it was a historical narrative, would have been regarded as poor history (57 Carlson). Tellers of poor history would have faced consequences for their poor storytelling. \u00a0They would \u201cacquire reputations as poor historians: their status [in the community would] diminish\u201d (Carlson 57). It would have been horrible for ones social standing if they told an inaccurate account of a story. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Storytelling is ingrained in Salish culture and truth is essential to their stories. Carlson says \u201cTo raise the question of \u2018authenticity\u2019 is to challenge not only the narrative but also the \u2018truth\u2019 behind Salish ways of knowing\u201d (Carlson 59). \u00a0As I outlined above, truth and authenticity when recounting stories is highly valued. \u00a0The Salish people do not value authenticity any less than the settlers. \u00a0By questioning the authenticity of their narratives we also question their deeply ingrained cultural practices. \u00a0It says we don\u2019t recognize that they are capable of keeping reliable records because nothing is written down. \u00a0In a culture so concerned with the authenticity in their storytelling this is an insult. \u00a0It is Western culture saying over and over again your record keeping is not as valid as ours. So when we do question the authenticity of Salish history we should do so cautiously and respectfully. \u00a0We should recognize how they keep historical accuracy in their culture, and why it is important to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think it is important to recognize Carlson\u2019s point because more often than not misunderstanding of culture allows policy makers to create biased laws and regulations which favour the settler. For example, Carlson points out \u201chow a false understanding of Native history allowed American policy makers to… [justify] the physical, social, and economic marginalization of Aboriginal people.\u201d (58). Western culture values our historical accuracy, but I think it is essential to learn our version is not the only version of history.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Works Cited:<\/p>\n

Carlson, Keith Thor. \u201cOrality and Literacy: The \u2018Black and White\u2019 of Salish History.\u201d <\/span>Orality & Literacy: Reflections Across Disciplines.<\/span><\/i> 43-72. Print.<\/span><\/p>\n

Robbins, Michael. “Letter From Military History – January 2013” HistoryNet<\/i>. History Net, 02 Nov. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.<\/p>\n

Wilson, Joseph. Salish Welcoming<\/i>. Digital image. Cedar Hill Long House Art Publishing<\/i>. Cedar Hill Long House, 1 Sept. 2006. Web. 5 Mar. 2016.<\/p>\n

Wonders, Dr. Karen. “Coast Salish.” First Nations: Land Rights and Environmentalism in British Columbia<\/i>. University of Goettingen, 8 Nov. 2008. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Assignment 2.6: 5) \u201cTo raise the question of \u2018authenticity\u2019 is to challenge not only the narrative but also the \u2018truth\u2019 behind Salish ways of knowing \u201c(Carlson 59). Explain why this is so according to Carlson, and explain why it is … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions\/74"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/english470\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}