When Carlson states: “To raise the question of ‘authenticity’ is to challenge not only the narrative but also the ‘truth’ behind Salish ways of knowing” (59), there is a question that begs to be asked: How do the Salish define authenticity? Before I (inexpertly) try to explain this idea, for many non-Natives, their idea of authenticity incorporates elements of historical legitimacy and genuinity; authenticity stems from a tradition, or history of ‘truth’. It is at this point where ideas of authenticity overlap: for both Natives and non-Natives, authenticity stems from history and tradition.

According to Carlson, “among literate Westerners, historical accuracy is measured in relation to verifiable evidence” (57), whether it be through original documents, or properly citing a scholarly, “recognized” source. For the Salish, “historical accuracy is largely assessed in relation to people’s memories of previous renditions or versions of a narrative and in relation to the teller’s status and reputation as an authority” (57). Because of the oral nature of Salish narratives, their historical accuracy relies on the storyteller’s ability to assert themselves, their memory, and their family’s stories. Their ‘authentic’ narratives are their truth, and how they define their “ways of knowing”. The Salish break their stories into two streams: first, into stories set in the distant past involving the work of the Transformers or Coyote. Second, stories that describe more recent events and may involve people of recent generations. Both streams are “considered equally true and real”. There is no story that is more or less authentic, only “better remembered/conveyed or less well remembered/conveyed” (57).

It is also important to note that “Salish conveyors of poor history, like their Western counterparts, face various sanctions for sloppiness and transgression” (57). There are negative consequences for “inauthenticity” within the Salish peoples, such as diminishment in status or reputation.

While these differences in ‘authenticity’ and beliefs of ‘truth’ between Natives and non-Natives are subtle, they are also largely essential in creating and recognizing Salish identity not only in and of itself, but also as apart from European/colonizer ideals. That is to say, by imposing colonizer ideology of authenticity and truth on the Salish, the colonizer eradicates another element of Salish ideology and identity. Natives are not concerned with ‘historical legitimacy’ in the same regard that non-Natives are. Carlson says that “we have grown so accustomed to associating authentic Aboriginal culture with pre-contact temporal dimensions that we have dismissed or ignored Native stories that do not meet our criteria for historical purity” (56). Ignoring these Native stories is yet another way of imposing colonizer/European mentality on the First Nations, which is why it is so important to recognize Salish ideas of authenticity, truth, and ways of knowing.

Moving forward then, how does one reconcile this newfound idea of authenticity, stemming from a historical tradition, and moving forward into modernity? In Richard Lane’s article “Sacred Community, Sacred Culture: Authenticity and Modernity in Contemporary Canadian Native Writings”, he discusses a number of works (but I’ll let you read it, it’s not too long). One work that stuck out to me in particular is Joseph Dandurand‘s Looking into the Eyes of my Forgotten Dreams. According to Lane, Dandurand questions the”invader-settler or tourist’s ability to create authentic images of native culture” on a fundamental level (164). Through challenges presented in the article, Lane suggests that the colonial and post-colonial ideas of authenticity begins to break down the longer you look, and only through the the decomposition of these dated ideas can you move into modernity. Sometimes you have to look backward in order to move forward. Right?

Works Cited

Carlson, Keith Thor. “Orality and Literacy: The ‘Black and White’ of Salish History.”Orality & Literacy: Reflectins Across Disciplines. Ed. Carlson, Kristina Fagna, & Natalia Khamemko-Frieson. Toronto: Uof Toronto P, 2011. 43-72.

Dandurand, Joseph. “Joseph A. Dandurand.” Kegedonce Press. Web. 26 June 2014.

Lane, Richard J. “Sacred Community, Sacred Culture: Authenticity and Modernity in Contemporary Canadian Native Writings.” SUNY Series, Native Traces : Native Authenticity : Transnational Perspectives on Native American Literary Studies. Ed. Deborah L. Madsen. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2010. 151-164.