Lesson 2.2- Assumptions

First off, let me say that I am not a fan of making assumptions. After all, “assume” makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me”. Having said that, I give credence to the assumptions made by John Lutz as they are high in validity. In Myth and Memory, Lutz presents his assumption that “one of the most obvious difficulties is comprehending the performances of the Indigenous participants” (32). It proves to be a challenge as people live in a different time and culture, complicating cognition of this particular manner. Another hurdle people face is to “perceive Indigenous performance through their eyes as well as those of the Europeans” (32). In other words, Lutz presumes his readers belong to the European tradition. It is also implied that Europeans have a harder time understanding Indigenous performances than Indigenous populations of Europeans.

Without a doubt, somebody will think of this as a cruel statement. Some may even see this as a double standard. In whatever way you look at it, it’s hard to deny how much of the European tradition has been woven into our own lives. Let’s use education as an example to see through Lutz’s arguments. In my first blog post of this course, I briefly mentioned the flaws of the curriculum in Socials Studies and history courses offered in British Columbian high schools. If you attended high school in British Columbia or Canada, you can probably resonate with this point: there are very little (if any) teachings of the First Nations, Inuit, and/or Metis. Unless one elected to take a class specializing in First Nations studies, the limited information we acquired is very superficial. In 99.9% of the times students learned about the First Nations, they were always in the European context. They were always through the perspective of wars or settlers, as if Indigenous populations were nothing but savage fighters. We never get the other side of the story- Indigenous perspectives.

My personal experience of learning of Indigenous populations may have been slightly “enhanced”. Because of the program I was a part of, I had the same socials studies teacher for 4 years. Over this period, he showed my class numerous films, some of which included portrays of Indigenous populations. A couple of the movies include Dances With Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans. Sure, the films are praised for their portrayals of Indigenous peoples. Even so, the films and novels they are based from come from a Western/European perspective meant for entertainment.

The material that makes up the majority of Socials Studies courses is blindingly Eurocentric. Some of the things I learned includes the Renaissance, Magna Carta, the Tudors, the Black Plague, Industrial Revolution, etc. Because of those reasons, I sympathize with the implications that Lutz may have. His assumptions are difficult to swallow. They make people feel unpleasant and uncomfortable, and nobody wants to hear about it. But if he doesn’t stir something up, would this dialogue ever exist?

Ending on a hopeful note: in this article about Aboriginal perspectives and the Social Studies curriculum, Ottmann and Pritchard states how Alberta Education has “implemented a revised Social Studies curriculum that recognizes Indigenous people and embeds Aboriginal perspectives into the heart of the program. It emphasizes the understanding of ‘multiple perspectives’, including the learning of Aboriginal perspectives” (21). And maybe, this is the ideal that everyone should strive for…

Works Cited

Ho, Jenny. “Hello, ENGL 470A.” Jenny Ho. UBC Blogs. 15 May 2014. Web. 19 June 2014.

Lutz, John Sutton. Myth and Memory- Stories of Indigenous-European Contact. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2007. Print.

Ottmann, Jacqueline, and Pritchard, Lori. “Aboriginal Perspectives and the Socials Studies Curriculum.” First Nations Perspectives. 3.1 (2010): 21-46. Web.