Searching for Connection and Meaning in Story Telling
When I first read of Coyote and his twin, I thought of Cain and Abel from the Old Testament, as these sons of Adam and Eve seem to represent good and evil, just as Coyote and his twin do. Cain was the evil brother, and he was similarly banished from his land. This is how the Bible explains two different branches of people entering the world. Coyote is brown and his brother is white; Coyote is good, and his brother is dishonest. Coyote’s brother steals an important piece of paper, and as a consequence is banished from North America, and this explains the two different races of people (Native, and white) being separated until colonization.
Robinson’s story of Coyote and his twin and the bible story of Cain and Abel both have a message of good versus evil, and leave their scholars intrigued and mystified. A biblical scholar writes, Abel who is killed by his brother is “a gap in the story withholding both his name and his identity and creating even more ambiguity as the narrative progresses…is he somebody and therefore of importance to understanding the story? The use of chiasms and alternation of the brothers strengthens the impression that the order and thus the outcome of the story are yet undecided” Vermeulen, 41). Abel represents good, yet he dies; Cain is evil, and like Coyote’s twin he is banished. Abel’s brother Seth is born later, and propagates Abel’s branch of the human race. Scholars explore and investigate to unravel the stories of the Bible, just as Wickwire searches for connection and meaning within Robinson’s stories.
Robinson’s stories of Coyote and his twin, and Coyote’s visit to the King both involve important papers, yet Indigenous people were not writing their stories at colonization, but passed them down orally. The paper in Robinson’s story reveals how the two cultures have intersected over time, and colonization has seeped into Indigenous story telling. Which leads to a question? Did the white inhabitants adapt and broaden their stories to reflect the culture and beliefs of the Indigenous people. It seems to me they did not, and this attests to the lack of flexibility in Christian based societies. First Nations people seem to be the ones who have broadened their beliefs, probably because their spirituality is (often) not as rigid, but has a natural flow with nature. Lutz says, “Indigenous people here had no gods that they worshipped. Instead, they were aware of a wide variety of spirits that could take human form” (36).
Christianity and its paradigms have been at the root of colonization, and First Nations story-telling has not been a significant part of education until recently. In British Columbia, the government has (in 2015) embedded Indigenous culture and study into our curriculum. White people have taken a long time to be willing to blend cultures with First Nations people, and perhaps the decrease of Christianity in Canada is the reason for more open mindedness. During my twelve years of grade school education in British Columbia, Canada, Indigenous cultures, stories, or people were not discussed.
King writes two creation stories: one Indigenous, and one Christian. He says, “In the Native story, the conversational voice tends to highlight the exuberance of the story but diminishes its authority, while the sober voice in the Christian story makes for a formal recitation but creates a sense of veracity” (23). Writing the Christian creation story rigidly, versus King’s story-telling version of the Indigenous creation story emphasizes the irony of how Western people thought (think) their story was (is) so much more believable.
What makes the Christian story more believable than any Indigenous creation story? As a former Christian, I taught Sunday school, and when teaching the creation story, children never failed to inquire, “But who made God?” to which I would have some pad answer (while puzzling in my own mind). The Pentecostal sector of Christianity, which I grew up in, is rigid. Like many other religions, they believe their way is the only way to salvation, and anyone else that does not agree will die and go to hell. God is the authoritative boss in the sky, and he must be served and obeyed.
Although there is still much rigidity, many Christian churches are evolving. Vosper is a Reverend of the United Church, but she is at risk of being fired because she claims to be an atheist –she no longer believes in the rigid god of the bible. She says, “the idea of an interventionist, supernatural being on which so much church doctrine is based belongs to an outdated world view” (Perkel).
We are beginning to show respect for Indigenous story-telling, and I look forward to the day when Bible stories will be taught in school—not as literal and factual, but like myths, fairy tales, and Indigenous stories—full of truth—yet full of mystery. Bible stories and Indigenous stories of North America (and many other cultural stories) are full of wonder and truth, and should be celebrated and passed on.
Works Cited
Cain-Abel jpg. http://middleagedmormonman.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Cain-Abel.jpg Accessed 7 Oct 2016.
King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Peterborough: Anansi Press. 2003. Print.
Lutz, John. “First Contact as a Spiritual Performance: Aboriginal–Non Aboriginal Encounters on the North American West Coast.” Myth and Memory: Rethinking Stories of Indigenous-European Contact. Ed. Lutz. Vancouver: U of British Columbia P, 2007. 30-45. Print.
Perkel, Colin. Atheist minister fighting United Church’s effort to fire her. The Globe and Mail. 2015. Web. Accessed 7 Oct 2016.
Robinson, Harry. Living by Stories: a Journey of Landscape and Memory. Ed. Wendy Wickwire. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2005. Print.
Vermeulen, Karolien. “Mind the Gap: Ambiguity in the Story of Cain and Abel.” Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 133, no. 1, 2014, pp. 29-42. doi:10.15699/jbibllite.133.1.29
Hi Kimberly,
I also made parallels with Cain and Abel, and Adam and Eve when I read the story. I found it interesting that Coyote’s twin and Cain were both banished rather than sentenced to death. Doesn’t that make you wonder if death is actually a type of salvation? The good die, that is, to suffer no longer. To live is to suffer through life with all of your mistakes, pains and regrets. It makes me wonder why death is something most humans fear and why society denies humans their choice to die.
With reference to the rest of your post, I agree that it seems that the First Nations adapt more than the White people. As you said, the Bible was told in a rigid and authoritative tone, so it doesn’t surprise me that the people who read it are just as inflexible. In fact, could we interpret the people’s rigidity as something akin to listening to authority? I see society as a sort of brainwashing group, so could we give the Christians the benefit of the doubt? They were not raised to be flexible with their beliefs and it is a difficult thing to change habits. Whereas the Indigenous People’s understanding of the world was more like a river. It is flowing and bendable. Could an understanding of both sides be more beneficial for adapting to each other’s beliefs? Instead of criticizing a person’s lack of ability to change, perhaps providing patience and guidance as if you are teaching a child would help all cultures out.
Thanks for your response! I am not a religious person, and if I made offense, I apologize, I do not mean to. I would love to hear all sorts of myths being told in schools- not only Biblical and Indigineous, but also Asian, Aztec, Celtic, and other stories because reading about different cultures is like being in different cultures. It provides readers and travelers with a more perspective of the world.
– Jamie
Hi Jamie,
Thank you for your response…no offense! 🙂
Life is such a mystery. It does seem that the good die young, but perhaps it is just how much we note when good, kind, giving, caring people die young, and we try to rationalize it. Some people don’t believe in any life after this life on Earth, and if that is the case one should be careful to create “heaven” instead of “hell” while here. How is that done? Tricky. I don’t know! 😛
As far as Christians go, I appreciate your concern for them, and you’re right, we all deserve benefit of the doubt…however…in this day and age, I think my Christian family and friends should be questioning rigidity…we all should be.
It makes me kind of sad that globalization is blending cultures, because the individuality of different areas of the world is so interesting! High interest story books from around the world would be super fun to have in classrooms and would help students see how diverse the world is… Cheers, Kim
Hey Kim,
I read a definition of Hell that said that Hell being trapped in an unnecessarily inefficient, ineffective system designed to serve the whims of those in unmerited power and being unable to make the changes they envision. I found it hilarious and held some truth for me. If we decide that Hell is the above, then would Heaven be the opposite? That would work in both contexts of believing or not believing in an afterlife. But, yeah, I recognize that it is tricky. It’s all fun to talk about though.
I actually wanted to comment on your comment because you mentioned that it made you sad that globalization is blending cultures. I have only on and off thought about how sad this is when someone mentions it. I have always been pro blending/homogenizing.. perhaps because it reduces conflict and rigidity. So, when you mentioned it here, I remembered how upsetting it is for me to see that sort of blending. It would be a total loss in history if we ended up blending everything, almost akin to the pyramids being destroyed during our life time. Thanks for the counter perspective. I wonder how we can blend cultures, but still keep their particularities. We often say that we can’t have the best of both worlds, but that just ends conversation. What are some ways we could have the best of both cultures? What would those high interest story books look like to you?
Cheers!
Hi Jamie,
Oh my gosh…sorry I took so long to reply…
Every country has its own peculiar, wonderful stories…children’s book writers should meet internationally and come together with their best stories. 🙂 Canada? We definitely have sweet Indigenous stories, but (I think Hutcheson’s introduction alludes to this) I am not sure if we have significant “stories” we pass on to our children…besides our own family’s…
Did you find a research group yet…we have 3 in ours so far…are we allowed 4?…let me know…
That’s an interesting point about how First Nations stories have adapted and changed due to colonization/European contact, but western stories have not. I also agree that there is a less rigid spirituality associated with First Nations and more of a connection with nature, I suppose. You can see that flexibility in the changing creation stories. I always wondered why First Nations creation stories begin with nature (the world usually exists in some form, and there are often animals before there are humans) while Christian and other creation stories start off with nothingness.
There has been more integration of First Nations culture in the school curriculum. I remember going to a longhouse, doing soap stone carvings and listening to creation stories when I was in elementary school in BC in the early to mid 2000s, but that pretty much petered out as we got to high school. Residential school and issues like treaties etc. were glossed over and not really given the time they needed to be more than a footnote in my memory.
Hi Marissa,
I’m glad you had some First Nation’s experiences in school! There’s a peacefulness to Indigenous stories, a playfulness. Although Indigenous people have probably been a small part of history in our schools, they are now a huge part of BC’s curriculum.
I have enjoyed many presentations in my classes from our Indigenous staff…I love their stories, their art, their games, their knowledge of nature, etc…
Cheers!