{"id":118,"date":"2016-10-19T23:02:08","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T06:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/?p=118"},"modified":"2016-10-25T12:53:53","modified_gmt":"2016-10-25T19:53:53","slug":"assignment-2-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/2016\/10\/19\/assignment-2-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Assignment 2.6 – A Question of Authenticity"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Keith Carlson’s article “Orality and Literacy: The ‘Black and White’ of Salish History,” he discusses the matter of ‘authenticity’ in Aboriginal legends and myths. Stories that show evidence of European influence or appear to be informed by post-contact events have traditionally been\u00a0discarded by scholars and\u00a0regarded as\u00a0inauthentic. These stories are often dismissed after being approached through a Western frame of reference, and are not\u00a0considered\u00a0through their own historical context. This process suggests that our written\u00a0system of record keeping\u00a0is in some way superior to the oral\u00a0histories of the Salish people. Not only does this process isolate\u00a0us from other cultures, but it can also\u00a0“close the door on another way of knowing”, (56) as Carlson puts it.<\/p>\n

For the Salish people,\u00a0historical narratives are sacred and powerful. While stories\u00a0are not judged in terms of authenticity, they are assessed by how reliable they are as a source of historical information. (57) First Nations narratives have their own litmus test, and are judged within the context of their own cultural standards. As Carlson notes, the Salish have “long been sensitive to the ‘need to get the story right’…bad history is considered to have potentially tragic consequences for both the teller and the listening audience.” (58)\u00a0Respect and reverence for the power of stories<\/a> seems to be embedded into the Salish culture. Stories have the power to “convene the spirits of the historical ancestors described” and to “cause bad things to happen” if they are told incorrectly. (59) Potential catastrophe hinges on these stories and the ways in which they are told. A poor\u00a0or inaccurate retelling can ruin a storyteller’s reputation, and even “shorten the lives of all listeners.” (59) There are some parallels to be made here with Western culture, in that public figures who are caught lying<\/a> or sharing inaccurate stories can be shamed and lose credibility.<\/p>\n

Carlson\u00a0is not arguing\u00a0that we should not question Salish\u00a0narratives. Rather, we should question them from an informed perspective, aware of the context to which these narratives belong. After all, when we question the\u00a0authenticity of Salish stories, we are questioning the very foundation of their culture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carlson, Keith Thor.\u00a0\u201cOrality and Literacy: The \u2018Black and White\u2019 of Salish History.\u201d\u00a0Orality & Literacy: Reflectins Across Disciplines.<\/i><\/a>\u00a0Ed. Carlson, Kristina Fagna, & Natalia Khamemko-Frieson. Toronto: Uof Toronto P, 2011. 43-72.<\/p>\n

Kanalley, Craig. “The Most Unforgettable Lies from Prominent Americans.” Huffington Post<\/em>,\u00a0http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2010\/09\/03\/famous-american-lies_n_705324.html?slideshow=true<\/a>. Accessed 19 Oct. 2016.<\/p>\n

“Native Legends of the Americas: Salish Indian Legends, Myths, and Stories.” Native Languages,\u00a0<\/em>http:\/\/www.native-languages.org\/salish-legends.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. In Keith Carlson’s article “Orality and Literacy: The ‘Black and White’ of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25076,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25076"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118\/revisions\/126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mikaylauber\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}