there are many holes in the most well known narratives of canadian identity, many voices that are not being heard because they have been stifled through violence and barriers of poverty, genocide and trauma that most people in canada have not had to face to such staggering degrees. amnesty international reports that there are hundreds of first nation women missing. cbc news and reports for the canadian government reveal that there are people living in extreme poverty, hunger and daily danger, suggesting that their voices have been disregarded and treated with contempt. in both canada and the states we persecute first people who attempt to use their voices, as highlighted by lawrence o’donnell in this news story on the standing rock protests against the pipeline in dakota.
my name is stephanie lines and i am a white english-canadian 30year old mental health worker who has spent the last ten years exploring inclusivity and human rights for vulnerable populations in the unceded first nation territories called british columbia. i am a part-time creative writing and psychology student.
this blog is a personal exploration and study into canadian peoples whose voices have been silenced. it is also a commentary on erika paterson’s ubc course canadian literary genres: an interactive online study of canadian literature made up of four units over a four month period. rather than simply studying prevalent canadian literature, it is a critical study into the missing voices of the first people of canada through the general western-centric understanding of what canadian history and literature is.
one key part of voice is the oral traditions that have been overlooked for centuries due to the empirical colonial powers that value written documents and white voice over other alternative methods, styles and voices of story-telling and documentation, as noted in the essay “listening for change: the courts and oral tradition” by john burrows.
i expect that this course will require immense self reflection as well as thoughtful consideration into the material we engage with. neo-colonial racism is ingrained within us all. we white forget and take for granted the comforts that we are afforded. the safety that we expect out of our lives.
i want to in this first post acknowledge the racism that i am a part of by being a white english-canadian. i am privileged to be able to write a blog on canadian literature studies, and i acknowledge fully that i am a white voice. my voice has value, but truly we are at a time when we need to grow quieter and stand behind our canadian first nations and people of color and listen better to their voices that have been silenced for far too long.
works cited
Amnesty International. “Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls: Understanding the numbers”. Amnesty International Canada. n.d. www.amnesty.ca/blog/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls-understanding-the-numbers. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
Borrows, John. “Listening for Change: The Courts and Oral Tradition”. Centre For First Nations Governance. n.d. fngovernance.org/ncfng_research/oralhistory.pdf. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
Canada. Department of Justice. Victims of Crime Research Digest No.3. By Kathie Scrim. Ottawa: Department of Justice. Apr. 2010. www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/victim/rd3-rr3/p3.html. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
Kirkup, Kristy. “60% of First Nation children on reserve live in poverty, institute says”. CBC News: Aboriginal. CBC News, 17 May. 2016. www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/institute-says-60-percent-fn-children-on-reserve-live-in-poverty-1.3585105. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
Metta, John. “I, Racist”. Huffington Post: USA. Huffington Post, 10 July. 2015. www.huffingtonpost.com/john-metta/i-racist_b_7770652.html. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
Paterson, Erika. “Welcome”. ENGL 4710 Canadian Literary Genres: Canadian Studies. University of British Columbia. Nov. 2013. blogs.ubc.ca/courseblogsis_ubc_engl_470a_99c_2014wc_44216-sis_ubc_engl_470a_99c_2014wc_44216_2517104_1/welcome/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
Stefanovich, Olivia. “‘How can people afford this?’ James Bay communities struggle to eat healthily”. CBC News: Sudbury. CBC News, 12 Sept. 2016. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/james-bay-coast-high-food-prices-study-1.3756824?cmp=rss. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
“Rewrite: The Protests At Standing Rock”. by Lawrence O’Donnell. MSNBC. Aug. 25.2016. Youtube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5uNRqtjdrM. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
Yuxweluptun, Lawrence Paul. Indian World My Home And Native Land. 2012. Mcauley and Co. Fine Art. mfineart.ca/macaulay-co-fine-art/artists/lawrence-paul-yuxweluptun. Accessed 12 Sept. 2016.
Follow
Hi Stephanie,
I really enjoyed reading your introductory blog post, and am particularly interested in the political focus of your discussion about missing voices and stories. My question: I notice that throughout your blog post you refrain from the use of capital letters, and I’m curious to know if this is politically motivated and, if so, in what way? Looking forward to hearing from you. -A
hi anne!
thanks for your comment! yes it is somewhat politically motivated. i have a strong anti-hierarchical stance and i feel like i can express it better my not using capitalization.
i found your blog post fascinating as well! the connection between labyrinths and hyperlinks is a very interesting line of thought! i can see that idea coming into play in our course more as we look at the ways this study of literature and storytelling connects to so many aspects of our human experience.
best,
stephanie
Hi stephanie,
Thank you for sharing your response with all of us! Your comment on capitalization has prompted me to question and reflect on my own usage of capitalization/grammar. While I’m still processing this/figuring it out, I’m wondering how you would like us to refer to you? (E.g. do you care if we capitalize you name?)
Thanks again,
-Kaylie
p.s. is my comment from earlier this week still waiting to be approved and/or in the spam folder by any chance?
hi kaylie!
wow, thank you for asking me! no one has asked me that before, i guess because i’ve never done any online presence before like this. i generally accept however people spell/write my name. but if you feel like lower casing the “s” i would absolutely love that! no sweat if its forgotten however.
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for this post and for acknowledging the privilege that is behind each of us that is writing blog posts and attending classes at UBC. While it is easy to forget or ignore, participating in classes is an outlet to use our voices- politically or not- and this is not something that is available to many people. Your blog title really reminded me of an impactful and beautifully written memoir called ‘Missing Sarah’ by Maggie De Vries. Maggie is actually a UBC professor who wrote a memoir about her experience having lost her sister- her sister was one of the murdered and missing women in the Robert Pickton case. Maggie is a caucasian woman writing about her First Nations sister, which shows the value of someone writing for someone who is perhaps less privileged, but also physically not there to tell their own story.
– Jenny
thanks jenny! this memoir you mentioned sounds very powerful. brave of this woman to share her personal experience of losing her sister. i agree with you – participating in classes is an outlet to use our voices, and everything we type on the internet has power and the stances we choose to make effects people, even to the point of effecting whether or not people feel like they are safe or not.
i hope i can check out this memoir sometime!
best,
stephanie
hi stephanie
thank you for a great beginning.
I often find myself talking about the politics of grammar at some point in this course because people tend to write sentences that capitalize canadian, european, and so forth, but neglect to capitalize Indigenous and First Nations. So, I enjoyed your post and appreciate your position. I look forward to reading your response to Anne’s question.
Thank you.
thanks erika!
thank you for a very thought-provoking course! i would never have thought to blog on my own but it is so excellent to have so much stimulating conversation through the web. i have replied to anne’s comment now above.
best,
stephanie
Hello Stephanie,
Awesome image of the pipeline quote! Visual learning can be very helpful, especially if we need to get points across quickly to a busy, short attention-spanned audience.
I enjoyed the political focus of your post; ‘political’ is personal – politics effect our livelihood, family, home, and health. In other words, your focus is on the well-being of all people, notably those who need more focus: marginalized but beautiful folks. Thank you for shining more light in this regard. We are all affected, in some way eventually.
Best wishes,
Rana
thanks so much for all the kind words, rana! i love your point about political being personal – i agree so much. as in an above comment i wrote, i believe our stance on things can effect the safety of others, and can mean the difference between whether a demographic of people are accepted and have support, or whether they are suffering and dying. it can mean the difference between life and death.
im glad you liked the pipeline image! i was a little scared to use it because memes are really hard for figuring out who to credit haha so i was a little nervous posting it!
best,
stephanie
Hi stephanie,
I really appreciate how you recognized your social location in your post and gave specific, current examples of how race, colonialism, gender, and capitalism/pursuit of profits are having huge effects on communities today. I also was intrigued by your blog (and post) title—it seems strongly connected to the stories and links that are missing from what people often think of as “canada,” to the people and experiences missing from our communities, and to my understanding that many stories, even if they are being told, are still being missed and not heard. What did you have in mind when you named your blog?
On a side note, I was intrigued by your introduction of yourself as someone who has been working on inclusivity and human rights. If you have time, and if you’re comfortable sharing, what kind of work and/or learning have you done in this regard?
hi kaylie!
thanks for your thoughtful response and questions! i was definitely thinking of the bits of history that have been skewed and the power dynamics between different voices in canada where certain voices overpower the voices of minority peoples and peoples that have suffered from colonial and capitalistic interests.
i have worked in vancouver’s downtown eastside for the last ten years, and as much as i worked there and considered myself involved in activism and advocacy, i also still consider myself a learner. i really took a lot of time trying to formulate for myself how i saw the politics of the city called vancouver, and the province, and the country being active in the lives of vulnerable people. first nations, drug users, sex workers and people who are most commonly referred to as being mentally ill were people i learned from. these people taught me a lot. here is an excerpt from a comment i wrote on bryony-rose’s post:
one modern and current example of a way i see human rights being completely infringed upon in taking away personal agency is with drug users. i have worked in vancouver’s downtown eastside for several years now and it is still breaks my heart to see what kind of maltreatment people will look away from because it involves drug users or people commonly referred to as being mentally ill or sex trade workers. to this day, there are governments and officials that fight against the operation of safe injection sites and accessibility to harm reduction tools like naloxone, and in effect this communicates that they do not value the lives of drug users. i see all the time how people figure that drug users should have their power taken away from them just because they disagree with their method of coping and self-medication. drug users should be the ones getting to make the decisions about their safety and what is accessible to them, others have no right to try and control personal agency.
Hi Stephanie,
I am particularly intrigued by your introductory post as I am entering this course myself with a strong belief that Aboriginal stories/oral teachings and traditions are a huge part of what has been lost in Canadian history. Being a person of mixed race, Aboriginal included, I look forward to the self reflection and discussion that will be provoked by the different readings. Your post has already started this process within me as it brings to light the often muted forms of historical sharing. I feel that although I have often thought of myself as quite motivated to educate myself about my ancestral history.Yet, I have in fact been swept up with the rest and have not paid enough attention. We do need to step aside and let the voices of ALL be heard!
I feel that this not only encompasses Aboriginal peoples but other minorities as well. This to me includes both visible and nonvisible minorities. I have worked in the mental health sector in Kelowna and it has amazed me how unheard people feel and the different ways in which they are affected!
hi audrey!
thanks for reading and posting a reply on my blog! cool that you’ve worked in mental health – it is such an important field with so much need for advocacy and constant education for everyone in society about how better to relate to one another. and i agree with you – it’s amazing how many people feel unheard and misunderstood.
and i’m also excited that you are looking for more ways to learn about your own anscersral history – i have found it very therapeutic myself to really engage with all aspects of where i have come from. it helps me better to understand myself and have compassion on myself and others too.
looking forward to talking more with you throughout this course!
best,
stephanie