Pages 345-350

Thomas King showcases his knowledge in many ways throughout Green Grass Running Water. Each section, paragraph, sentence and word is deliberate. They cast a deeper meaning that challenges the reader’s perception of the truth while allowing them to search for clues and get excited when a reference is discovered. Perhaps Jane Flick’s article displays that excitement the best as she is able to annotate many sections of the book for the deeper meaning behind names and stories.
For this exercise, I will be looking at a section of the novel that has many biblical references. It appears that Thomas King has done a lot of research on the Bible. This is to say that it would be foolish for him to offer criticism of the religion without hard facts and knowledge of the text. There are many stories from the Bible that are familiar with those that have grown up in western society. It is important however, that when having a discussion or making a criticism that facts be presented. It is important to read the Bible even without being religious. Thomas King’s novel is much stronger for having the proper facts.

For this section I will refer to the King James Version of the Bible.
Beginning with the references, Coyote is tasked with the retelling of the story. Coyote is finding it difficult to perform that task and is coming up Biblical answers instead. The first one that is used in this passage is Coyote responds with the Old Woman falls into a “fiery furnace”. Thomas King does not pick random parts of the bible to throw into his own text, there is meaning. The fiery furnace referenced in Daniel 3:8-25 speaks about how three men refuse to bow down to their oppressor, are thrown into a fiery furnace and come out unscathed. This is a direct relation to the characters in the novel as Robinson Crusoe, Lone Ranger, Hawkeye and Ishmael are defiant to Dr. Joe Hovaugh.
The second Biblical reference is that Old Woman falls into a manger. The manger is known the first cradle after Jesus was born. The reference could then be made to later in the scene with Young Man Walking on Water which the indigenous name given to Jesus. The golden calf reference further exemplifies the christian narrative of the worship of wealth or something that is sinful which relates to the storyline of the First Woman with Ahdamn and the forbidden fruit. They were free to eat anything but the one fruit. The Pillar of Salt could be tied to that same storyline of First Woman and Ahdam. In the Bible, the Pillar of Salt story is about a family that is told to escape the dangers and not look back. The woman, scared looks back and is turned into a Pillar of Salt. The reference could also be given to Thought Woman who is impregnated in her part of the story.

The Burning Bush reference is more difficult to pinpoint but some believe that it represents the presence of god who is forever watching. The Burning Bush reference could be attributed to Changing Woman, but it also could be attributed to several other factors such as the relationship between the four elders and Dr. Joe Hovaugh as well as the role of the Rangers throughout the novel. The idea that there is always someone watching over and there to judge and stop you at any moment.

These are my thoughts on this section of the novel. I was intrigued by the Biblical references and wanted to research what each reference was about and how it could relate to the overall narrative. My thoughts could all be wrong, but I do believe that King has specifically picked these Biblical references for a reason. My last blog post discussed Coyote’s role in the novel and although my opinions were not widely held, it was interesting to get other perspectives on the role of Coyote and why these Biblical references are important to the character and the overall theme of the novel.

Works Cited
King James Version.”Old Testament”. “New Testament”. Biblegateway.com.https://www.biblegateway.com/

Emba, Christine. “You should read the Bible”.Opinion. Washington Post. March 30thhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/even-atheists-should-read-the-bible/2018/03/30/98a1133c-3444-11e8-94fa-32d48460b955_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.de5e01f81cbc

King, Thomas. “Green Grass Running Water” Harper Collins. Toronto. 1994.

Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water” Canadian Litterature. 1999

Patterson. Erika. “Lesson 3.3”.ENGL 470 99C Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres. UBC Blogs.https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl470-99c-2018wc/unit-3/lesson-3-3/

7. Describe how King uses the cyclical paradigm of the Medicine Wheel (and a little help from Coyote) to teach us to understand, or at least to try to understand the power behind the stories we tell ourselves.

The cycle that persists throughout the novel contains clues that force the reader to question what they already know about stories. The reader must be put in an uncomfortable situation to try to understand and also sometimes chuckle.
First, as a way to introduce the cyclical paradigm of the Medicine Wheel, it must be understood why it has significance in indigenous culture and in the novel. The wheel is used as a tool for teaching and healing. The connection between healing and learning are at the utmost significance. The cycle from young to old and old to young is what keeps indigenous communities alive. Elders teach the youth through stories and living on the land. The youth will eventually take care of their elders in old age and will pass down the elders teachings to their own children and grandchildren. With the four seasons, the four elements, the four states of being and the four directions there is a commonality to the cycle that cannot be ignored when trying to decipher Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water.
What are the stories that we tell ourselves and our children? Before diving into King’s stories, I would like to remember the stories that we have been told of creation. Many of us have grown up in a Judeo-Christian home, some of us have gone to church on Sunday and attended catholic school. The stories that we tell ourselves and our children at a young age like Wab Kinew to his son are what shape our imagination or beliefs. The stories in Green Grass Running Water are similar to what we’ve already heard, or are they?
Focusing on the four women from the novel with influences from the Coyote. When we first meet First Women, she falls from the sky. It is a similar story to the one that King told in the past. This story has it’s variations though. This first story on how the world was created is told through a humorous yet critical lense. “That would be nice, says First Woman, and all sorts of good things to eat fall out of that Tree. Apples fall out. Melons fall out. Bananas fall out. Hot dogs. Fry bread, corn, potatoes. Pizza. Extra-crispy fried chicken” (40). The story is clearly a melting of the turtle story with Adam and Eve. Ahdamn is a play on Adam who acts as an ignorant side kick to First Woman. Ahdamn also applies 21st century objects names to the first animals as a way to bridge the absurdity of the two stories. Satire is an engaging tool to capture the imagination when expectations include
The cyclical nature of the story is to begin with First Woman who is then transformed to Changing Woman. Changing Woman is faced with sexual experiences and the story of Moby-Dick.
Thought Woman is the third iteration of the cyclical paradigm. Thought Woman is faced with challenges of a world that is set up to discriminate her in a Judeo-Christian world. Old Woman becomes the fourth that paves way for First Woman in water. Old Woman graciously assists in the creation story that is set up to oppress her. The Women represent the cycle of the story. However the story is never the same, as there is never a singular truth or reality.
Coyote is yet to be included in this discussion but plays an important role. Coyote is on the outside looking at the story with an innocent and ignorant view. Unsure of the reality of what is happening in front of him. Their constant communication with the narrator contains the readers point of view. That point of view expects that the reader is not only familiar with the bible but expects the bible as THE source of creation. The coyote is so entrenched with Judeo-Christian that he is unable to sense the cyclical nature of the Old Woman falling into the hole, falling through the sky and into the water. The expectation is the “Christian rules”. Coyote offers much in the way of how we understand and question these stories. There is humour that exists within the stories on the page and how they are spoken orally, but they exist to put a mirror up to the stories we tell ourselves.

When looking at these first stories, I am honestly unsure if King is trying to use humour to highlight the differences, or use these stories as a way to bridge the understanding to a wider audience in order to make a “difference”. Why are we only able to read these stories when they are modified to be understood by a white demography. Do we as whites expect the rules to be changed for us? “I’m angry that I live in a country where, still, no one listens until a white man says it.” The article by Candy Palmater asks us why we need a white male to allow ourselves to to become engaged. In the context of this novel, do we as Canadians need satire to engage in discussion. Candy Palmater suggests that we need to face hard truths that make us feel uncomfortable.

Works Cited.

Janssens, Nolan. The Affect of a Fractured Cyclical Structure 3:5 ENGL 470 99C Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres.UBC Blogs

Kinew. Wab. Between my father and son (with apologies to Ta-Nehisi Coates). Opinion. Toronto Star. July 1st 2018.

Patterson, Erika. Lesson 3:2 ENGL 470 99C Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres. UBC Blogs.

Palmater, Candy. Gord Downie championed Indigenous rights. But did he make a difference?. Chatelaine. Macleans. December 4, 2017.

In order to address this question you will need to refer to Sparke’s article, “A Map that Roared and an Original Atlas: Canada, Cartography, and the Narration of Nation.” You can easily find this article online. Read the section titled: “Contrapuntal Cartographies” (468 – 470). Write a blog that explains Sparke’s analysis of what Judge McEachern might have meant by this statement: “We’ll call this the map that roared.”

Oral record versus written record.
A case that tried to secure title over a massive area of land in British Columbia for the Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan people was controversial in a few ways. The plaintiffs wanted to protect the land from logging and have title over their land that they fished and lived on for generations. The case included the both groups creating maps with Indigenous names in order to for the courts to conceptualize their claim. Chief Justice McEachern was quoted as saying “We’ll call this the map that roared” when opening up the maps that were presented to him. Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan people had to project their knowledge of the land onto a map. The comment “roared” was justifiably criticized but might also speak to the intensity of the indigenous groups to prove their case. It is clear that this case was of vital importance for the Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan people and would also enable other indigenous groups in the province to do the same.

The indigenous people had to contend in a sphere that was not created by them or for them. They had to project their evidence in a European court. They had to adapt their evidence and present it in a European medium in order for it to be understood.

Chamberlain shares his thoughts on Judge McEachern and the trial in his article “The corn people have a song too. It is very good”: On Beauty, Truth, and Goodness. Chamberlain does not defend McEachern but understands where he is coming from when he says “”It’s not going to do any good to sing it to me,” he said. “I have a tin ear.” He is a judge in a court that is looking for truths and fact. His uneducated perspective on music and indigenous storytelling meant that Mary Johnson’s singing could not sway his judgment. To the judge, he needed physical evidence in the form that is typical to courtroom and there is no precedence to oral story within a song.

The reality of the case is that the plaintiffs might have worked through the case had they adapted their evidence for the specific judge. However, I am not shocked that the Indigenous groups wanted to stay true to their traditional knowledge. They have had to adapt to the colonists and did not want to give in to the oppression in a system is not meant to support them.

CHAMBERLIN, J. EDWARD. “‘The Corn People Have a Song Too. It Is Very Good’: On Beauty, Truth, and Goodness.” Studies in American Indian Literatures, vol. 21, no. 3, 2009, pp. 66–89. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20737490.

Sparke, Matthew A Map that Roared and an Original Atlas: Canada,
Cartography, and the Narration of Nation, Annals of the Association of American Geographers,
88:3, 1998. pp. 463-495, DOI: 10.1111/0004-5608.00109

Question 2. In this lesson I say that our capacity for understanding or making meaningfulness from the first stories is seriously limited for numerous reasons and I briefly offer two reasons why this is so: 1) the social process of the telling is disconnected from the story and this creates obvious problems for ascribing meaningfulness, and 2) the extended time of criminal prohibitions against Indigenous peoples telling stories combined with the act of taking all the children between 5 – 15 away from their families and communities. In Wickwire’s introduction to Living Stories, find a third reason why, according to Robinson, our abilities to make meaning from first stories and encounters is so seriously limited. To be complete, your answer should begin with a brief discussion on the two reasons I present and then proceed to introduce and explain your third reason from Wickwire’s introduction.

Much of the issues that Indigenous people today are faced with is generational trauma. Many Indigenous people in Canada have endured many different types of traumas that have limited their ability to grow, tell stories, and maintain culture. Due to how the government treated Indigenous people in the late 1800s and throughout the 20th century it is not hard to imagine that force and criminality had a major impact on the lives and social setting. Family and occupational life would not be easy for those that went through intense traumatic events. Those attitudes would be pushed on their children who would then undergo traumatic events of different natures. The pain of residential school, losing language, identity and family. Once relieved from these schools, the trauma carries throughout their lives. Even if that person’s children do not go to residential schools, they can project their anger and frustrations on their children making it a traumatic living environment for the children. Those children could then pass on their frustrations to their offspring. I am generalizing in a way. This generational trauma is not particular to residential school survivors but rather can be put on anyone who has undergone serious trauma like the Holocaust, Great Depression or the Vietnam War.
In this context, examining first stories is a difficult task from our point of view. As a white male with European background, schooling and upbringing, I cannot fully understand and appreciate first stories. There are a couple of reasons for this. If I were to hear a story from an Indigenous storyteller who has carried the story down through generations and ascribes meaning to the story, my own context will be unable to fully grasp the spiritual and enlightened purpose and meaning. However, The storyteller brings his or her own meaning to the story as it only can be meaningful in the oral sense. There needs to be physical movements to the story as well as voice and tone that are essential to the story. In the written form, the story cannot hold meaning for that very reason. It is meant to be told orally and without “european” influence in translation.
For this very reason, so much of the oral tradition in the indigenous culture has been lost. The Government has silenced the race and forced traumas that make individuals keep quiet. Generations no longer pass down the stories to each other. As mentioned prohibitions to stop the stories has led to extinction. It would not be as easy as trying to write these stories down because they would lose all meaning. The stories must be oral.
When Wickwire communicates with Harry Robinson, he tells plenty of stories that really communicate the lives in the post-contact era and how storytellers justified the newcomers. Other stories seemed to draw on inspiration from the bible with and Indigenous twist. Wickwire had heard stories from Harry, were they myths or facts? She would do some digging and found stories that were quite similar to Harry’s. Although some specifics were different. Were these stories edited by a translator to give them a pre-contact feel, did they evolve over time to add post-colonial elements? Did centuries of Christian missionaries and forced belief change the stories to have catholic elements? All these questions present the argument of generational trauma. It is clear through the stories that Wickwire presents from Harry Robinson that there was a need to justify the white newcomers and prove a sort of superiority over them. The story of the twins and the piece of paper is a great example of how Robinson wanted to represent the “Indians” versus the whites. Even in that story, it might open a can of worms that the whites had been in North America long before and happened to come back.
It is a shame that studying these stories is with a large asterisks. Like I mentioned, the stories are hold much more meaning when told orally. The fact that we must rely on printed versions that may or may not have been edited by “European” understanding is difficult. Wickwire was able to find multiple tellings of the same story to begin the process of understanding and how the role of the colonizer has influenced the stories.

If I had been asked to write about home six years ago, I would have far exceeded the word requirement. Back in high school I thought I knew exactly who I was and where I came from. I had so much pride in my hometown that I did not miss a moment to let everyone I passed know that I was different. Identity is something that most teenagers try to find. Who am I? What are my likes? Dislikes? What are my quarks and personality traits that make me who I am? These questions dominate our minds at a young age. For me, being from a town called Wahnapitae made me special and different. I moved to Peterborough and needed an identity I told teenage self. Wahnapitae is a small town, “deep” in northern Ontario. This meant that I was a small town kid with a heart for the outdoors. I had to like country music, drive a four-wheeler and wear cowboy boots and jeans. The small town also meant that I was grittier hockey player. I grew up in old hockey arenas and coaches wanted me to hit and force my body along the boards.
That is what home meant to me.

As a twenty three year old, I could not be more different. Home is a concept that is much harder to define.

Wow, this course is very self reflective.

Well, let us take this moment to figure out what home is.

-It is the physical place that brings comfort?

-Is it the region where one is familiar?

-Is it an idea of the self within the surrounding?

-Is it family, friends and loved ones?

-Is it traveling?

-Is it finding challenge and pushing comfort zones?

Maybe home is all of these, one of these, or none.

Since I was ten years old, I have never lived in a place for more than two years. I have not even stayed in one spot for more than eight months at a time. I enjoy the comfort of finding a routine, but I also hate getting complacent. I always feel the need to move on from a place once it has become stale. Home has always been where family is, however I have spent the last ten years of my life living on my own.
The list that I compiled is mostly from my own experience. Everyones experiences home differently and from that perspective, I would like to think about why.

From the multicultural Canadian context, the idea of “home” is even more convoluted. This country had europeans colonize and wipe out huge populations of indigenous peoples who had called this place home for centuries. Contemporarily, refugees risk their lives and their homes for a new one in Canada. These concepts of home have literally meant life and death. Something that I am lucky enough to have never had to deal with. Having the land, wildlife and families taken away is awful. Wars have forced people from their homes. Children have been brought to residential school, taken from their families and stripped of their identity and language. These are traumas that cannot be undone.

Another student in this course wrote an introduction post that mentioned Gord Downie. It was something I hoped to touch on in future blog posts. The Tragically Hip are my favourite band of all time. When Gord was going through his diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, he did something special. Instead of taking his last years on earth doing something for himself, he sent a powerful message instead. It is important to note that Gord was really sick and the tumour affected his memory. Despite that, he wanted to spread the message of indigenous rights, residential school and understanding. He met with many Indigenous people to try to listen and understand. It was important to him that he raise awareness of the trauma that indigenous people are still living with to this day.

Perspective, is a powerful tool. This blog post has forced me to look inward at what home means to me. I have also put into perspective what others have gone, and are going through.

It is great that we are asking ourselves these questions, but it is more powerful when we read and understand each others differences. These blog posts are written from the heart which is why it seems we are getting great responses.

I hope this blog post does not seem too corny or forced, but it was truly an exercise in humility. I have worked my thoughts and ideas on to this page and it is quite evident because it jumps around a lot.
Thank you,
MM

The bear was always solitary. He knew his land, and each aspect of it. He had an amazing memory of each pebble, each rock. He knew the trees the bushes. He also know the streams and the rivers. The bear would be able to walk many kilometres of his land and know exactly were he was. The bear knew where the best berry bushes were. He knew which strawberries were the ripest and which blueberries were the sweetest. He even knew which eddies had the biggest fish. Walking everyday, strolling through the bush and along the river bank there was pride in his land. Even as his feet thrashed through the bushes he felt secure and content. There was nothing else the bear wanted or needed.

The muskox was always solitary. He moved about his land with curiosity. He did not know the land well and travelled about with a sort of blind discovery. The muskox did not care to remember where he had been or where he was going. Each direction brought on a new discovery and surprise. The muskox would find a fresh batch of fireweed flowers and would eat through the field until he ended up somewhere else.

The raven was always solitary. She knew her land as she flew through the clouds and over the tree tops. The raven was above all a trickster. She could fly anywhere she wanted and see the world from the sky. It was not enough for the raven and she knew that if she wanted to live off the land without worry, she would need to do something about it.

The Raven went to the muskox and said
“Hello muskox. I have heard dangerous stories and I am here to protect you. All you need to do is listen to me. Do not anger the bear, if you eat from his special blueberry bush that looks like every other blueberry bush on the tundra. Do not eat from his special fireweed patch that resembles every other fireweed patch on the tundra. If you do, he will kill you and eat you.”

The Raven went to the bear and said.
“Hello bear. I have heard dangerous stories and I am here to protect you. The muskox is planning to destroy everything you know about the tundra. He wants to stomp on every bush until it is gone. He wants to knock over every tree, and dam every river and stream. The muskox wants to destroy everything you know about the tundra so that you no longer know where you are or where you are going.”

The muskox was so frightened that he was not able to eat. He did not go anywhere near the blueberry bushes. If the muskox happened across a fireweed patch, there was no choice but to turn away. He eventually grew so weak that he could no longer walk or move. He was starving, he was terrified.

The bear continued to walk through the forested tundra that he knew so well. Keeping an eye out for the muskox. In that moment the Raven swooped down and with a flap of her wings, trees started to fall down. The Raven flew over all the bushes and destroyed them all with the force of her wings as she flew overhead. The raven then swooped over the river and streams and damed them all.

The bear grew frightened as he noticed everything he knew was disappearing. What the raven had told him was coming true. he became angry and furious. He stomped the ground and searched for the muskox.

Once the bear saw the muskox in the distance, he slowly moved in let out a huge growl and took down the weak and tired Muskox. After he had killed him, he noticed that the muskox was weak, and tired. He could not have done the damage to his forest. The bear knew in that moment that he had been tricked by the Raven. He grew sad because his forest was gone and he had killed the muskox.

This is the story of how evil and trickery came into the world, why there are no more tress on the tundra and why muskox travel in packs. The story has been told, and now it cannot be taken back.

Reflection
I am not the creative type, therefore this was a little more difficult for me. I tried to come up with many ideas but I do not have much imagination beyond what I already know. This story was adapted from a fable called the Lion and the Ox from Kalila wa Dimna an ancient Muslim text. I adapted my own characters and changed the story but it still has a similar premise. Two animals being tricked by another.

In terms of writing goes. It was difficult to write a story that is also meant to be read aloud. It was tough starting out the sentences without using He, she or the animal. I Would like some feedback and advice for that. Some research had gone into story telling, but I knew I just had to start writing.
I used the same sentence at the start of many paragraphs several times to convey a storytellers voice. I thought it would read aloud better when there is some consistency but I am willing to take advice on how to work that better.

Thank you.
MM

Sources

Atıl, Esin. Kalila Wa Dimna: Fables From a Fourteenth-century Arabic Manuscript. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981

Charles Parrott. “On Telling Tales and The Art of Storytelling.” Storytelling, Self, Society, vol. 10, no. 2, 2014, pp. 258–262. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.13110/storselfsoci.10.2.0258.

Lunde, Paul. Kalila wa Dimna. Muslim Heritage.http://muslimheritage.com/article/kalila-wa-dimna

Hello my name is Maxwell McEachern 

That is me, on the left.  I have a bit of a tradition. Every time I am able to hike to the peak of a mountain or hill, I take a photo of myself with the Canadian flag. I guess I saw others doing the same thing on summits like Everest and K2 and decided, what the hell.

I am proud to be Canadian and always have been. Growing up watching Canada compete on the world stage in international hockey events or the olympics might have grown that pride in me. Where I was born seemed to be a strong identifier or gave me a sense of identity.

Even though I will still hold up the Canadian flag, adorn a patch my backpack, or cry into my team Canada jersey as the junior team loses with 40 seconds left, I have taken a step back. Stepping away from a blind sense of national pride to really wonder what Canada really is.

In the photo above, I am with clients of mine as we end our canoe trip down the Horton River. The Horton River lies within the arctic circle in the Northwest Territories and it is a place I have been lucky enough to travel to the past four summers. Northern Canada seems like a completely different place than it’s southern counterpart and It has led me to confront the idea that Canada is a perfect place. I have been able to meet and work with Indigenous people who have shed some light on what their idea of “Canada” is. The northern part of Canada faces misconceptions just as much if not more than southern indigenous people

Many Canadians are unaware of the issues and racism faced by indigenous people and there are a lot of misconceptions about taxes, sexual violence, reserves and residential school.

As we move forward as citizens of this country we must really try to understand and create awareness for indigenous voices and issues. I look forward to the next few months working and reading through the blog posts while cultivating good discussion.

MM

Sources

Barker, Joanne. “Gender, Sovereignty, Rights: Native Women’s Activism against Social Inequality and Violence in Canada.” American Quarterly, vol. 60, no. 2, 2008, pp. 259–266. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40068533.

McIntyre, Sheila. “The Supreme Court of Canada’s Betrayal of Residential School Survivors: Ignorance Is No Excuse.” Sexual Assault in Canada: Law, Legal Practice and Women’s Activism, edited by Elizabeth A Sheehy, University of Ottawa Press, OTTAWA, 2012, pp. 151–172. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jcb92.11.

Nair, Roshini “‘Call a spade a spade’: fighting racism depends on honest conversation, expert says.” CBC News. February 9th 2017.  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/call-a-spade-a-spade-fighting-racism-depends-on-honest-conversation-expert-says-1.3971977