5] “To raise the question of ‘authenticity’ is to challenge not only the narrative but also the ‘truth’ behind Salish ways of knowing “(Carlson 59). Explain why this is so according to Carlson, and explain why it is important to recognize this point.

Knowledge brings power. Literacy has brought tremendous amounts of power to modern societies, for it is easier to transmit information with more accuracy.  Jared Diamond has dedicated an entire chapter on the advantages of writing in regards to the progression of a civilization in his novel “Guns, Germs, and Steel”. He states that those who “pride themselves on being civilized have always viewed writing as the sharpest distinction raising them above ‘barbarians’ or ‘savages’” (Diamond 206). He also introduces us to Sequoyah, a Cherokee Indian from the 1820s from what is now Arkansas. Sequoyah observed that “white people” made marks on paper and that they derived great advantage by using those marks. In 1810, Sequoyah designed a written system for the Cherokee language (Diamond 219). This is a great example of idea diffusion. As he was surrounded by alphabets he could not comprehend, he independently reinvented a syllabary (220).  I found this story interesting, because we often hear of the inabilities for Indigenous communities to utilize writing for they are only often displayed in a noble savage sense. The concept of idea diffusion is wonderful and refreshing for the progression of a civilization because of the ideas of another. It was another side to same stories we are often told.

Through Carlson’s work we once again return to the issues and debate regarding  orality and literacy. For the Salish people, literacy was both a foreign and necessary concept. It is a Western tool used to preserve their cultures and traditions against colonial assimilation. (Carlson 43). Carlson points out to the findings of Sally Snyder who states that within the Salish community it is a well respected idea to never tell stories incorrectly. If the story happens to be imperfectly recalled, she states, it is better to not tell it at all because it was “dangerous to omit scenes and to shorten myths”, and a crucial point: “shortening myths would shorten the lives of all listeners” (59).  If we keep this in mind, it would likely be unheard of for a Salish person to purposely change stories with historical significance. For Carlson, raising questions of authenticity would be similar to raising questions against the very character of a community, questions that go against our very understanding of them. The importance of understanding character goes to great lengths whenever we compare and place different ideas in a hierarchical manner.

It is also interesting how often we worry about the mistranslations and doubting authenticity when it comes accounting history in an oral manner. Modern societies tend to place too much trust in the idea that once something has been written down, it will not change. However, there remains a mass of conflicting information that has been written down over the years.  A simple Google search will lead to you many roads of conflicting information. It was important for oral cultures to adapt in order for their children to be able to attain to the New World however it is equally  as important to understand what remains pure in oral societies and they need to be respected as such.

Works Cited

Carlson, Keith Thor. “Orality and Literacy: The ‘Black and White’ of Salish History.” Orality & Literacy: Reflectins Across Disciplines. 43-72. Print.

Diamond, Jared M. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998. Print.

The opening passage that John Lutz writes deeply resonated in my understanding of the all too often miscommunication that exists during first encounters. Both the natives and strangers, as he says, struggled with similar concerns and questions upon first meeting (30). This misunderstanding may persist when we now try to understand and put ourselves in the position of the First Nations people. It must have been a difficult task for two societies who are deeply cultured, ever changing and ambivalent to the core to communicate and reach common grounds. Having only words and sign language to transcend the gap often fails to do justice to real intentions.

“Undoubtedly, what was sent via the performance was imperfectly received by the audience, and the response to the misunderstood message was no doubt also misunderstood in a cycle of confusion” (30)

I believe it is fair to assume that Lutz considers a large percentage of his readers to come from Western or European influence. I also believe it a fair assumption that it is difficult for European’s to sympathize with First Nations but I do not know if I would agree with it being easier for First Nations to understand Europeans. If we go off history, I would say yes because the Western culture has been so consuming and has had the impact of washing away or even blending into other cultures. However at that particular moment, during the first encounter, both parties were in complete dark in regards to the foreign people they would meet

Lutz appears to out the Indigenous people as the ones who are at fault or at the failing end of delivering coherent communication,  making “us” not be able to understand what they are trying to say. Just because something is different from what you are used to does not mean it is any less wrong from what we know. They had a common ground, literally the ground they stood on was what the two sides could attempt to communicate over. However the two people had very different relations to that land and it could result in equal miscommunication. For the Indigenous people they draw their thoughts and feelings from the land. Whereas the Europeans who focused more on how to attain it and how to get around any obstacles that stood in their way. In any sense, once the two groups were able to communicate over a common issue, simultaneously messages were exchanged but they may not have translated in the exact manner either one intended.

Works Cited

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.

I certainly cannot be the only one feeling this way, but I have not ever had the chance to share my personal values and beliefs in an environment that is so open and willing to share and interact! It was s great to see my fellow classmates also open up in regards to what home is to them, and it’s a shame that in a traditional classroom setting I would never get to be this intimate with all of you. Thank you for letting me peek into your minds on a weekly basis and I hope you all are enjoying the process as much as I am.

After reading multiple blog posts a few themes stuck out. The emotions that one associated with home, of security and upbringing stood out to me especially in Danica’s post. The physical environment of the city she grew up in shaped and impacted her memories and concepts of home. Growing up in a smaller town where everyone knows one another seemed to have a lasting effect on the comforts of the entire place. The idea of being known and recognized in ones home is an important factor in the comfort and security it brings with it and I can only begin to imagine how it must have felt to have such a diverse community to call home.

Another theme that stuck out and one that I could definitely relate to was the concept and appreciation of home when one is away as in Sandra’s story.  I think for both of us  it was only by stepping out of our live’s and into the world that we could see what we most deeply cared about and find in a home. It is truly easy to dismiss routine as lifeless when in reality it is our form of comfort and plays an essential role in what is dear to us. But I am also glad to hear on her reflections and how we do have to get ourselves into uncomfortable positions to really appreciate what is familiar and ours. 

Towards the end of her post Lorraine mentioned making home a mindset. Without the needs of a location or conceptions, she could get herself in a tranquil state and have that be her home. Her insight reminded me of the work by Pico Iyer, and his revelations in “The Art of Stillness”.  He states that movement is a wonderful privilege and is much more accessible these days, but for him, and I do agree with him here, it only has a meaning if you have a home to go back to. And home here, is not merely the place you sleep, but the place you stand.

This really appreciated this week’s assignment as it gave us links to be empathetic and value the shared experience we all have even among such a diverse group. This mindset will make it easier as we take a step back and delve our studies into recognizing the values of home and what it had meant and what it now means to the First Nation’s people.

Work’s Cited

“Where Is Home?” Pico Iyer:. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2016.

I just wanted to start off by saying that I initially didn’t have the intention of making this post as intimate as it is, but as the weeks go on I find this cyber space easier to express myself on and to the likes of all you wonderful readers.

Home and houses do not really go hand and hand for me. I moved quite a bit growing up. The idea of home has always been the people I have been with and essentially, it is my two siblings and my mom. This past September was the first time I was away from my family for long duration. Growing up, we did not ever really travel outside the province; I think that for my immigrated mother the initial move was a solidified and meaningful enough experience. Growing up here with heavy Western influence, I had a very romantic idea of travel. Being an avid fantasy reader, I wanted to go on my “quest” – on my solo quest away from home to gain some soulful insight in regards to my presence in life. The opportunity to spend four months in Scotland as well as travel through Europe was something I never imagined myself doing. Very quickly, I had found myself needing to make a home in a new city, with a new culture, and brand new people. It did not turn out to be exactly as I would have imagined. It never did quiet feel like home, just a pass time but I had made it an experience for myself. It was not so much the experiences that formed but the ways in which I responded to them. I was suddenly doing many things I never would have imagined nor had the opportunity to do at “home”. I was playing Varsity rugby among burly Scottish women. I was stargazing and northern lights hunting in the Highlands.  I was chasing lost buses in Florence.  I was having Christmas dinner with a Dutch family in Holland. I was drowning myself and expanding my waistline with chocolates in Belgium. I met new family and was entrusted with an empty flat in London.  I was dancing in the streets of Edinburgh with the city – ringing in the New Year with “Vikings and flames and parades all while I was away from home!  I was doing all this and making so many memories BUT MY GOD how I missed home… I missed my mom because of the blubbering child I will always be.

My mother has an incredibly social and lively presence. She is overtly chatty and will never be lost for words. She has proven herself to being self-sacrificing and has built a financially stable and comfortable life for her three children in a new country, without ever mastering English or depending on anyone else. She has built her “empire” with a sewing machine and for the past two years with a small home business. Our house door is never locked, and does not never have strange women running around in it. My mom’s customers soon become her friends and those strange women always eventually find themselves in our living room having tea and chatting away. It’s a community of women – customers to friends, with hundreds of new faces coming through our doors weekly. I know some people would never openly invite people (my teenage brother hates it) into their house but this is how my home functions. It’s a hustle and bustle and laughter and frustration with my mom at the forefront . And all this was what I was missing.

When I was away, it was not as if I had a sudden realization about how much my family mattered to me because it was always obvious. I did however realize how much of my comfort and my ideas of home were consumed in the presence of my mother. I would make tea in the same fashion as her while I was away, sworn to never drinking it when I was home. I found myself expressing her accomplishments to my flatmates and to the family I met. I turned away from the ideas of marriage and told myself I would be content living with her and giving her company for the remainder of my life because she has sacrificed so much for us (don’t be concerned about a classmate potentially turning into a cat-women-living-with-her-mother type of situation, this is merely a phase). She may never have a Durant Mama style moment, but she truly should. Her presence is my home as corny as it sounds and I will always be grateful for it.

On the other end of the spectrum, while I was away, I suddenly had become content with my own company. I had done all my travels on my own and had spent countless hours, days, and weeks, in my own company and surprisingly never tired of it. I have always been introverted, but a willing to converse and painfully try new things type of introvert, so this too was not a surprising revelation. I am still not quite sure if home can be a feeling, or a satisfied attitude with the position of oneself in the world, but lately it feels that way. I do hope one day, to find myself content anywhere in the world with the knowledge of having support from my family and my never-ending dry and semi witty self commentary and to find myself feeling at ease and at home.

Works Cited

Barron, Tory. “‘The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story’ to Debut Saturday.” N.p., n.d. Web.

Iyer, Pico, and Eydís Einarsd́óttir. The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.