In response to Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice Chapter 3:
[The] reading of Why Indigenous Literature Matters started with the question how to be a good ancestor. While reading through it I thought about the question a lot. What makes a good ancestor? I think that point that the author was trying to make was that a good ancestor is someone who worked to produce a better future for the next generation. And a responsibility for that generation to carry on that work with writing. Using stories to change people perception of what indigenous literature is.
The author wrote about why he chooses to write fictional stories rather than writing non-fictional stories and think his answer is wonderful. “the fantastic is an extension of the possible, not the impossible; it opens up and expands the range of options for Indigenous characters (and readers); it challenges our assumptions and expectations of “the real,” thus complicating and undermining the dominate and often domineering functions of the deficit model.” This brings me back to when we discussed in lecture, the Ted Talk about the danger of having a single story. To only have one type of genre of indigenous literature only gives one frame of story. To be able to branch out and discuss other types of characters and other stories. Not just what happened, but the story of what could happen. Different theories and way of looking at things changes someone’s overall perception and that is what is needed for a culture to survive.
In response to Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice Chapter 4:
The theme of this Chapter is speaking the truth. “Truth has been largely dropped from the discussion, at least on the part of settler Canada- not surprisingly, given this country’s longstanding commitment to historical amnesia when it comes to Indigenous issues.” (why indigenous Literatures Matter Pg.: 158) “Truth must be told, change is impossible otherwise.” (Pg:160). To tell past mistakes and the struggles that people have gone through is how we learn how to understand the differences between us. At the end of the reading the author says that to learn to live together we must love each other. Love enough to fight for the world and one another. The point that the point that the author was trying to make was that we must first hear their stories. I think you can’t expect to love someone with out hearing what made them who they are.
To not continue telling the truth will cause everyone to forget what happened. Only later to have it happen again. The best way I think about it is like a wound. Leaving it unattended will cause you to bleed out, get infected, or reopen later on. (causes more pain later on) Telling stories acts like tending to the wound making sure its properly cared for and you are able to heal properly.
In response to Ernestine Hayes “Contemporary Creative Writing and Ancient Oral Tradition” and Chip Livingston “Funny, You Don’t Look Like (My Preconceived Ideas of) an Essay” as excerpted in Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers and the introductions of Shapes of Native Nonfiction and New Poets of Native Nations:
These texts bring up an important issue for Indigenous people: Identity and how it belongs to non-Natives. Erdrich in “New Poets Of Native Nations” talks about how she has found little evidence of a “contemporary” anthology to accurately define American Indians. She goes on to say that there are a sparse number of authors that exist in a popular media that truly are Indigenous and represent Indigenous ideas and many more who aren't and only adopt the personal for literary purposes. Ultimately, this takes away the ability for Indians to define themselves, but also to define their future.
I then moved to “Shapes Of Native Nonfiction” and noticed the same theme of stolen identity. In the Introduction, Washuta and Warburton mention Kim Tallbear’s 100-word polyamory essays. This isn’t something you think about when you hear “American Indian writer”. In Ernestine Hayes Contemporary Creative Writing and Ancient Oral Tradition, she mentions how history before europian contact in the US is seen as “prehistory''. This gives the impression that the history of indigenous people by itself does not constitute “real” history as everything significant and worth knowing was after to European contact.
Similarly, in Chip Livingston’s “Funny, You Don’t Look Like (My Preconceived Ideas of) an Essay” talks momentarily about his autonomy in his identity and how he doesn't feel like he can define what it is. He states that when he was in the second grade he “began to understand on some level of hybridization in identity and to project an image of the desired thing…”. Identity for him isn’t only what he is defined as, but is a mold that he feels forced to conform to.
All of these are examples of are effects of settler colonialism. The identity of Indians, being defined by non-Indians and feeling forced to conform to those notions. As for how I relate to the texts, I’m aware that I don’t have to fit the mold of what makes an “Indian”. Especially knowing a lot of these definitions of "Indian" are created by non-Indians. This has helped me more assured in my identity as an Indian.
In response to Tommy Pico's "Nature Poem" and "IRL" as excerpted in New Poets of Native Nations, Trevino L. Brings Plenty's “Red-ish Brown-ish”, and Billy-Ray Belcourt's “AND SO I ANAL DOUCHE WHILE KESHA’S “PRAYING” PLAYS FROM MY IPHONE ON REPEAT” as excerpted in Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers:
These were some of my favorite poems I've read in my life. I really like when authors break the mold of typical writing conventions in drastic and meaningful ways. The authors, Tommy Pico, Trevino L., and Billy-Ray Belcourt avoid subtle, tactful, and organized language and replace it with blunt, crass, and disorganized language. Belcourt's poem "AND SO I ANAL DOUCHE WHILE KESHA'S "PRAYING" PLAYS FROM MY IPHONE ON REPEAT" exemplifies this. The profanity, yelling, and lack of context of the title alone grabbed me and never let go. It takes you on an equally turbulent ride as he bounces around topics, rants about his fetishism of white men and lack of self-worth, and poor coping mechanisms. Somehow it makes you want to keep listening. The poem is raw, filled with emotion, and brashly yet intricately, talks about so many things. It's exactly what a poem should be in a lot of ways.
On a separate note, I really liked that these authors talk about what it feels like to not fit in what is "supposed" to be Indian by external sources. These poems speak to the frustration, anxiety, and angst about what it feels like to see your culture appropriated in casual ways, being stereotyped, literally seeing your culture in a museum and it is told that your culture is dead and in the past. It's a complex feeling and the off-topics, long sentences, and confrontational language gives an explanation of what it feels like. I can't think of how it could be better described through poetry. Some that Tommy Pico In "Nature essay" talks about is feeling that he has to reject feeling a kinship to nature because he has been stereotyped as such. Despite this, he briefly mentions he does think nature is beautiful, before assuming the persona that he doesn't. Similarly and as an example, I've been told that I must be a really good tracker and love nature because of my identity, Tommy's resentment of being stereotypes is so relatable. I love how visceral these poems are. There passionate, personal, and cathartic.
In response to Undivided Interest by Gwen Westerman:
I liked the poem Undivided Interest by Gwen Nell Westerman. The sentence, “This is what is left of my land.” Which is an address broken down to letters and numbers. The way I look at it is that her land has lost meaning. When the author said that Tiyowastewin interest was undivided I thought of it as it was for all people. Rather than being split up and sectioned off for individual people. People are taking ownership of her changing her name for their own interests. The author said, “my interest equals 0.119 acres.” Her people came from the land that she lives on and all she has is 0.119. The land that indigenous people shared together as one has now been divided up to 336 pieces sold to people with varied interests.
In response to A Duck's Tune by Leanne Howe:
The Poem A Duck’s Tune written by Leanne Howe [was] similar to the poem by Gwen Nell Westerman. The theme of the poems seems to be about losing what their ancestor’s home. In A duck’s tune the author said, “Maybe if you would have left us alone, if we put on rubber bills, and rubber feet, quacked instead of complained, swam instead of danced. They referred to the idea of if they changed their culture to something passive maybe then they would be accepted. At the end of the poem they closed with “When you foreigners build you off-world colonies and relocate in outer space this is what we will do, we will dance. Going back to reclaim the land that they celebrated and being able to celebrate without others to stare and look down on them.
These contributions were made by a collection of anonymous students in the class.