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English/Indigenous Learning 2702YA: Literature of Canada’s First Nations

Course Location: RB 3046 Class Times: Wednesdays and Fridays 8:30am-10am Prerequisites: 1FCE in English (including at least one of English 1111 or English 1112) or 1FCE in Indigenous Learning

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 1

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION ...................................................................................................1

COURSE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................1

LEARNER OUTCOMES ..............................................................................................................2

COURSE RESOURCES ..............................................................................................................2

Required Course Texts ..................................................................................................................... 2

Course Website .................................................................................................................................. 2

COURSE SCHEDULE .................................................................................................................3

ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION .........................................................................................5

Assignment Policies ........................................................................................................................... 5

General Instructions for Written Assignments: .............................................................................. 6

Optional Rewrite of One Essay ........................................................................................................ 6

Assignment on Theory and Oral Texts ........................................................................................... 7

Assignment on Drama and Film ....................................................................................................... 7

Poetry Quiz .......................................................................................................................................... 8

Assignment on Fiction ....................................................................................................................... 9

Seminar ................................................................................................................................................ 9

Final Exam......................................................................................................................................... 11

Class Participation ........................................................................................................................... 11

Marking Standards ........................................................................................................................... 11

COLLABORATION/PLAGIARISM RULES ................................................................................... 11

UNIVERSITY POLICIES ............................................................................................................ 12

THOMAS KING’S FOUR WAYS OF LOOKING AT FIRST NATIONS LITERATURE: .......... 13

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. Judith Leggatt

Office: Ryan Building 3041

Office Hours: Wednesdays and Fridays 10-11am, or by appointment.

email: jleggatt@lakeheadu.ca

Office Phone: 343-8286

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course, we will study First Nations literature from both literary and cultural

perspectives. The course is organized according to genre, to help us examine how First

Nations authors adapt forms of English-language literature so that they are more

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appropriate to an Indigenous cultural context. We will also consider how First Nations

literature reflects and shapes the world, incorporating aspects of philosophy, history,

religion and environmental science; how it operates as a teaching tool; and how it

addresses both Native and newcomer audiences.

LEARNER OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

read Indigenous texts of all kinds critically, and assess their rhetorical, ideological and aesthetic strategies.

write well (grammatically correct, clear, effective prose).

communicate ideas effectively and coherently, both orally and in writing.

identify the conventions of literary genres, and identify ways in which individual Indigenous texts work within, or expand, those genres.

analyse specific literary devices and explain how those devices contribute to the meaning of a literary text.

explain the role of literature in articulating and creating understandings of Indigenous culture and identity.

explain how Indigenous texts are produced by, and produce, their historical and cultural contexts.

adapt the tools of literary analysis to Indigenous-based inquiry.

identify and assess the social, environmental and other ethical themes presented in texts.

contribute to and lead class discussion effectively.

COURSE RESOURCES

Required Course Texts

Moses, Daniel David, Terry Goldie, and Armand Garnet Ruffo, eds. An Anthology of

Canadian Native Literature in English. Fourth Edition. Toronto: Oxford UP, 2013.

Campbell, Maria. Stories Of The Road Allowance People: The Revised Ed.

Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2010

Taylor, Drew Hayden. alterNatives. Burnaby, BC: Talonbooks, 2000.

Angilirq, Paul Apak, writer, and Zacharias Kanuk, dir., Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.

Isuma, 2001. Available for download and streaming:

Wagamese, Richard. Keeper 'N Me. Toronto: Doubleday, 1994.

Course Website

There is a Desire2Learn site for the course, on which you will find course resources such as an ecopy of this outline, and links to useful web sources.

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COURSE SCHEDULE

You should have the readings complete for the first day that the text will be discussed

in class.

Introduction and Ways of Thinking about Native Literature:

September 16: Introduction; Thomas King’s four “Vantage Points” (course outline 12-14)

September 18: Thomas King, “’You’ll Never Believe What Happened’ is Always a Great

Way to Start.” (The first part is in the Anthology (208-211); a recording of the

whole lecture is available on the CBC website http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey-

archives/2003/11/07/massey-lectures-2003-the-truth-about-stories-a-native-

narrative/)

September 23: Thomas King, “’You’ll Never Believe What Happened’ is Always a Great

Way to Start.”; Basil Johnston, "Is That All There Is? Tribal Literature" (111-119)

September 25: Basil Johnston, "Is That All There Is? Tribal Literature" (111-119)

September 30: Jeannette C. Armstrong, “The Disempowerment of First North American

Native People and Empowerment Through Their Writing” (256-259)

Oral Texts and Their Representation in Writing

October 2: Traditional Orature of the Southern First Nations (1-5): Thomas King’s

definition of “Tribal Literature” (course outline 12)

October 7: Traditional Songs of the Inuit (5-12)

October 9: Harry Robinson, “Coyote Challenges God” (81-85): Thomas King’s definition

of “Interfusional Literature” (course outline 13)

October 14: Essay writing

October 16: Maria Campbell, Stories of the Road Allowance People, “Introductions and

Forward” (2-7), and “La Beau Sha Shoo” (51-63)

October 21: Maria Campbell, Stories of the Road Allowance People, “Joseph’s Justice”

(92-107)

October 23: Maria Campbell, Stories of the Road Allowance People, “Dah Red-Headed

Fur Buyer” (8-17)

October 28: Maria Campbell, Stories of the Road Allowance People, “Good Dog Bob”

(18-23) and “Dah Song of Dah Crow” (24-33)

October 30: Maria Campbell, Stories of the Road Allowance People, “Jacob” (79-91)

Drama and Film

November 4: Margo Kane, Moonlodge (365-379); Assignment on Theory and Oral

Texts Due

November 6: Margo Kane, Moonlodge (365-379)

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November 11: Margo Kane, Moonlodge (365-379)

November 13: Drew Hayden Taylor, AlterNatives

November 18: Drew Hayden Taylor, AlterNatives

November 20: Drew Hayden Taylor, AlterNatives

November 25: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner

November 27: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner

December 2: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner

December 4: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner Performances / Assignment on Drama

and Film due

Winter Break

Poetry

January 6: Pauline Johnson, “The Cattle Thief” (37-38)

January 8: Pauline Johnson, “Shadow River” (38-39)

January 13: Pauline Johnson, “The Song My Paddle Sings” (40-41)

January 15: Annharte, “Raced out to Write this Up” (184-185)

January 20: Annharte, “Coyote Columbus Café” (186-190)

January 22: Jeannette Armstrong, “History Lesson” (244-46)

January 27: Jeannette Armstrong, “Indian Woman” (247-250) Warning: this can be a

difficult poem emotionally. Re-reading “The Disempowerment of First North

American Native People and Empowerment Through Their Writing” (256ff) might

help to put the disturbing material of the first half of the poem in context.

January 29: Jeannette Armstrong, “Threads of Old Memory” (250-252).

February 3: Close Reading Quiz (Poetry)

February 5: Beth Brant, “A Long Story” (157-162); Last day to drop full year classes

without academic penalty.

Fiction

February 10: Beth Brant, “A Long Story” (157-162); Emma Lee Warrior, “Compatriots”

(175-182)

February 12: Emma Lee Warrior, “Compatriots” (175-182)

Reading Week

February 24: Thomas King, “The One About Coyote Going West” (200-208)

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February 26: Thomas King, “The One About Coyote Going West” (200-208); Ruby

Slipperjack, “Blueberry Days” (399-405)

March 2: Ruby Slipperjack, “Blueberry Days” (399-405); Joseph Boyden, “Legend of

Sugar Girl” (583-589)

March 4: Joseph Boyden, “Legend of Sugar Girl” (583-589); Eden Robinson, “Terminal

Avenue.” (595-600)

March 9: Eden Robinson, “Terminal Avenue.” (595-600)

March 11: Richard Wagamese, Keeper ‘n Me

March 16: Richard Wagamese, Keeper ‘n Me

March 18: Richard Wagamese, Keeper ‘n Me

March 23: Richard Wagamese, Keeper ‘n Me

March 25: Richard Wagamese, Keeper ‘n Me

March 30: Exam review; Assignment on Fiction Due

April 1: No class (Good Friday)

TUESDAY APRIL 5th: Catch-up class if necessary; if the class is not held, the professor

will be available for extra office hours during class time.

ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION

Assignment Due date Value Length

Assignment on Theory and Oral Texts

November 4, 2015 15% 4-6 pages

Assignment on Drama and Film

December 4, 2015 15% 4-6 pages

Poetry Quiz February 3, 2016 10% 80 minutes

Assignment on Fiction March 30, 2016 15% 4-6 pages

Seminar As scheduled 10% 10 minutes for each person

Final Exam As Scheduled 25% 3 hours

Class Participation Throughout Course 10% Throughout Course

Assignment Policies

Interviewing elders or other appropriate sources as part of your research is encouraged, but you MUST get approval for any such interviews through the departmental research ethics committee.

Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments are individual assignments and cannot be completed collaboratively.

Assignments are due by 4:30pm on the dates indicated. If you do not hand in your paper in class, have it date stamped by security and immediately submit it either to the English department office (RB3029), or the instructor’s office (RB3041). Assignments submitted more than 4 hours after they have been date stamped will

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be judged to have been submitted on the date they are received by the instructor, rather than the date they were date stamped.

If you require an extension on an assignment, you must ask for one BEFORE the due date.

Unless you ask for (and receive) an extension, late assignments will be penalized by 2% per day (to a maximum of 20%), and will not be accepted after 4:30pm on Friday April 8, 2016.

There are no extensions on the seminar, the poetry quiz, or the exam.

All assignments must be in MLA format, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, and in 12-point font.

Exceptions to these policies are allowed only with a doctor’s note or other appropriate documentation.

General Instructions for Written Assignments:

For the essay assignments, you must write detailed, well-developed papers on ONE of

the assigned topics. Keep the following in mind as you develop your ideas and write

your essay:

Narrow down the topic so that you are proving a precise, analytic, and interesting thesis.

You must use at least three secondary sources to substantiate your argument, and/or to situate your work within an appropriate cultural context. For creative, visual, and/or performance pieces, you still need to use secondary sources, but will likely do so only in the required self-analysis.

Since this is a literature course, the focus of the paper must be on the stories. Context is important, but show how the context and texts interact (i.e. how the texts help us to understand larger cultural, social, and historical ideas, or how knowing the context helps us to understand the texts, or both).

Since this is a formal assignment, appropriate grammar, spelling, and sentence structure are expected. An explanation of Common Grammatical and Stylistic Problems is available on the course Desire2Learn site.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help at any stage of writing.

Optional Rewrite of One Essay

Due: Two weeks after the assignment is returned to the class

Length: 4-6 pages

Weight: 15%

You have the option or resubmitting one assignment during the course. This option is

there as a safety net for those not used to literary analysis, or those who want to try a

creative option but are unsure of the format. If you choose to hand in a revised paper,

the grade (higher or lower) will replace the grade on your first submission. You will be

expected to address all the substantial comments on the first draft, not just to correct

specifically noted grammatical errors. In other words, the professor won’t do your

editing for you, but will tell you what you need to work on. You also have the option of

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submitting a rewrite on an entirely different topic. You must hand in the marked first

submission when you hand in your revised paper, even if you chose to write on

an entirely different topic. This option is only available to those who have handed

in the assignment on time or within the period of an approved extension.

Assignment on Theory and Oral Texts

Due: November 4, 2015

Length: 4-6 pages

Weight: 15%

Review the general instructions for written assignments on page six of this outline. Write

on one of the following topics:

1. Thomas King’s or Basil Johnston’s use of traditional oral stories in their critical essays.

2. The use of non-standard English in a text by Harry Robinson or Maria Campbell.

3. The collection practices/transcription practices used in any of the oral texts we studied.

4. “Joseph’s Justice” as historical text.

5. Music in “La Beau Sha Shoo.”

6. Humour in any one essay or oral text.

7. Residential school in “Jacob.”

8. The ways in which two of Thomas King, Basil Johnston, and Jeannette Armstrong construct and address a non-Native audience.

9. Respond to one of the oral texts through creative writing. Make sure such creative writing is clearly linked to the course material, and include a 2-4 page self-analysis that explains how your own literature acts as literary analysis. Unrelated creative writing will be returned unmarked.

10. Respond by interpreting a text visually (i.e. drawing pictures, sculpting, creating games, websites or interactive pieces). Make sure the medium for such assignments is appropriate to the message(s) you wish to convey. Include a 2-4 page written explanation of your response, explaining how it works as literary analysis; be sure to talk about your form as well as your content.

11. A topic of your own choosing. You must get approval for the topic before you begin.

Assignment on Drama and Film

Due: December 4, 2015

Length: 4-6 pages

Weight: 15%

Review the general instructions for written assignments on page six of this outline. Write

on one of the following topics:

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1. Female and male power in Moonlodge.

2. Moon imagery in Moonlodge.

3. Food in alterNatives.

4. Angel’s storytelling in alterNatives.

5. Inuit mythology in Atanarjuat.

6. The naked run sequence in Atanarjuat.

7. Performance as interpretation: Block and set your own performance of a scene from one of the two plays we have studied. You may work alone (if you are performing a scene from Moonlodge) or in a group from 2-6 members (if you are performing a scene from alterNatives). Your performance should last roughly 3-5 minutes per member of your group. Each group member must hand in a 2-4 page self-analysis, explaining their decisions in bringing the performance to life, and how those decisions work as interpretation. If you chose this option, you must perform your scene in front of the class on December 4th.

8. Film adaptation as interpretation: film a scene from one of the two plays we have studied. You may work alone or in a group, and divide up acting, directing, filming, sound and editing duties between you. Your film should last roughly 3-5 minutes per member of your group. Each group member must hand in a 2-4 page self-analysis, explaining their role in the production of the film, and how their decisions in that role work as interpretation. If you chose this option, you must screen your film to the class on December 4th, and hand in a digital copy to the professor.

9. Respond to one of the plays or film through creative writing. Make sure such creative writing is clearly linked to the course material, and include a 2-4 page self-analysis that explains how your own literature acts as literary analysis. Unrelated creative writing will be returned unmarked.

10. Respond by interpreting a text visually (i.e. drawing pictures, sculpting, creating games, websites or interactive pieces). Make sure the medium for such assignments is appropriate to the message(s) you wish to convey. Include a 2-4 page written explanation of your response, explaining how it works as literary analysis; be sure to talk about your form as well as your content.

11. A topic of your own choosing. You must get approval for the topic before you begin.

Poetry Quiz

Date: February 3, 2016

Length: 80 minutes

Weight: 10%

This quiz will focus on close reading. You will be given three passages from poems we

have studied. You will have to do a close reading of two of those passages, explaining

in detail how the literary devices used in the passage contribute to the meaning of the

passage, and of the work as a whole. It can be helpful to use the literary terms

available on the Desire2Learn site for the course.

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Assignment on Fiction

Due: March 30, 2016

Length: 4-6 pages

Weight: 15%

Review the general instructions for written assignments on page six of this outline. Write

on one of the following topics:

1. Oral story form in “The One About Coyote Going West” and/or “The Legend of Sugar Girl”

2. Female madness in “A Long Story.”

3. The Sundance in “Compatriots.”

4. Canadian government policy in “The Legend of Sugar Girl” and/or “Terminal Avenue.”

5. Hockey in Keeper ‘n Me.

6. Keeper’s narrative voice in Keeper ‘n Me.

7. Anishinaabe life in “Blueberry Days” and Keeper ‘n Me.

8. Coyote’s big mistake in “The One About Coyote Going West.”

9. Respond to one of the fictional texts through creative writing (writing a poem or short story in response to a work or an issue we have discussed). Make sure such creative writing is clearly linked to the course material, and include a 2-3 page self-analysis that explains how your own literature acts as literary analysis. Unrelated creative writing will be returned unmarked.

10. Respond by interpreting a text visually (i.e. drawing pictures, sculpting, creating games, websites or interactive pieces). Make sure the medium for such assignments is appropriate to the message(s) you wish to convey. Include a 3-4 page written explanation of your response, explaining how it works as literary analysis; be sure to talk about your form as well as your content.

11. A topic of your own choosing. You must get approval for the topic before you begin.

Seminar

Weight: 10%

Length: 10 minutes (solo seminar) or 20 minutes (two-person seminar)

You will give a 10-minute seminar to the class on one of the following topics. The topics

indicated by a * are suitable for expansion, and if you want to work in pairs you can do a

20 minute seminar on one of those topics. Most topics will require some research, and

you must acknowledge your sources, as you would in a paper. Make sure you relate

the historical, cultural or literary information that you find to the text you are discussing.

Do not include biographies of the author or other general information unless you

are connecting that information to your specific seminar topic. Try to balance

providing information to the class with eliciting class discussion. Questions can be

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helpful, but make them ones that open up discussion. If you don't know where to start,

come to see me, and I will give you some ideas. The most important thing to remember

is that your primary audience is the class, rather than the professor. Make sure you are

teaching your classmates, and giving them the information that they need to know about

this specific topic. Note that some dates have multiple seminars. You are only

responsible for the specific topic you sign up for, not for all seminars on a given day. If

you use powerpoint or other forms of visual presentation, you will be required to provide

a copy for inclusion on the class D2L site. At the end of the class in which you present

your seminar, you must hand in your notes for the seminar, which will assist in the

marking process. They will not be marked for grammar, and can be in point form so

long as they are clear. Unless you have a documented medical or other emergency,

you must present your seminar on the assigned day.

October 23: The Fur Trade in “Dah Red-Headed Fur Buyer”

October 28: Masculinity in “Good Dog Bob”

October 30: Orality and writing in “Jacob”*

November 6: Songs in Moonlodge (5 different seminars)

1. Brownie songs: “My Paddle” and “Land of the Silver Birch” 2. “Kawliga” 3. “Running Bear” 4. “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Born to Be Wild” 5. “On the Street Where You Live”

November 18: (3 seminars): 1. Activism in AlterNatives*

2. Science fiction in AlterNatives*

3. Academics in AlterNatives*

November 27: Community filmmaking in Atanarjuat*

January 13: Pauline Johnson’s experience with canoes and paddling

January 15: Colour in “Raced out to Write this Up”

January 20: Coyote in “Coyote Columbus Café”*

January 22: History in “History Lesson”

January 29: Writing in “Threads of Old Memory”*

February 5: (2 seminars): 1. Residential School in “A Long Story”*

2. Two Spirits in “A Long Story”*

February 12: Adolph Hungry Wolf as model for Helmut Walking Eagle in “Compatriots”*

February 24: First Nations Coyote Stories in “The One About Coyote Going West”*

February 26: “Blueberry Days” as associational literature

March 2: Diabetes in “Legend of Sugar Girl”

March 9: Science Fiction in “Terminal Avenue.”*

March 11: (2 seminars): 1. The autobiographical elements of Keeper 'n Me*

2. The sixties scoop in Keeper 'n Me*

March 16: Music in Keeper 'n Me (3 seminars):

1. The Blues in Keeper 'n Me*

2. Drumming in Keeper 'n Me*

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3. Country music in Keeper 'n Me

March 28: The fishing tourists in Keeper ‘n Me.*

March 23: The community radio in Keeper ‘n Me.

March 25: Lazarus in Keeper ‘n Me.

Final Exam

Weight: 25%

Length: 3 hours

Due: During Exam Period

The exam will consist of writing two comparative essays. You will have a choice of five

questions, and will be given a list of 12 possible essay topics in advance. The final

exam must be written at the scheduled time. Do not make arrangements to leave

campus for the year until the exam schedule is posted and you know when your exams

will be.

Class Participation

Weight: 10%

Class participation is a necessary and important part of university courses, in which we

all learn by exchanging ideas and information. Since this course includes seminars, it is

necessary to your classmates’ success that you are ready and willing to contribute in a

relevant manner to the discussions they will be leading. Participation can include

asking questions, answering questions, making suggestions, providing information, and

friendly debates. While disagreement over ideas is encouraged, personal attacks are

unacceptable. Make sure you leave room for your classmates to participate too.

Absences will adversely affect your participation mark. The class participation mark will

be divided into two halves, one for each semester, to allow feedback as the course

progresses.

Marking Standards

All assignments will be marked in accordance with the English Department Marking

Standards.

COLLABORATION/PLAGIARISM RULES

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's words and/or ideas. Not

acknowledging your debt to the ideas of a secondary source, failing to use quotation

marks when you are quoting directly, buying essays from essay banks, copying another

student's work, or working together on an individual assignment, all constitute

plagiarism. Resubmitting material you've submitted to another course is also

academic dishonesty. All plagiarized work (in whole or in part) and other forms of

academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean, who is responsible for judging

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academic misconduct and imposing penalties. The minimum penalty for academic

misconduct is a 0 on the assignment in question. It might also be subject to more

severe academic penalties. See the Code of Student Behaviour.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Students in this course are expected to conform to the Code of Student Behaviour:

Lakehead University provides academic accommodations for students with disabilities in accordance with the terms of the Ontario Human Rights Code. This occurs through a collaborative process that acknowledges a collective obligation to develop an accessible learning environment that both meets the needs of students and preserves the essential academic requirements of the course.

This course outline is available online through the English Department homepage and

the Desire2Learn site for the course.

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THOMAS KING’S FOUR WAYS OF LOOKING AT FIRST NATIONS LITERATURE:

From “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial.” World Literature Written in English 30.2 (1990): 10-

16.

Tribal

Tribal refers to that literature which exists primarily within a tribe or community, literature

that is shared almost exclusively by members of that community, and literature that is

presented and retained in a Native language. It is virtually invisible outside its

community, partly because of the barrier of language and partly because it has little

interest in making itself available to an outside audience. In some cases, tribes—the

Hopi come to mind—take great pains in limiting access to parts of their literature only to

members of their immediate community. (12-13)

Polemical

Polemical refers to that literature either in a Native language or in English, French, etc.

that concerns itself with the clash of Native and non-Native cultures or with the

championing of Native values over non-Native values. Like Beatrice Culleton’s In

Search of April Raintree, Maria Campbell’s Halfbreed, D’Arcy McNickle’s The

Surrounding and Wind from an Enemy Sky, and Harold Adams’ Prison of Grass,

polemical literature chronicles the imposition of non-Native expectations and insistences

(political, social, scientific) on Native communities and the methods of resistance

employed by Native people in order to maintain both their communities and their

cultures. (13)

Interfusional

I’m using interfusional to describe that part of Native literature which is a blending

of oral literature and written literature. While there are contemporary examples that

suggest the nature of interfusional literature [. . .] the only complete example we have of

interfusional literature is Harry Robinson’s Write It On Your Heart.

The stories in Robinson’s collection are told in English and written in English, but

the patterns, metaphors, structures as well as the themes and characters come

primarily from oral literature. More than this, Robinson, within the confines of written

language, is successful in creating an oral voice. He does this in a rather ingenious

way. He develops what we might want to call an oral syntax that defeats readers’

efforts to read the stories silently to themselves, a syntax that encourages readers to

read the stories out loud.

The common complaint that we make of oral literature that has been translated

into English is that we lose the voice of the storyteller, the gestures, the music, and the

interaction between storyteller and audience. But by forcing the reader to read aloud,

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Robinson’s prose, to a large extent, avoids this loss, re-creating at once the storyteller

and the performance. (13)

Associational

Associational literature is the body of literature that has been created, for the

most part, by contemporary Native writers. While no one set of criteria will do to

describe it fully, it possesses a series of attributes that help to give it form.

Associational literature, most often, describes a Native community. While it may

also describe a non-Native community, it avoids centering the story on the non-Native

community or on a conflict between the two cultures, concentrating instead on the daily

activities and intricacies of Native life and organizing the elements of plot along a flat

narrative line that ignores the ubiquitous climaxes and resolutions that are so valued in

non-Native literature. In addition to this flat narrative line, associational literature leans

toward the group rather than the single, isolated character, creating a fiction that de-

values heroes and villians in favour of the members of a community, a fiction which

eschews judgements and conclusions.

For the non-Native reader, this literature provides a limited and particular access

to a Native world, allowing the reader to associate with that world without being

encouraged to feel a part of it. It does not pander to non-Native expectations

concerning the glamour and/or horror of Native life, and it especially avoids those media

phantasms—glitzy ceremonies, yuppie shamanism, diet philosophies (literary tourism

as one critic called them)—that writers such as Carlos Castenada and Lynn Andrews

have conjured up for the current generation of gullible readers.

For the Native reader, associational literature helps to remind us of the

continuing values of our cultures, and it reinforces the notion that, in addition to the

usable past that the concurrence of oral literature and traditional history provide us with,

we also have an active present marked by cultural tenacity and a viable future which

may well organize itself around major revivals of language, philosophy, and spiritualism.

Two of the better examples of associational literature are Basil Johnston’s Indian

School Days, and Ruby Slipperjack’s Honour the Sun. (14)

* * *

these terms are not ‘bags,” into which we can collect and store the whole of Native

literature. They are, more properly, vantage points from which we can see a particular

literary landscape. (12)