What can be said/delineated about authenticity or cultural voice when it comes to indigenous communities? What exactly is it about the folktale especially, when expressed with that authentic voice, that seems to makes that genre more palpable? We can see this example in the book Trickster: an acknowledgement, specificity, and background story seem to be necessary to first dislodge/rescue the stories from the hegemonic imagination. And we can perhaps add the role and uses of the animal in indigenous and western cultures. Humans become part of the landscape as oppose to the driving force and sometimes are a tool for the story of the animal. Also, what does it mean to say “other-than-human” vs. “non-human” when examining kinship?
Hi Jaïra,
So happy to see the extremely central question of authenticity and cultural voice in reference to Trickster…totally agree with you that “acknowledgement, specificity, and background story seem to be necessary to first dislodge/rescue the stories from the hegemonic imagination.” It’s also fascinating to me that so many people noted the “other-than-human” vs. “non-human dichotomy,” which means we obviously should get to the bottom of that tonight! CH
Harde quotes Penelope Kelsey who argues that “Native knowledges are legitimate,” and suggests that “Native American epistemologies and worldviews might be used for the purposes of reading Native texts in culturally appropriate ways”.
Given that Native American cultures are predominantly oral cultures, what might be the appropriate genres of communicating their epistemologies in “culturally appropriate ways”?
What are the limitations and affordances of the comic genre (thinking of Trickster, here) in communicating Native American ways of being/ knowing? Could a “lesser” genre such as the comic, perhaps contribute to the delegitimization of Native American knowledge? (I personally do not subscribe to this and I look forward to talking about it more in class).
Hi Ruwanthi,
What a great question about the limitations and affordances of the comic book/ graphic novel genre! I can’t wait to talk that through this evening! CH