Remember This: Chapter 13

For this synopsis I have chosen to focus on the last chapter.. the final "discussion" in Remember This. Chapter 13 or "A discussion of other things." This text was quite challenging for me to get through as it brought so many aspects of indigenous studies to light.

One thing that I want to bring up before I head into my discussion is of Wilson's research and presentation methods. She goes over them in the beginning of the book but I just want to reiterate the fact that while writing this book she was very conscious of who she was representing and who she was performing the research that she did. The concept of "what good will come out of this?" was always in her mind and all parties of the research.. so herself, Eli Taylor, the elders in the tribe she was discussing.. they all had to discuss the reasons behind the research, how the stories are collected and how the stories are recorded and displayed.

This chapter begins with the notion of the two-spirited people.

As it is described on page 222, the Winkta, of two-spirited people were created by God, of their creator just as he made everyone else. They are in the same category as humans. In RememberThis it is mentioned that two-spirited people appeared biologically male and were either what we would consider "gay" or even hermaphrodites. I watched a few videos on two-spirited people and one video had this description. "They were honoured and revered. They were visionaries, healers, medicine people, caregivers of orphans." As Eli Taylor describes they are "waken", holy, sacred. When they spoke people listened.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMdIZXOXpTQ

She then tells the story of a dakota family who was unable to provide food for themselves.. they needed help so they approached the nearest two-spirited person and it was his responsibility to find and provide food so that the family could survive. To me… it seems that two-spirited people were honoured as an integral part of society. They were not responsible for reproduction or marriage.. they were there to help the success of the tribes. It was only after European contact and the introduction of Christianity that all of a sudden the notion of two-spirit became associated with sinfulness.

In the second half of the chapter Wilson discusses her conversations with Eli and we begin a discussion of language. She compares the Winkta to Berdache, a term that we learnt at the beginning of the class. She notes that A difficulty in defining a term like winkta cross-culturally stems in part, at least, from the insistence in Western culture on linking gender with biological sex. English has no term for this fluidity in gender, only for sex- uality. Interestingly, within the Dakota language there exist no gendered pro- nouns. Thus when referring to a winkta in Dakota, there would be no designa- tion of she or he as there is in English.

At this point I would just like to point out how her research methodologies are coming through in the text when she repeats the definition of Winkta back to Eli and asks if she is correct in her representation.

The next part of the chapter explores the question "What does Dakota mean to you?

Eli says "its not any different, any better than other groups. We are all one people. "But for some reason we have different languages, different ways of life. So therefor I cannot criticize anyone who is not doing things my way, because that is the way they were taught."

What I find very interesting is the in no way does Eli Taylor ever try to push the notion of the Dakota way as the right way He acknowledges that we each have a different way that we have learned and lived the same lessons. This is illustrated in the story of the Mohawk man who is speaking to a group and offering a teaching quite similar to a Dakota teaching. Eli taylor does not believe in the story but believes that that was the way the Mohawk were given to live, just as the Dakota people were given a way to live. A result of residential and boarding schools is that Aboriginals have neglected their responsibility to live the life that they wre given from their ancestors and have adopted a non-indian way of life. At one point they may have senn this as the only way to continue to live in NA because settlers were relentless in taking over their country.

Eli Taylor had one request for the Dakota children and that was to get an education. By educating themselves and gaining access to higher positions they would be able to have more influence in integrating Indigenous stories and ways of life into main stream society. Government policies and funding opportunities however, provide barriers to indigenous people being able to access what we see as a right and not a privilege.

A quote from Wilson says "Furthermore, at this point in time those who really support education are few in number because many still retain the view that a white man’s education means a denial of “Indianness.” Until the reserva- tion communities as a whole embrace education as a means of fighting for Da- kota sovereignty and helping Dakota people, little is likely to change. If more young people and their parents could hear this message of Unkanna’s, per- haps communities could begin to view education as a means of exerting self- determination rather than as a threat to it."

I have a few questions….

Back to the quote from Eli where he says "I cannot criticize anyone who is not doing things my way, because that is not the way they were taught."

Does this have a place in the academy now? Where have you experienced it and do you think it could be applicable?

Do Indigenous studies have a place in our academy? Should it be a separate area of study… as Eli Taylor suggested, to keep Aboriginial children out of the public school system until they have reached grade 12 and can handle the harassment that they might receive.. or shout it be integrated into all disciplines or kept inherently different?

First Nations - First Thoughts

Oral traditions are intrinsic to the intergenerational transmission of indigenous knowledge. The representation of Indigenous knowledge in public education is shaped by Western society and this book seeks to undercover some of these values so that they can be overturned and Indigenous knowledge and methodologies will find a place within our educational institutions.

Part 1

Chapter 1: First Nations Perspectives and Historical Thinking in Canada: Robyn Jarvis Brownlie

Racism exists from one group exerting their dominance over another because of hegemonic assertions of power. Upon European settlement Indigenous tritons were not seen as an alternative lifestyle but outdated and undeveloped. Brownlie discusses the need for early Aboriginal scholars and writer to make alliances with white academics who were sympathetic of the colonial process in order to access an academic audience. The earlier twentieth century saw the emergence of articles fighting against the misrepresentation of Aboriginals in the current literature. It was not until the 1970's that Indigenous literature really took off. This was in part due to more recognition of their place in society with inclusions of Indigenous Studies and Native Studies courses in secondary and post-secondary schools - offering native and non-native peoples a chance to learn the traditions.

Chapter 2:Being Indigenous in the Academy: Creating Space for Indigenous Scholars - Margaret Kovach

Indigenous people have a short history in the academy considering that until 1951 the entrance into post secondary education was giving up your status as a First Nations person. Once located within the academy they are vulnerable as their numbers are low and support to question colonial institution is hard to find. To access education they must enter colonial spaces, a space which may have discriminated against their Aboriginal identity in secondary or elementary school. Kovach outlines four aspects of Indigenaity in the academy as “Mind” – the collection and representation of knowledge; “Body” - the physical presence within adademic spaces; “Heart” - the ability to feel a connection with the indigenous knowledges and traditions being taught; and “Spirit” - the fire within oneself which keeps them motivated and provides guidance when feeling lost.

Part 2

Chapter 3: Respecting First Nations Oral Histories: Copyright Complexities and Archiving Aboriginal Stories: Leslie McCartney

Using the story of Albert Johnson's flee from RCMP across the Northwest and Yukon Territory McCartney illustrates the different forms a narrative can take depending on who reports and records it. The Establish Archival Record accounts for the “Mad Trapper's” adventure throught he Canadian North and includes radio segments, newspaper articles and local notes of the case. The RCMP Versions speak of the “Arctic Circle War” and the way in which RCP persevered through the elements, sticking to their code of conduct and stopping at nothing to get their man. Popular Versions offer differing points of view depending on the cultural and historical elements that locals chose to acknowledge. Throughout all of these ways of presenting and transmitting information we can see how stories can change because of language and cultural differences. Because of the copyright laws Oral Histories are difficult to keep recorded as opposed to literary works.

Remeber This

What I noticed first about Wilsons book is how she introduced her topic and how she made us follow her through the story. I think of myself to be a strong leader and have a hard time following others yet Wilson was so strong with her intentions of Remember This that I had no choice and fell into her story. She clearly situates herself within the indigenous community, she is clear of her intentions, understands her role as a researcher, but not only that, also as a listener and a learner which can be attributed to the role that kin and kinship plays in the Dakota nation.

When I say that she is clear and ambiguous about her intentions - she clearly states these in the first chapter. She identifies who she is, who and what she will be studying and who it will benefit. She is telling the story of Eli Taylor because he wanted to share the story for future generations. She acknowledges this, agrees and then identifies herself as someone who will be able to engage with Eli Taylor and act as a medium for these stories to flow. As she satiates "good minds are useless without good hearts" and I think these are obvious in her the research methods. She suggests that any information on indigenous perspectives that are available should be taken with a grain of salt because they have probably been translated and interpreted by non-indigenous people. Why do you think these would have been altered?

Questions she asked when approaching the reasearch topic..
What are the motivations behind this interest?
How will the information be used, and in what kind of context?
Is enough known about the culture from which the information will be extracted?
Who initiated the topic to be studied, Indigenous people or a scholar interested in a particular aspect of Indigenous history?

I would like to know, because obviously eveyone in here has had experience in the academy.. do you think of these things? Why? Why not? What changed?

She goes on to say that researchers generally attempt to search out stories and provoke responses, memories and motives in order to build their story or case. Just think of a reporter. While this may be perfectly acceptable she suggests that you do not do this with the elders as they know their role within the culture. There role is to tell the stories and yours is to listen. Listen so that you may repeat the story afterwards as it was told to you. Not just the words but the expressions and emotions.. which leads me into the oral history and oral traditions...

Oral history: The stories one generates from their life experiences.

describing the oral tradition as something that is living and ongoing as an individual and communal responsibility. which is reflective as how colonization is the deprivation of experience, Wilson points out how, “not only…personal experiences affect a person’s life, but also how missed experiences equally affect them.” Oral tradition is important than, so that the Dakota people can still pass along messages. Eli Taylor was unable to participate in certain ceremonies but still able to pass down messages and teachings because while they were not party of his oral history, they are imbedded in his oral tradition. While we value the stories of direct personal experience, we also value the stories and teachings that have been passed on and embodied for generations.

Continuing on the notion of missed experiences.. let’s revisit the story of Eli as a young boy playing in the streets. His mother wanted to teach him herself and teach him the traditions and ideals that she had learned growing up. Not truisting the conformist educational system that the province had to offfer. What woudl you do in that situation knowing what you know now.. Would you leave the boy in the care of the mother? Why or why not?

Two-spirit people: Native American gender identity, sexuality, and spirituality By Sue-Ellen Jacobs, Wesley Thomas, Sabine Lang

Key Words:
gender bending, gender blending, gender changing, healer, caregiver, not for reproduction, cultural rules, expected behaviours



Two-spirit is a term which was coined at the third conference for Native American/First Nations Gays and Lesbians in Winnipeg. It came about to replace the term "berdache," a term which was gaining negative connotations and was not representative of the actual Two-Spirit belief. The modern notion of Two-Spirited will include Native American gays and lesbians, those who claim multiple genders, transexuals and transgendered people. Two-Spirit allows Native American's to distance themselves from non-native gays and lesbians.

At one point two-spirited people left the reservations attempting to find those of similar interests. The motivations behind their emigration was to escape negative connotations that came with their gender identity. With rise of HIV and AIDS among the gay communities there was the threat of disease. Two-Sprited people were afraid to be considered to ahve caught the "white gay mans disease." As well, Indigenous communities had been subject to colonization and the introduction of catholicism wherein anything outside of heterosexuality is considered a sin. Traditionally two-spirited people were given the role as helper/healer/caregiver as they were not meant to reproduce.

Two-Spirit People:Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality.

This compilations of articles on Native American's gender identities begins with the definition of berdache and two-spirited peoples. The goal of these papers is to unpack the way in which we define gender identities and how these can change with time and across cultures. Berdache has been used to refer to special gender roles in Native American cultures including gender variance, or the ability to have multiple genders and to change over a lifetime. When expressed publicly, many of these people were ostracized from their reservations but berdache gave them a unique identity and form of strength in numbers. This became problematic after a while and some chose to drop the term in order to distance themselves from the white, gay community synonymous with the AIDS epidemic at that time. Two-spirited became a way for Native Americans to describe themselves as identifying with one or more gender identities.

Throughout the book we are asked to reflect on how we, as a society, have created definitions for individuals identities and feel the right to use these definitions freely despite whether or not we truly understand the meaning, as the example of the Kaska girl in Guy Goulet's article suggested. Another example is of the Navajo people who have their own gender identities and roles that are unique to the Navajo; these are the reasons, among others, that genders can not be exclusive to any type of sexuality and that we must strive to see past our own socially constructed terminology.

Online Book

This is a pretty good collection of articles for anyone who is interested in a little more reading.. it's not 100% complete but many of the articles are all there for you to read!

http://books.google.ca/books?id=8zvd92WUCmEC&pg=PR4&lpg=PR4&dq=Mill,+John+Stuart.+Excerpt+from+The+Subjection+of+Women.+The+Feminist+Papers:+From+Adams+to+de+Beauvoir,&source=bl&ots=270krAzUSz&sig=NgaY1zIn7mLWGyn3fA6lljrt9qI&hl=en&ei=jQmqTPCcDI-osAPz6rmdDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Chapter 3: Your Honors Servants

Aboriginal women played a key role in the Europeans discovery of North America. Their tools and wisdom were unmatched by any settler knowledge and their value was known far and wide. The term "your honours servants" came to describe these women. This term implies that they were slaves - property and resources of the fur traders - however they were valuable partners and were allowed some privileges. The European men had emotional attachments to these women and would go out of their way to care for their safety and well-being, ensuring that they were fed and safe from violent threats.

Aboriginal women had performed many tasks including finding and trapping hares and partridges, which in some instances saved the fur traders from starvation. Not only did the women help travel by canoe, but sat in the back to steer and guide down the rivers. This was stopped by high ranking officers in Europe who saw this as not a role for women and that the men should be more in control. An interesting point was raised in class regarding this: did the men allow the women to sit in the back because they knew how to guide the boat, or did the men stay in front because they thought they were leading the way?

Chapter 4: Women in Between

Because of the aboriginal women's position in society they did not keep record of their existence, therefore the only stories we have are based on the records kept by the European settlers.

The Indian women were instrumental in creating and maintaining relations of the white man and the first nations people that they encountered. In this chapter Van Kirk suggests that the aboriginal women began to see the benefits of marrying into the fur trader society. While they were still involved in many economic tasks such as making moccasins and building snowshoes, they were not burdened with the duties that were involved in the nomadic lifestyle of the first nations. Reports of Indian women pursuing European men were uncovered along with assumptions that the Indian women enjoyed the lifestyles. In some situations they had more privileges and freedoms including tools provided by Europeans which made working with hides much easier, as well as being able to consume better parts of foods which were traditionally reserved for the native males.

Although Indian women were gaining respect and value in the fur traders societies, some moving into higher political roles even, there were certain cultural differences that could not permeate into theEuropean culture. One example of this is the Chinook tradition of head binding. The Europeans found the practice of binding their babies heads to a board in order to flatten it abhorrent and forbade their wives to do this. Instead of having their children grow up with round skulls (a sign of slavery) some women murdered their children. Eventually European dominance was achieved and infanticide ceased.

Remember This!: Dakota Decolonization and the Eli Taylor Stories.

Intro - 3

Angela Cavender Wilson's goal in writing Remember This! is to enlighten us to the stories and histories of the Dakota people that have been lost through the colonization of the Dakota nation and the European collection and recording of the history.

The subject of her book is Eli Taylor, a man adopted as her grandfather. Wilson recognized the importance of oral tradition for the Dakota people and responded when she heard of Eli Taylor's desire to have his stories recorded. Before colonization oral tradition was the way in which Dakota people kept their stories and histories alive. Their God - Dakota - "did not provide us with paper and pens.. We remembered with our minds"

These stories are of particular interest to me because I grew up in Brandon, Manitoba, and attended the high school that students from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation were bussed. While I was not very concerned with the stories of my fellow classmates while I was in high school it is interesting to reflect back on it now. Most of those stories were absent from our education and even Canadian history. To top it off, our athletes were know as the Crocus Plains Plainsmen and were once represented by a fur trader/settler.

Unsettling Settler Societies: Chapter 6

Approxomately 90% of the Mexica population are considered mestizo, a term used to refer to those who were subject

of the racial and cultural miscegenation which began during the Spanish conquest. Until recently, not much attention was

paid to the causes and effects of this process, but instances of campaigns and organizations of Indigenous communities

to reclaim their cultures and lands have sparked new interest.

What differentiates the colonization of Mexico from other "new lands" is that when the Spaniards arrived on shore the

aboriginals had already formed complex communities and cities. Ethnic diversity increased as me Spanish men arrived with

black slaves. After imposing Catholism the Mexican native population began to homogonize and complex religious systems

were eradicated.

The arrival of Spanish women cause the rates of Spanish men marrying assimilated aboriginal women to decline. The

Spanish women were also instruemental in introducing certain fundamental institutions of colonial society ad catholic values.

These white women were usually confined to the household and had the domestic role to organize and maintain a

monogamous family home. Indian and blackwomen were provided as slaves and were treated as subordinates.