By: Izzy Cheung, staff writer
We’re all familiar with ‘classic’ literary moguls like Shakespeare and Jane Austen. For those like me who have endured at least a few English classes in so-called Canadian institutions, we’re taught all about the significance of the green light in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925), or the way Edgar Allan Poe characterizes true fear in The Tell-Tale Heart. However, the literature that Canadian education systems tend to spotlight in our classes often puts an emphasis on authors from Europe and other locations instead of those who know the land we live on. An accomplished author in her own right, E. Pauline Johnson (also known by her Mohawk name, Tekahionwake), was the first Indigenous creative writer to enter mainstream European literary circles — but, in all the English courses I’ve taken, I’ve only studied her works once. I’d like to disclose that I am not of Indigenous descent, but would like to bring attention to the injustices committed toward Indigenous communities by settler-colonialism, as well as showcase some brilliant authors.
I would say most students know a shocking amount about authors who resided on the other side of the world, while simultaneously knowing shockingly little about those who have and continue to shepherd these lands. As a settler residing on unceded territory, this article attempts to make a conscious effort to learn more about those who lived here before colonization — who still endure its effects. The stories they share allow us to understand and appreciate the cultural diversity and history embedded in the land that we call home.
While physical books tend to come to mind when thinking of storytelling, Indigenous storytelling began long before the emergence of paperbacks. Storytelling means more than just writing a book and getting it published; sharing tales is an important part of preserving cultures. Indigenous legends such as The Creation of Haida Gwaii have no specific origin point, being passed down orally through generations.
Canada’s forced assimilation beginning in the 19th century caused a decline in practiced languages and traditions, making oral storytelling harder for Indigenous communities. At this time, George Copway (Kahgegagahbowh)’s The life, history, and travels of Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh (1847) and George Henry (Maungwudaus)’s An Account of the Chippewa Indians, who have been travelling among the Whites, in the United States, England, Ireland, Scotland, France and Belgium (1848), significantly contributed in paving the way for other Indigenous authors.
These works were followed shortly after by those of E. Pauline Johnson. Being of Mohawk and European descent, her parents’ marriage was heavily criticized. However, as her father was an interpreter and cultural negotiator between the Mohawk and the government of Canada, they maintained a high social standing. Some of her best-known works are The White Wampum (1895), Canadian Born (1903), Flint and Feather (1912), and Legends of Vancouver (1911).
An influx of Indigenous literature came to fruition after protests against the 1969 White Paper policy. This policy would ensure that any legal documents regarding Indigenous communities could be destroyed, and encouraged their assimilation into the Canadian “state” by enforcing decisions over land and private property as well as eliminating “Indian status.” Markoosie Patsauq’s Harpoon of the Hunter (1970) was released in Inuktitut (an Indigenous language often spoken in the Canadian Arctic) that same year. Patsauq was a residential school survivor who was instrumental in the move to make the federal government apologize for the High Arctic relocations.
Halfbreed (1973) by Maria Campbell, and Thrasher . . . Skid Row Eskimo (1976) by Anthony Apapark Thrasher both depict personal experiences with colonization. Halfbreed dives into topics like poverty, racism, and addiction — it details her experiences enduring all of these at the age of 33. Thrasher . . . Skid Row Eskimo is narrated by a voice writing from a Calgary jail while awaiting trial for murder.
One of the first Indigenous works published in Canada, Bobbi Lee: Indian Rebel (1975, 1990), was written by Lee Maracle. This autobiographical novel, Maracle’s first book, discusses oppression and political consciousness during the ‘60s and ‘70s. She also writes about womanhood, culture, tradition, spirituality, and political authority in I Am Woman: A Native Perspective on Sociology and Feminism (1996). Her novel, Ravensong (1993), also touches on femininity and the feminine body as a symbol for cultural boundaries between colonizers and the colonized.
The year 1989 saw the establishment of the En’owkin School of International Writing, founded in part by Jeannette Armstrong. This was the first program operated by and for Indigenous communities, allowing for post secondary credit accumulation through creative writing. Four years prior, Armstrong published her novel, Slash (1985). This book comments on the divides between Indigenous peoples and the Americas through a man’s journey across Canada and the United States in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Despite being born in California, much of Thomas King’s work was written in Canada. Medicine River (1989), his first book, was runner-up for the 1991 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Another novel of his — Green Grass, Running Water (1993) — was the first book written by an Indigenous author to be nominated for the Governor General’s Award in Fiction. King was also the first person of Indigenous descent to deliver a CBC Massey Lecture.
Richard Wagamese, an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) novelist, journalist, mentor, and multi-award winner, began his writing career as a reporter with The New Breed, an Indigenous newspaper in Regina. He published his first novel, The Keeper’n Me, in 1994, which won him the Writer’s Guild of Alberta award for best novel. One of his most popular novels, Indian Horse (2012), tells the story of a gifted hockey player and residential school survivor.
In 2000, Eden Robinson’s Monkey Beach was nominated for the Governor General’s Award as well as The Giller Prize. Monkey Beach follows the story of a young girl who tries to regain her footing and reconnect with her Haisla culture after various tragedies impact her life. Robinson’s writing repertoire also includes Blood Sports (2006), a suspenseful horror novel, and Son of a Trickster (2017), the first book in a trilogy that weaves together current affairs, Indigenous culture, and the impact of colonialism.
Indigenous stories have a rich history that extends past the confines of this short article. There is so much more to the world than what is described in our textbooks and on the internet. It’s likely that there are legends still being told to this day — ones that have been preserved through oral storytelling rather than paper and ink. I’ve recapped a few Indigenous authors, but there are still so many more who deserve to have their works celebrated.
If you’re looking to study more Indigenous literature, check out the following courses offered by SFU: ENGL 202 (The Environmental Imagination), ENGL 209 (Race, Borders, Empire), ENGL 355 (Canadian Literatures), ENGL 360 (Popular Writing by Indigenous Authors), ENGL 431W (Seminar in Indigenous Literatures).
