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Kay, Jonathan. “‘Canada Has Gone Mad’: Indigenous Representation and the Hounding of Angie Abdou.” Quillette, 16 Mar. 2018, quillette.com/2018/01/10/canada-gone-mad-indigenous-representation-hounding-angie-abdou/.

This blog article explores the discourse regarding the controversial Indigenous-focused novel In Case I Go, written by a Canadian White author by the name of Angie Abdou.

Abdou’s case is interesting in the sense that, despite taking several heavy precautions to make sure her novel was approved and accurate to the liking of the Ktunaxa people, she was still scathingly attacked by several Indigenous authors. Much of this criticism included shaming Abdou for vilifying and thus casting the Indigenous community out as being the “other” (Kay 2018). Kay states that, “according to Abdou’s most prominent critic, the best way to tell indigenous stories is through collectively approved celebratory works that advance the community’s cause and image.” However, he likens this to propaganda, which is “never to be confused with true literature.” Indigenous representation in Canadian literature is a slippery slope, and as we have learned throughout this course, storytelling and the merit of the storyteller play a large role in the execution and reception of a story. Thus, it is with no surprise that a White woman’s attempts at telling these stories without truly having the Indigenous lens, scope, and experience would go rather poorly. Abdou’s failure ties into our conference well, as it exemplifies the ever-present accuracy struggle between Colonialists and Indigenous communities to have their stories told.

As Kay ends off in his article, “crude, ignorant stereotypes are just one way to kill a novel, however. As l’affaire Abdou shows, sometimes the cure is just as bad as the disease.”

Works Cited

“’A Long Learning Process’: Author Reflects on Controversy after Writing a Fictional Indigenous Character | CBC Radio.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 13 Apr. 2018, http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/who-gets-to-tell-indigenous-stories-1.4616308/a-long-learning-process-author-reflects-on-controversy-after-writing-a-fictional-indigenous-character-1.4618950.

Kay, Jonathan. “‘Canada Has Gone Mad’: Indigenous Representation and the Hounding of Angie Abdou.” Quillette, 16 Mar. 2018, quillette.com/2018/01/10/canada-gone-mad-indigenous-representation-hounding-angie-abdou/.

Walker Jr., Deward E. “Ktunaxa (Kootenay).” Ktunaxa (Kootenay) | The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2006, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/kootenay.

(Katrina)

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Mackenzie, Sarah. “Performing ‘Indigenous Shakespeare’ in Canada: The Tempest and The Death of a Chief.” Shakespeare and Canada: Remembrance of Ourselves, edited by Irena R. Makaryk and Kathryn Prince, University of Ottawa Press, 2017, pp. 111–125. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1n2tv7r.11.

This article by Sarah Mackenzie highlights the depth beyond the execution of one of William Shakespeare’s plays when they meet Indigenous influence, and subsequently, strong efforts at decolonization.

In Canada, Shakespeare’s name is a household one, with his work having been woven into every Canadian student’s school curriculum. However, Indigenous literature and mediums have not been so lucky, often ignored or briefly grazed upon. With this, Indigenous parties have begun to take mediums that are held as culturally iconic to North America, such as Shakespeare’s plays, and adapted them in order to better fit their own narrative, while still being familiar enough to Westernized audiences. With this, “it is essential that much of [Indigenous] theatre is about colonization” (1) in order to exploit the wrongdoings of Colonialism, as well as to reclaim and rewrite the Indigenous narrative.

The article also discusses the stereotypes behind genders. Although Indigenous people are native to Canada, their tales and ways of living are often taken out of context and conflated with other narratives, or sometimes, simply forgotten. At times, there is also a jarring disjointment between portrayals within the Indigenous community itself. Mackenzie cites Baumander’s production of The Tempest as an example of purposely exploitive Indigenous theatre, which depicts Native women as being “impure and domitable” (Mackenzie citing Stoler 114), and men as dark skinned rapists (114). These blunt depictions act as a slap in the face for audiences, as they are immediately greeted with a very overt idea of the Colonialist perspective. However, some argue that such imagery helps to push forth the Colonial narrative and its misguided stereotypes, rather than correct it.

This source will be helpful to our conference site, as it discusses the reclaiming and retelling of popular North American narratives by the Indigenous community, and is a prime example of what happens when they decide to rewrite these stories into their own in order to form a stronger bond with their country, as well as debunk stereotypes.

Works Cited

Mackenzie, Sarah. “Performing ‘Indigenous Shakespeare’ in Canada: The Tempest and The Death of a Chief.” Shakespeare and Canada: Remembrance of Ourselves, edited by Irena R. Makaryk and Kathryn Prince, University of Ottawa Press, 2017, pp. 111–125. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1n2tv7r.11.

Knutson, Susan. “Reinventing the Bard.” Literary Review of Canada, 2014, reviewcanada.ca/magazine/2014/10/reinventing-the-bard/.

The Death of a Chief, http://www.canadianshakespeares.ca/a_thedeathofachief.cfm.

(Katrina)

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