Aboriginal Literature
Native traditions and history were passed down through the generations using the art of storytelling. Storytelling was not only useful for Natives in this way but became a part of the tradition and history they passed down to their children. Unlike Euro-Canadian people, Aboriginal people did not put their oral traditions into writing but have increasingly begun to do so in the present day. This may keep these traditions from dying out as many already have, but this may also destroy the showmanship and meaning of Aboriginal storytelling. This is one of the most important critical debates pertaining to Native literature; is the written word destroying the effect of Native oral tradition or is it saving it? This essay will show that translating and converting Native oral stories to text may keep them alive longer than those who tell them, but the written word will never capture the full effect of Native oral storytelling. In the past, Native people did not document their history or traditions on paper. When the Europeans came, their traditions were disregarded because of this fact. This, and the fact that oral traditions were easily lost with the death of a particular culture or language, is the reason why Natives have lost
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Southern Nations, Unlike Euro-Canadian, Canadian Literature, North Country, Claude Mélançon, Scugog Island, John Foley, Narrative Performance, , oral traditions, native literature, native oral, White Dog, traditional orature, native traditions, native stories, text versions, effect native oral, effect native, story text, intended native, text versions native,
Approximate Word count = 1345
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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