First Nations Myths and Legends
An important characteristic of myths and folklore is that they are traditionally oral narratives. A commonly held view is that “Indigenous languages and cultures need to be enshrined in the Western written tradition for their own protection” (O’Neill, 2011, p. 3). In spite of the generations of FNMI who have passed down their stories, their oral traditions don’t garner the same respect as the written word. Early writings of First Nations were told by European settlers. We have tried to claim these narratives for our own. “The majority group has felt quite free to adapt, adopt, and otherwise use the Native Peoples’ traditions without even fully understanding them or granting their bearers truly equal status within the society (Carpenter, 1985, p. 350).
Cultural appropriation has been a recurring concern in this course. Claiming the myths and legends of Canada’s FNMI community as our own fails to recognize and respect the purpose of their stories in building their identities. The stories taken and told from a Eurocentric point of view may be unreliable retellings. A central question is whether “individuals of once culture can adequately represent the knowledge, spirituality and experiences of another culture” (O’Neill, 2011, p. 6). For example, Cyrus MacMillan’s “Canadian Wonder Tales” (1918) and “Canadian Fairy Tales”(1922) romanticize First Nations culture and structure the stories to be more familiar to European readers. As such, they lack authenticity.
Themes in First Nations myths include transformation, trickery and/or mischief, and the bestowal of favours on the People by their Creator. (reference). It’s difficult to speak of First Nations mythology as a whole because of the many differences between nations. For example, to the Northwest Coast nations, Raven is the trickster with power to transform his self and others. Raven is responsible for providing the sun, moon, and stars and the salmon in the sea. Glooskap holds the role of creator for the Wabanaki of Eastern Canada. With his great power and size, he is said to have created the Annapolis Valley as well as five islands in the Bay of Fundy (Wikipedia). Nanabozho is the trickster and culture hero of the Anishinaabe tribes. The First Nations also have rich stories explaining natural phenomena, such as why geese fly in a V-formation, and why the loon is spotted. Taken as a whole, these sacred stories show a deep and abiding connection to the earth and all her creatures.
Cultural appropriation has been a recurring concern in this course. Claiming the myths and legends of Canada’s FNMI community as our own fails to recognize and respect the purpose of their stories in building their identities. The stories taken and told from a Eurocentric point of view may be unreliable retellings. A central question is whether “individuals of once culture can adequately represent the knowledge, spirituality and experiences of another culture” (O’Neill, 2011, p. 6). For example, Cyrus MacMillan’s “Canadian Wonder Tales” (1918) and “Canadian Fairy Tales”(1922) romanticize First Nations culture and structure the stories to be more familiar to European readers. As such, they lack authenticity.
Themes in First Nations myths include transformation, trickery and/or mischief, and the bestowal of favours on the People by their Creator. (reference). It’s difficult to speak of First Nations mythology as a whole because of the many differences between nations. For example, to the Northwest Coast nations, Raven is the trickster with power to transform his self and others. Raven is responsible for providing the sun, moon, and stars and the salmon in the sea. Glooskap holds the role of creator for the Wabanaki of Eastern Canada. With his great power and size, he is said to have created the Annapolis Valley as well as five islands in the Bay of Fundy (Wikipedia). Nanabozho is the trickster and culture hero of the Anishinaabe tribes. The First Nations also have rich stories explaining natural phenomena, such as why geese fly in a V-formation, and why the loon is spotted. Taken as a whole, these sacred stories show a deep and abiding connection to the earth and all her creatures.
Myths that are living, that command belief, belong in a special way to their believers. Removal from their cultural context, however well meant, is a delicate and perhaps dangerous project. The danger lies in alienating them from the realm of the sacred, to which they still have a valid claim. (Dooley, 1994, p. 53).
O’Neill (2011) notes that sharing myths between cultures is an act of generosity that promotes understanding, while cautioning that “this is a prospect that can only be fully realized of non-Indigenous adults and children are taught to read in new and different ways” (p. 4). There are more First Nations publishers, and they are taking back their stories. This matters because it is important for picture books to be culturally accurate (O'Neill, 2011). Recent publications of note include Raven Brings the Light, Cloudwalker, and Orca Chief, co-authored by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd. The Blind Boy and the Loon, written and illustrated by Alathea Arnaquq-Baril, is a retelling of an Inuit story. It explains the origin of the narwhal while cautioning against the dangers of revenge. Michael Kusugak’s Hide and Sneak, and A Promise is a Promise, with Robert Munsch, are cautionary Inuit tales traditionally told to keep children from wandering off. Inuit stories utilize monsters to frighten children into staying close to their parents, so that they don’t fall through cracks in the ice or get lost. These stories reflect the reality of the northern Canadian landscape.