Prompt: Cultural Traditions, Old and New

 

In the Orvil Red Feather section, there's an interesting exchange between Orvil and Loother (Orange 131). Orvil is trying to explain the importance of carrying on Native traditions like singing and dancing so that they are not forgotten. Loother then brings up the point of just creating their own new traditions. Orvil counters with the idea new traditions cannot be as good as historical ones, just like inventing a new food cannot compare with an authentic Indian taco. 

My prompt, then, is why is it important or not important to keep cultural traditions alive? Does maintaining old traditions matter more than forming new ones? How do characters in There There attempt to do both of these things?

Settler Colonialism

Settler colonists never went away, and their impact hasn't either. Orange incorporates many of the negative effects of settler colonialism into the lives and stories of his characters There There.

One of the main components of settler colonialism was the effort to take away Native land. Native people were forcibly removed from their homes, which is a theme that pops up in Orange's novel. For instance, Opal and Jackie have to leave their home to join their mother at the Native occupation of Alcatraz island. The mother, and maybe the girls themselves, are initially excited to go, yet the experience ultimately fails to live up to its promise. This reminded me of the way many Natives were historically promised to be relocated to suitable land, which ended up being almost impossible to farm. 

Another aspect of settler colonialism that is present in There There is the idea of removing the "Indianness" from Native people. Some of the characters question what gives them the right to call themselves Native. Not having grown up with stories about his Native ancestry, Calvin is not sure he can identify as such. Other Native characters move to reclaim their "Indianness", however. Dene carries on his uncle's Native practice of storytelling with modern digital media. Another example is Tony, who is just as at home with the skyscrapers of Oakland as his ancestors once were with the area's natural landmarks.

When settler colonists forced Native people to separate from their tribes and received individual farms, it was an act of anti-collectivism or forced individualization. I don't think I have encountered any There There characters who live on such farms yet, but there are plenty of characters who embody isolation and loneliness. Edwin, who spent most of his days aimlessly scrolling on the internet, comes to mind. 

Finally, settler colonialism is at its core a form of violence. And just as white settlers inflicted undeserved violence on unsuspecting Native people throughout history, I am worried that Octavio and his gang are going to do the same thing to the powwow attendees as the novel continues.

 

Final Project Update

To be honest, my final project is not my biggest academic priority right now because of other midterms and exams. However, I am still working on it bit by bit. This past week, I expanded my source document by locating a more geographically diverse set of texts.

Originally, I found sources based on stories that I had heard of before but hadn't read. However, this week I used my secondary sources to find pieces of literature that I had not heard of before. This was extremely helpful because I had mostly only heard of pieces from Western Canon, and my secondary sources were able to point me to Asian, Caribbean, and Arabian ones. It's important to highlight these texts because my topic, orphans, is interpreted different by societies across the globe.

While I feel like I doing well in terms of my primary sources, my secondary sources could use some work. There are many articles written about orphans in Western literature, but it is harder to find ones about texts from multiple parts of the globe. What I might have to do is find a source on orphanhood each from a different part of the world instead of a few sources that compare many regions.

My final project will be on Neatline, and I am feeling pretty confident about this aspect. I used Neatline for one of my previous Research Excursions, and this forced me to learn to use the tool. Last week's Neatline lesson helped me learn even more techniques, so I am grateful for that.

All in all, I am feeling alright about my final project and look forward to seeing how it turns out!

Microlecture 2 Reflection

When watching Microlecture 2, I was impressed by the variety of ways indigenous communities documented information. I was reminded of the "John Smith" problem from Microlecture 1 and the history of colonizers only seeing what they want to see. When examining early literature, my guess is that historians originally only looked for examples of literature that they wanted to see; ie. literature that looked like prose English writing.

Yet now, more and more people are understanding that the Anglo-Saxon view of literature is not the only way to define it. I agree that indigenous literature is multimedia, as evidenced by the different examples shown in Microlecture 2. After learning about quipus, wampum belts, medicine bundles, and more, I was continuously impressed by the complexity of ideas they showcased. A common saying is that a picture shows a thousand words. I think indigenous pieces of literature must show thousands. They illustrate histories, numerical accounts, messages, beliefs, stories, and more in such an intricate way.

In this way, Microlecture
2 gave me a greater appreciation for indigenous culture. It also affected my reading of There There. The novel constantly plays with the idea of prejudice and misguided sight, which mirrors the white colonizer's misguided perception of indigenous people. There There also builds on the idea of multimedia indigenous storytelling through storytelling mediums like Dene's video and oral tradition about indigenous legends. Finally, I gain a deeper appreciation for There There because I recognize that it is joining a complex and beautiful legacy of indigenous canon. 

Archives and Special Collections Takeaways

 

I really enjoyed my visit to archives and special collections! It was pretty eye-opening to learn about all the different types of binding, formats, and materials that were out there. And even better than simply learning about the various components of book history was the opportunity to physically interact with them. Getting to touch the cuneiform tablet, parchment scroll, and even digital screen helped me better appreciate the way knowledge has been shared throughout history.

Not only did the field trip teach me more about the physical objects that formed books, but also the text within the books themselves. One of the most interesting moments for me was learning about the long "s" that would be put into Enlightenment-era books and beyond to save space. I also enjoyed observing the hand-stamped letters on paper, noting the different intensities with which the ink was applied. The lack of uniformity that came with historic printing presses is something I hadn't really thought about before.

Art is one of my primary interests, and I was intrigued by the way some people saw physical books as a source of art and inspiration. When we toured the vault, my group saw part of a huge collection of mini-books that the original owner adored. And when I was doing the "gallery walk" in the reading room, I saw a book design that was made to be experienced like a work of art, complete with curve pages, laser cut-outs, and magnetic bookends.

That book was created by a book artist, which is one of the elements of book history that I would like to learn more about. I'm interested in learning when book artists first rose in popularity, what they actually do during a typical day of work, and what are some of the most popular book art designs. Another area of book history that I would like to know more about is situations where people use old records for personal reasons. For instance, I learned that some Santa Clara residents used old Jesuit marriage records from the Mission to help them trace lineage. 

Getting to visit the Archives and Special Collections at the library was a great experience for me, and I would definitely recommend to future C&I classes.

The Parallel Births of Hayy and Moses

 

In Hayy Ibn Yaqzān, two separate accounts are provided on Hayy's creation. While Ibn Tufayl goes into great detail about Hayy's genesis from the earth, he acknowledges that Hayy also could have been born from a forbidden marriage and cast into the sea in a box.

This alternative account is remarkably similar to the story of Moses from the Bible. In the Book of Exodus, the Israelite mother casts baby Moses into the Nile because the Pharaoh ordered all baby Israelite boys to be killed. I'm wondering why Ibn Tufayl chose Hayy's creation to mirror that of such an iconic Biblical figure. Perhaps he was trying to help his story connect with a larger Jewish, Christian, or Muslim audience. Maybe he even thought that readers would more easily adopt his philosophical ideas if they could connect them to stories they were already familiar with.

Another possible reason why Ibn Yaqzān may have chosen to allude to Moses' creation story is because of the way it questions power. Moses is supposed to be put to death, but he ends up being cared for by the leader of the group that is doing the killing. Yet Hayy's situation is the opposite: humans typically hunt animals like deer, yet he ends up be raised by one. The first protagonist is loved by his predator, the other loved by his prey.

The comparison between Hayy and Moses may not even have to stop at their births. Moses goes on to receive the 10 Commandments, and is forever associated with these laws. Hayy, on the other hand, grows up completely lawless. If this set up was intentional, I'm not sure what Ibn Yaqzān was trying to say.

It was interesting for me to examine the similarities and differences between Hayy and Moses' birth stories, and I will be sure to look for more Biblical allusions as I continue my reading. 

Intertextuality Project Ideas

To be honest,  "yikes" was my first thought when I read this blog prompt. I feel like it is difficult for me to come up with creative and feasible topic ideas, especially when we have only read half of the planned texts for the class. I'm hoping that by including my initial brainstorm here and by reading my classmates' blogs, I can narrow down research ideas without committing to one just yet.

One of the most interesting parts of Home Fire for me was the concept of destiny and inevitability. I would consider researching texts whose plots are shaped by fate. Not only is this a classic theme throughout history and geographical locations, but it can be applied to multiple genres such as tragedy, romance, myths, and folklore. Another potential topic is orphaned children and how they are perceived by society. Many adventure novels start with orphaned children as a way to drive the characters' grit, need for belonging, and independence. Depending on the culture and time period, orphans can be rejected or pitied by society, and that would be interesting to look into as well.

If I end up choosing Antigone as my home text, both of these research ideas would apply as well. Some additional ones could be texts with widely debated lines (inspired by line 572 in Antigone) or texts whose climax is a verbal debate between the protagonist and antagonist. I may also research texts that questions authority, kingship, and individuals in positions of power. 

I am obviously all over the place with my ideas, but I look forward to narrowing down my options over the next week!