Navel gazing Natives
Has the question ever come up in Native society as to the authenticity of the People, and in the arts, in particular? Can there be any such thing as an authentic Native in post modern society?
I believe that there are very few Native, or any aboriginal peoples in North America who are living the traditional, authentic Native lives of the past. There are some aboriginal people who still live by hunting, fishing and gathering as was done long ago; for how much longer is a valid question.
A visitor to the far North will soon realize that the days of the dog sled are going fast. We see skidoos and all-terrain vehicles everywhere. Most communities have witnessed much contact with the “outside world.” Very few families would not have radios and TVs. There are computers in use everywhere. The rapid changes in Native society have borne witness to the fact that the days of an “authentic” Native are either long past or are passing very quickly.
What we see today in the arts among Natives is very much like what we see in all of society. To put it bluntly, around the world where there are TV’s and radios, computers and digital cameras, books and film, where peoples are becoming more literate, we see societies changing and furthermore, changing rapidly.
A few days spent in China by any Westerner who had not visited that country in ten years would be convinced that massive changes are taking place. At the same time, it is clear that in many third world countries changes are taking place rather slowly. We shall continue to see revolutions and insurrections in these countries where there are cadres of educated people who want to see improvements in the lot of their fellow citizens.
But an “authentic” Native person would be hard to find. Now, that does not mean that the oral history and stories of the past should not be transformed into books and into film, into documentaries and into plays. We should and do see Native peoples involved in all of the arts and they can compete with non-Natives but in that process may come off second best. There are Natives who can hold their own in all of the arts and many have either won awards for their participation or will do so in the future. This wonderful trend will continue, as will my blogs, on authenticity.
I believe that there are very few Native, or any aboriginal peoples in North America who are living the traditional, authentic Native lives of the past. There are some aboriginal people who still live by hunting, fishing and gathering as was done long ago; for how much longer is a valid question.
A visitor to the far North will soon realize that the days of the dog sled are going fast. We see skidoos and all-terrain vehicles everywhere. Most communities have witnessed much contact with the “outside world.” Very few families would not have radios and TVs. There are computers in use everywhere. The rapid changes in Native society have borne witness to the fact that the days of an “authentic” Native are either long past or are passing very quickly.
What we see today in the arts among Natives is very much like what we see in all of society. To put it bluntly, around the world where there are TV’s and radios, computers and digital cameras, books and film, where peoples are becoming more literate, we see societies changing and furthermore, changing rapidly.
A few days spent in China by any Westerner who had not visited that country in ten years would be convinced that massive changes are taking place. At the same time, it is clear that in many third world countries changes are taking place rather slowly. We shall continue to see revolutions and insurrections in these countries where there are cadres of educated people who want to see improvements in the lot of their fellow citizens.
But an “authentic” Native person would be hard to find. Now, that does not mean that the oral history and stories of the past should not be transformed into books and into film, into documentaries and into plays. We should and do see Native peoples involved in all of the arts and they can compete with non-Natives but in that process may come off second best. There are Natives who can hold their own in all of the arts and many have either won awards for their participation or will do so in the future. This wonderful trend will continue, as will my blogs, on authenticity.
posted by croweagle at
11:17 PM
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