Final Posting
Bruce Hoon (jbh1887@silver.sdsmt.edu)
Fri, 12 Dec 1997 14:41:15 -0700 (MST)
As a general overview, I see "Ceremony" as a historical novel and
I see "Storyteller" as a history book (one that reads more true than the
white history I was taught in grade school). There was a marked
discrepancy between what I was taught in school and what I was taught at
home. My parents assured me that Indians were not ignorant, savage
heathens, and reinforced in me the acceptance of all people.
White history is written by those in power who use the dissemination of
of disinformation to ensure the survival of the bureacracy. Suggested
prejudice, bigotry, and racial stereotyping all become weapons toward this
end of maintaining white privilege and control over society. The
government had to convince Americans that they deserved to have control of
the land more than the Indians. This was done by creating the illusion
that "we" were superior and that Indians were inferior, less than human.
White history gave me no training in seeing my race as the
oppressor or that I was a participant in a damaged culture. A simple
acknowledgement and acceptance that our government is inherently evil is
obvious from the myths and psychological fantasies it produces.
Robert Big Elk provided us with an oral history lesson that should
not be forgotten. It seemed to have arroused some discomfort in Jeffery
as he tried to attribute Robert's anger to some inherent flaw or condition
of Indian people instead of his experience at the missionary school. I
take issue with the idea that prejudice is part of traditional oral
history and would invite Jeffery to accompany me to the rez for some
"sensitizing". It saddens me that Silko's message didn't pierce Jeffery's
thick armor of ethnocentricity, but not everyone has the ability to
embrace change and growth as a survival technique.
This was my first experience at integrating classroom experiences
with E-mail and I found it to be an enlightening process. Being able to
read my classmates' postings added to better class discussions. Kudos,
Dr. Day, on a highly successful study of Silko's masterpieces.
Respectfully,
Bruce Hoon(Chunka)
*******
To Unsubscribe send email to majordomo@majordomo.sdsmt.edu with
unsubscribe silko in the body.
An html format archive of silko is available at:
http://www.sdsmt.edu/listserve/silko/