From Oral to Written: A Celebration of Indigenous Literature in Canada, 1980-2010

Description

Aboriginal Canadians tell their own stories, about their own people, in their own voice, from their own perspective. If as recently as forty years ago there was no recognizable body of work by Canadian writers, as recently as thirty years ago there was no Native literature in this country. Perhaps a few books had made a dent on the national consciousness: The Unjust Society by Harold Cardinal, Halfbreed by Maria Campbell, and the poetry of Pauline Johnson and even Louis Riel. Now, three decades later, Native people have a literature that paints them in colours that are psychologically complex and sophisticated. They have a literature that validates their existence, that gives them dignity, that tells them that they and their culture, their ideas, their languages, are important if not downright essential to the long-term survival of the planet. Tomson Highway's From Oral to Written is a study of Native literature published in Canada between 1980 and 2010, a catalogue of amazing books that sparked the embers of a dormant voice. In the early 1980s, that voice rose up to overcome the major obstacle Native people have as writers: they are not able to write in their own Native languages, but have to write in the languages of the colonizer, languages that simply cannot capture the magic of Native mythology, the wild insanity of Trickster thinking. From Oral to Written is the story of the Native literary tradition, written - in multiple Aboriginal languages, in French, and in English - by a brave, committed, hard-working, and inspired community of exceptional individuals - from the Haida Nation on Haida Gwaii to the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. Leading Aboriginal author Tomson Highway surveys the first wave of Native writers published in Canada, highlighting the most gifted authors and the best stories they have told, offering non-Native readers access to reconciliation and understanding, and at the same time engendering among Native readers pride in a stellar body of work.

Tomson Highway is a writer from northern Manitoba. His best-known works are the plays The Rez Sisters, Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, Rose, Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout, and The (Post) Mistress, as well as the best-selling novel Kiss of the Fur Queen. He writes in three languages: Cree (his mother tongue), French, and English. As a classically trained pianist (who also writes music), he has studied with some of the finest teachers in Canada, most notably William Aide and Anton Kuerti.

From Oral to Written is a wonderful compendium showcasing the work of Indigenous writers between 1980 and 2010. Tomson Highway faced the daunting challenge of selecting only a certain number of writings from this time period, and what is clear is that the quantity of prolific Indigenous writers has steadily grown and resulted in a rich and vibrant collection of books ranging from fiction and non-fiction to poetry, biographies, and autobiographies. As Tomson points out, these writers have contributed greatly to Canada and most especially to the experience of Indigenous Canadians. Indigenous young people across Canada now have a vast collection of writings in which to see themselves and their histories accurately told. From Oral to Written is a gift for all who are interested in Indigenous authors and the unique experiences of Indigenous people across Canada. - Phil Fontaine / Former three-term National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations We gratefully acknowledge the work of those artists who have come before, and those that continue, building bridges across our cultures through their authentic words. Tomson Highway's readings each demonstrate that, within our stories, we pass along our teachings and we build upon the strength inside each one of us. We are arriving. Back to our lands, back to our stories, back to our truths, unwrapping old words and sharing wisdom. We are coming home. - Terri Mack / Strong Nations What a gift Tomson Highway has given us! He has created this beautifully detailed collection of summaries of works by more than a hundred Indigenous Canadian writers and put them all in one book: From Oral to Written. He focuses on thirty years of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and biography written between 1980 and 2010, and further testifies to the beauty and relevance of Indigenous thinking with back stories perfectly in sync with reconciliation. - Buffy Sainte-Marie By providing a look back at the richness, breadth, and depth of our stories in From Oral to Written, Tomson Highway reminds us all of the sacred gifts carried by Indigenous artists. His review of literature from 1980 to 2010 is a well-researched and important resource for Canadians. Those thirty years were a time of incredible growth within the Indigenous arts community and did pave the way for the multitude of voices heard today. - Nancy Cooper / First Nation Communities Read A rich compilation of Indigenous literature that will be a gift for Canadian school curriculums, also well suited for those Canadians in search of understanding and reconciliation. More importantly this book is what Indigenous people need because, like me, they will discover their lives in the many stories. If I had this as a teenager, I would have understood that I was not alone in the darkness I lived. I would have seen that others found a way out. Bravo, Tomson Highway! - Bev Sellars / Author of They Called Me Number One and Price Paid