The Letter Activity

I really enjoyed our activity today, because I felt like it gave everyone a chance to say what was really on their mind regarding Living Stories of the Cherokee. It wasn't about answering a prompted question, or feeling like we had to give the "right" answer, or an overly intelligent one. It was just about expressing our own thoughts and questions and I really appreciated that. Sometimes, free writing can be cut a little short, understandably, in a class with such a small allotted time. So I figured I would post my letter that I wrote during class, as well as a few things that I didn't have time to include.

Dear Freeman Owle,
I truly believe storytelling to be an art, one that can serve as a unifying force for those telling, and those listening. You, like many other Cherokee storytellers, have the gift of carrying your heritage with you wherever you go, and sharing it in the form of words. I was curious though, knowing that English is your first language, in the importance that you place on storytelling in the Cherokee language. Clearly, the meaning and importance of these stories come across in English as well, but has there ever been a time in your life, that you have wished you spoke a larger portion of the Cherokee language? Do you think that the change of telling the stories primarily in the Cherokee language to English, has changed the stories themselves, or perhaps, bits of the culture as a whole? What kind of things do you do to hold onto the authenticity of the Cherokee culture while storytelling in English?
Another aspect of Cherokee storytelling that really interests me is the fact that the Cherokee stories artful nature is emphasized by being intertwined with other forms of art. Dance, song, medicine, and crafts are only a few of these. What kind of other art forms do you like to include in your storytelling, if any? How important do you think it is to share these other representations of Cherokee culture alongside your storytelling? Thank you so much for your time and sharing your culture with the world!

Sincerely,
Katie Rossignol

Also, here is a video of (and about) Freeman Owle! So cool!

A Summary of Learning

My learning in this class has expanded in ways other than I expected. I knew coming in that I would be gaining valuable historical knowledge; information that I previously wasn't aware of. What I didn't know, was that by participating in this class I would be forced to turn the lens closer in on myself, and discover how these ideals fit into my life. I appreciate the fact that spirituality has been openly discussed, sparked by American Indian ideals. There is something so satisfyingly freeing about being able to speak your mind on commonly over looked topics in society. I've learned that American Indians with the voices to do so: Alexie, Silko, filmmakers, poets, and those simply living like the rest of us, are standing up and speaking out about who they are, who they've been, and who they're always going to be. Isn't that what we're all trying to do?

(I came across this map while searching for Indian inspired info, and I thought it was pretty interesting. I like the fact that any American upon glancing at this photo would probably associate it with some sort patriotic, inherently "American" image in their brain; yet the picture is titled "Tribes of the Indian Nation.")



Ultimately, we have control over what we learn, how we learn it, who teaches it to us, and how we apply that to our lives. The possibilities for us, an "advanced society", to apply abstract ideas such as love, humanity, forgiveness, humility, and modesty are not far from within our reach. But it takes one other idea: cooperation. That means each of us not only educating ourselves about culture and reality, but educating others, too. This class has served for a venue to continue the conversation, one that maybe we don't think about when we're by ourselves. But it is very clear: prejudice and racism are still relevant and real issues in today's society, despite how nice it is to think that we are all understanding and nonjudgmental individuals all of the time. We never stop learning and growing, and it is okay to question what we know and what we may not about our history, heritage and individual identity. But we must also recognize the histories that we all share, in this case, the sharing of land and life. Somewhere we (unfortunately it seems right from the beginning) got off track in our quest to live harmoniously with others, but it is never to late. It's like Leslie Marmon Silko's description of her own Pueblo beliefs, "In this universe, there is no absolute good or absolute bad; there are only balances and harmonies that ebb and flow (Silko p64)."

Leslie Marmon Silko

First I'd like to start off with this video of Leslie Marmon Silko giving a lecture at ASU. It is a bit lengthy but I found it really nice to see her and hear Silko's voice. She really embodies the words printed on the page.

Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit is a really interesting collection of essays by Silko, and I enjoy her almost whimsical tone throughout the book. I enjoy essay collections very much because they have the capacity to relate form and content, or in this case, voice/tone and content, which is exactly what I see Silko doing. Her opening essay, "Interior and Exterior Landscapes: The Pueblo Migration Stories" was a perfect choice to start off the collection. It sets the stage and gives the reader a clear view on what the rest of the book will be about (the introduction helps too), and also gives the reader some clear insight on not only what type of writer Silko is, but also what kind of person and woman she is. Her commentary on the span of an objects life, how it dries up, turns into dust and is eventually returned to the earth, is a concept that I feel most people can relate to. Spirituality can be a topic that people like to argue about, but what is there to argue about that? Coming from a physical standpoint, isn't that exactly how life works? However, Silko takes it one more step and includes every possible object that we as humans can think of. I appreciate her inclusion of all things into her spiritual world, not separating objects into animate and inanimate, but "animate and less animate;" even rocks have life. Her observations of the world that she lives in is extraordinarily astute, and example of this being her discussion of the word landscape. " 'A portion of territory the eye can comprehend in a single view' does not correctly describe the relationship between the human being and his or her surroundings. This assumes the viewer is somehow outside or separate from the territory she or he surveys (Silko p27)." This was a really thought provoking passage for me, and it's these sort of insights that remind the reader that a certain level of self-awareness is important to include in our day to day life. They can help us recognize things that we wouldn't have before, large or small, animate or less animate.