Indigenous Alternative to the Mainstream Literature: Representations of Indigeneity in the Works of Canadian Indigenous Authors
Indigenous Alternative to the Mainstream Literature: Representations of Indigeneity in the Works of Canadian Indigenous Authors

Summary/Abstract: The rampant misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in what is termed the Anglosphere appears as a direct consequence of the dominant culture taking aspects of historically subjugated cultures and using them for its own gain (Biron 2016). The culturally inappropriate depictions of Native Americans which are commonly found in the works of Canadian non-Indigenous writers such as W.P. Kinsella and Archibald Stansfeld Belaney create compelling images that endorse stereotypes and encourage harmful cultural opinions. The solution to this problem of cultural appropriation lies in allowing Indigenous Canadian authors to narrate their own stories and shed light on the internalized misconceptions of Indigenous characters in popular literature. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to deconstruct the stereotypical representations of Native American characters found in mainstream media such as “the noble savage”, “the Indian princesses” and “the easy squaw” by referring to the writings of an Indigenous language advocate Janice Acoose and performing a comparative analysis of three short stories by Indigenous Canadian writers Beth Brant (A Long Story), Emma Lee Warrior (Compatriots) and Emily Pauline Johnson (A Red Girl’s Reasoning) in order to offer an alternative way of accurately portraying Indigenous characters in literature.

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