Anth 3510

Indigenous Peoples and Archaeology: From Conflict to Coalition. Anth 3510, Sept - Dec 2005. Dr. Kathryn Denning

1 Remember, if you have had a problem obtaining the King or Hughes books, you may borrow the photocopy outside my office (Vari 2029); please return it intact as soon as possible, and within two hours. n.b. Anthro office area is locked before 8:30 and after 4:30.

3 In our next class, Oct 17: there will be a test (10%) in class on the King and Hughes books. Review notes below.


The Prehistory of Ontario http://adamsheritage.com/pre/preont1.htm	Required: Read the Overview. Recommended: read through the individual time periods.

Peopling North America www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/migrations/	Required: 1. Early Migrations to the Americas (subsections 1.0 Introduction, 1.1 Problems in the Study of Early Migration, 1.2 The Spread of Homo sapiens, 1.3 Inter-Cultural Contacts) Ensure that you read all the material within each subsection, that is, read 1.3a, 1.3b, 1.3c) 2. European Migrations to North America (subsections 2.0 Introduction, 2.1 The Nature of the Diaspora, 2.2 Major Influences on Migration, 2.3 Patterns in Migration and Settlement, 2.4 The Impact of Migration. Ensure that you read all the material within each subsection, that is, read 2.4a, 2.4b, 2.4c, 2.4d) Recommended: The rest of that site -- i.e. the sections on 3,4,5,6,7, or further European, Asian, and African population movements -- is useful background to the history of North America.

Canada’s First Nations www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/firstnations/	Required: all sections. Tip: click on "sitemap" to see an overview of the contents of the site.

* Read selections from Geoffrey York's book, The Dispossessed: Life and Death in Native Canada

Required selections to read: Foreword, Introduction, Chapter 2 (From Lytton to Sabaskong Bay: Fighting for the Schools), Chapter 3 (Inside the Reserves), Chapter 8 (From Manitoba to Massachussetts: The Lost Generation), and Chapter 9 (The New Militancy).

The rest of the book is well worth reading, too, but not required for this course.

There are photocopies of these selections on reserve at the Scott library, and there are also several photocopies available for borrowing outside KD's office, Vari 2029.

In addition, there are eight copies of the book on the shelves in the Scott Library, available for borrowing. There are different editions (different years), but all will be fine for this reading. These are the call numbers: E 78 C2 Y67 1999, E 78 C2 Y67 1992, E 78 C2 Y67 1989

5 Homework for next class, Oct 17, complete this 2% seminar participation exercise. Write a 350-500 word reflection based on the online reading for Oct 17.

Answer any one of these questions, or write on another theme emerging from the readings. How much of this history of Canada and North America did you already know / which parts of this are new to you? Does this information contradict anything you believed, or impressions that you had? What do you think about the processes by which reservations were established, and land treaties were signed? How does this information connect to the patterns outlined by Hughes, or the stories told by King?

If you need to cite or quote material from one of those online sources, use this format:

AHRGUC 199-2001: section 1.1. The Applied History Research Group at the University of Calgary (AHRGUC). Website: Peopling North America: Population Movements and Migration. Section 1: Early Migration to the Americas. Subsection: 1.1: Problems in the Study of Early Migration. SITE URL: www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/migrations/ Date checked: 14 October 2005.

6 In class on Oct 17, I'll distribute the syllabus for the rest of the course, with details of further readings and assignments. Overview: Essentially, these first classes have been an introduction to the general issues of being indigenous today, and to the problematic relationships between the colonizers and the colonized. The next two classes will cover the specifics of the population history of Canada and North America -- who lived here when -- and the contemporary and recent realities of life for Native peoples living within Canada. Following that, we will cover a series of themes concerning Indigenous peoples and archaeology.

- info about the influences of Karl May and Ernest Thompson Seton (and think about their original motivations in writing, and their cultural contexts... remember what King said about May) Seton... a founder of the Boy Scouts... These authors were writing in the early 1900s... what was the attitude towards "the Indian" then? Is it different now?

- views about authenticity - is this 'real'? Is it just playing? Is it respectful?

Stories, some of you say, establish personal identity, and provide a connection to a cultural identity.

Stories affect us personally -- sometimes others see you as a character in a story they already know...

Stories provide the framework through which we understand ourselves, others, and the world. Much of what we know of ourselves, others, and the world is through stories we tell and hear.

Stories form the basis for politics in North America. The versions of history which we have been told are sometimes true, sometimes not, but regardless of whether they’re good stories or bad stories, imaginary or historically accurate, they’re out there, doing their work, influencing people.

Stories are how we learn when we are children – right from wrong, good from bad.

Stories truly are all that we are. All we have is the present moment, plus memories of what went before, plus hopes for the future. And what are past and future but a story? And when we’re gone, either dead or otherwise passed out of someone’s life, then all that remains of us, really, is the stories about us. Words.

In assigning these two books, to be read side by side, I intended you to consider kinds of writing and kinds of knowledge. King’s book is written conversationally, and his points are made through stories. Contrast that to Hughes’ book, which is full of references and tables and subheadings. Whose is more authoritative? Who is the expert? What do most of your textbooks look like? Is something more true just because it’s quantified? Does a table about suicide statistics among Indigenous people mean more than the story of Louis Owens? No. They’re both important forms of knowledge.

In King’s book, there are stories of all scales. Individual, group, all of humanity.

- There are personal stories about life as an indigenous person – often cultural dislocation, economic hardship, racism, stories told by others that tell an individual what they are and can be.

- There are stories which tell us what our collective place is in the world is and how we should behave. (creation stories)

- There are stories of a nation and the people who belong in it. ("the vanishing Indian")

- Then there is the role of Indian 'characters' and the performance of "Indianness"

Write a brief reflection on the two textbooks, King’s The Truth about Stories, and Hughes’ The No-Nonsense Guide to Indigenous Peoples. Pick a theme which is present in both books and discuss it, with reference to both books. Appropriate themes which appear in both books include: Native creation stories, the definition of Native identity, the exhibition of Native people in photographs and museums, laws designed to assimilate Native peoples, the appropriation of Native land, government residential schools for Native children, or Native art, music, and literature. This reflection should be written in a formal academic style, but does not have to be a full-length essay.

Questions: Seven of the following questions will be on the test. You will have to answer five. This means, of course, that you should, at a minimum, prepare answers to any seven of the nine questions below.

Tip: You'll have ten minutes to write each answer. This means that you need to really know your material, and also that you need to distill it carefully. Write your main points first and then fill in the details as you have time.

1. In Chapter 2 of her book, Hughes reviews the processes of colonization, as they affected Indigenous peoples around the world. Summarize these, with examples.

2. Drawing from Chapter 3 of Hughes' book, and elsewhere in that book, briefly summarize the connections that Indigenous peoples have to land.

3. In Chapter 4, Hughes reviews the disadvantages faced by indigenous peoples worldwide today. Summarize these, giving the general topic (e.g. health and disease) and one example per topic.

4. In Chapter 5 of Hughes' book, she outlines several focuses for "fighting back" and gives examples. Summarize those focuses briefly, and give one example for each.

5. From Chapter 7 of Hughes' book -- summarize general Indigenous communities' priorities for their own future and development.

6. Suggest some ways in which the content covered by King and Hughes may connect to archaeology, anthropology, and museums, past and present.

7. The King and Hughes books both discuss 'the images of the Native' as held by non-Native people. Summarize the recurring themes in these characterizations.

8. The King and Hughes books both discuss the problem of defining who is indigenous. Briefly summarize the approaches to defining 'who is indigenous', and indicate the pros and cons of each.

9. The King and Hughes books both discuss instances of Native peoples on display as 'cultural attractions'. Summarize these briefly, with reference to specific examples.