Decolonizing Our Minds #1

I chose the title “Decolonizing our Minds” because I believe it to be very important to this course. As students, we need to be aware of the need to decolonize our minds, especially when examining Native American Literature which may not adhere to the general conventions of literature. Hence, we should also be aware that while literature is most often examined from a Euro-centric point of view, it should be examined within its own context. 

For this reason, I especially enjoyed reading Linda Smith’s 25 Indigenous Projects which describes Storytelling (#4), Writing (#11), and Representing (#12) as ways in which cultural survival, self-determination, healing, restoration and social justice are pursued by Indigenous peoples. I found the listing of storytelling (which intersects with both Writing and Representing) as an Indigenous project to be very interesting.  Storytelling is very important since it allows cultural beliefs and values to be passed down from one generation to the next. Furthermore, as Smith states, “The story and the story teller both serve to connect the past with the future, one generation with the other, the land with the people, and the people with the story” (p.145). Thus, I believe storytelling and oral tradition to be a vital part of Native American Literature because it allows for a more accurate depiction and representation of Indigenous people from their own perspective.