Seite 303 [303]
OCR
INDIGENOUS HUMOR AND TRANSCULTURAL IDENTITY SHIFTS AND MIX-UPS... clear reference to the Chinese fortune cookies, which, in this case, is a "special kind of bannock,” an idea that Amos has acquired in a Chinese restaurant. These he fries with “little philosophical Indian sayings in the middle,” basically a replica of the Chinese fortune cookies.” Therefore, the fish, the cheeseburger, the corn soup and the fortune cookies are certainly not native originalities, but a resourceful marketing catch that aims at linking aboriginal heritage with non-native popular consumer food. The inventive wordplays offer a taste of foreignness, an exotic color to otherwise boring clichés. The particularities portrayed within these two plays offer an insight into the transcultural changes that have thoroughly suffused and continue to influence the English language in Canada. The differences and distinctness of Aboriginal culture and white European culture seem to have become less, however, the plays imply a tendency of Native culture to favor a somewhat backward movement toward heritage and authentic traditions and rituals. The popularity of Native theater suggests that the most appropriate forms of Native storytelling and comedy as an inherent feature is best played out on the stage. And Drew Hayden Taylor’s plays, as presented above, aided by the blues theme emphasize the lighthearted nature of these works. Humor is the cover theme that carries transcultural peculiarities that highlight sociohistorical issues which are acutely present in the lives of Canadians and the Aboriginal Peoples. NATIVE EXPERIMENTS WITHIN THE GOTHIC GENRE Drew Hayden Taylor’s plays are widely known for their comic framework; however, he has also written works that specifically address the youth. These carry a serious tone with additional irony and sarcasm, and raise questions that examine the identity, heritage and cultural values of the Aboriginal youth. In the previous section, two of Taylor’s light and carefree comedies were examined which function efficiently within the blues genre. Obviously, serious drama requires a different approach, one that can link the scope of time (past, present and future), and tell a story, because “stories are memories that must be shared with the Universe.”5° In the following, two youth dramas will be examined, Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock and Education is our Right. The common ground of both works is the Gothic genre, which Taylor closely associates with Charles Dickens’ famous short story, A Christmas Carol (1843). In terms of its historical development, the Gothic was very popular in the mid-eighteenth century England, which was initiated by Horace Walpole’s immensely successful Castle of Otranto 4 Ibid., 35. 50 Drew Hayden Taylor, Two One-Act Plays, Calgary, Fifth House Publishers, 1990, 6. e 301"
