Seite 92 [92]
CANADIAN LANDSCAPES/ PAYSAGES CANADIENS
INTRODUCTION
The theme of the 2022 CEACS conference entitled Canadian Landscapes
proposes in its plural form a Canada that is a conglomeration of many varied
perspectives and interpretations. The presenters successfully illustrated that
Canada’s many “Landscapes” expound a vast array of meanings. Accordingly,
one can speak of political, geographical, cultural, and historical landscapes in
general terms; further in-depth analysis allows for a more detailed examination
of specific fields of study, hence for the purpose of this article, we can consider
and examine Indigenous landscapes focusing on the interaction between the
Indigenous peoples of Canada and their sociocultural environment that offers
different mindsets and attitudes.
The past bears its imprint on the present and ultimately paves a path for
the future. Indigenous culture looks back to thousands of years of rich oral
culture. One that is deeply defined by a lingering ancestral heritage that was
cut short by the settler European population through acculturation, forced
relocation and residential schools, and ultimately led to extreme poverty, dis¬
ease, alcoholism, prostitution, drug addiction and suicide. The Indian, as a
stereotype, grew out of this traumatic historical past. The Indian stereotype
has become a fixed label that projects the negative images onto today’s Indig¬
enous peoples.
As a reaction to stereotypical imaging, contemporary Indigenous authors
and artists have published many works that look to their ancestral heritage as
the foundation of their emerging voices. The paper seeks to investigate stereo¬
typing and identity as it focuses on how Indigenous artists use stereotypes in
their literary works and visual artistic representations to make their voices
heard. One of the tools used in Indigenous writings and visual arts is Native
humour, through which stereotyping is effectively contested. Thereby the
literary and artistic forms and the use of Native humour are a central focus of
the present article.
CONTESTING NATIVE STEREOTYPING THROUGH NATIVE HUMOUR
Native humour as a distinct Indigenous feature is the basis of many critical
essays, literary and artistic works, and tools used by stand-up comedians. The
following is just a small segment of works that incorporate Native humour as
a method of contesting stereotyping. One well-known personality both in
Canada and the US is Ojibwe writer, playwright, essayist, and director Drew
Hayden Taylor, who investigates Native humour in his documentary film
Redskins, Tricksters and Puppy Stew (2000); a more recent work he edited, Me
Funny (2006), explores humour, wittiness, and repartee dominant among First
+ 90 +