Oldal 92 [92]
OCR
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, disease, 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 Indigenous 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 stereotyping 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 +
