Representation and Language of Place in Indigenous Literature
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The Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education Common Ground: Representation and Language of Place in Indigenous Literature Sámi and Māori Articulations from a Comparative and Trans-Indigenous Perspective, in Trekways of the Wind by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, and Where the Rēkohu Bone Sings by Tina Makereti Jean Kavanagh Master’s of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies UiT The Arctic University of Norway May 2018 The Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education Common Ground: Representation and Language of Place in Indigenous Literature Sámi and Māori Articulations from a Comparative and Trans-Indigenous Perspective, in Trekways of the Wind by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, and Where the Rēkohu Bone Sings by Tina Makereti A thesis submitted by Jean Kavanagh Master’s of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies UiT The Arctic University of Norway May 2018 Supervised by: Associate Professor Ruben Moi Department of Language and Literature, UiT Tromsø i Cover art by Eva Cherie Owenga Road, Chatham Island, NZ www.evacherieartz.com ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my family first, for their continued love and support, and my friends in Tromsø, Oslo, Ireland and elsewhere. My gratitude also goes to everyone at the Sámi Centre, and our fantastic teachers in the Indigenous Studies programme, particularly Torjer Olsen, Else Grete Broderstad, and Ellen Marie Jensen for your advice and encouragement throughout; and Rachel Issa Djesa for answering all our queries with your trademark serenity. To my supervisor, Ruben Moi, for all your support, and being able to achieve the perfect balance between praise and criticism, which is no mean feat in this prolonged process; and to Torhild Skillingstad in the Writer’s Centre, for the feedback on my work. To my hosts in Wellington, Mark, Sharon and Rory the dog; and to Susan Thorpe and everyone at the Kōpinga Marae on Rēkohu, especially my fellow guest Te Karohirohi Kira, who taught me so much about her culture with enthusiasm and pride. Also, a big thanks to Tina Makereti for taking the time to meet with me and grant me an informative interview. To the Panic Monster, who saw us through many a dark, procrastinatory hour in the reading rooms. Most of all, I wish to thank my fellow students, Matthew, Liz, Fran, Tuula, Niko, Áslat, Eli, Michael, Catherine, Saara and Kristin, who have taken this journey with me. I am honoured to be counted among such talented and intelligent souls, and I can’t imagine sharing this experience with any other group of people. iii iv Abstract The topic of this thesis is the representation and articulation of the concept of place within Indigenous literature. A comparative analysis, exploring different Indigenous worldviews, can lend an insight into the relationship of Indigenous peoples to their land, while retaining specific and distinct aspects of the localized experience. The very definition of Indigenous peoples is tied to an association with place; this connection not merely a physical occupation of a territory, but an ongoing conversation that includes relationship to ancestors, flora, fauna, topographical features, and cosmology. Literature allows the expression of the intangible, through the medium of language, which can articulate a sense of place. This concept is examined through the novel approach of comparing two Indigenous literary works from different parts of the world: Where the Rēkohu Bone Sings, a novel by Māori author Tina Makereti; and Nils-Aslak Valkeapää’s book of Sámi poetry, Trekways of the Wind. The analysis examines how Indigenous concepts of place are represented within these works, with language as a platform to articulate place through naming, translation and story. Finally, the juxtaposition of selected passages from the chosen literature, through Chadwick Allen’s trans-Indigenous methodology, gives a deeper insight into how literature can create a sense of place, from an Indigenous-to-Indigenous perspective. Keywords: Place, Indigenous, literature, Sámi, Māori, Moriori, trans-Indigenous, Valkeapää, Makereti v vi Table of Contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Making Connections .................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Topic ..................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Research Questions and Objectives ............................................................................. 3 1.4 Data .............................................................................................................................. 4 1.4.1 Poetry: Trekways of the Wind ............................................................................... 4 1.4.2 Fiction: Where the Rēkohu Bone Sings ................................................................ 4 1.4.3 Interview ............................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Relevance ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.6 The Position of the Researcher and Ethical Research ................................................. 6 1.7 Thesis Overview .......................................................................................................... 8 2 Background and Context ................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Core Texts and Other Literature .................................................................................. 9 2.2.1 Trekways of the Wind by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää .................................................. 9 2.2.2 Where The Rēkohu Bone Sings by Tina Makereti .............................................. 11 2.2.3 Other Texts ......................................................................................................... 13 2.3 Indigenous Worldviews ............................................................................................. 13 2.4 Notes on the Text ....................................................................................................... 15 3 Theory, Methodology, and Academic Works .............................................................. 16 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 16 vii 3.2 Geography’s Place Theory and Other Disciplines .................................................... 16 3.3 Postcolonialism .......................................................................................................... 18 3.4 Indigenous Methodologies ........................................................................................ 20 3.5 Chadwick Allen’s Trans-Indigenous ......................................................................... 23 4 Analysis I: The Representation of Place ...................................................................... 25 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 25 4.2 Titles .......................................................................................................................... 26 4.3 Characters .................................................................................................................. 29 4.4 Places ......................................................................................................................... 33 4.4.1 Resonant Places .................................................................................................. 33 4.4.2 The Book As Place ............................................................................................. 34 4.5 Discussion .................................................................................................................. 35 5 Analysis II:The Language of Place: Naming and Story ............................................. 38 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 38 5.2 Language ................................................................................................................... 39 5.2.1 Language and Colonization ................................................................................ 41 5.2.2 Language and Revitalization .............................................................................. 41 5.2.3 Language and Landscape ................................................................................... 43 5.3 Naming and Placenames ............................................................................................ 46 5.3.1 Naming ............................................................................................................... 46 5.3.2 Placenames ......................................................................................................... 48 5.3.3 The Politics of Naming Places ........................................................................... 50 5.3.4 Translation .......................................................................................................... 53 viii 5.4 Story and Place .........................................................................................................