Sarah Sinclair: English 385.2

I am reading this book for two classes: this class, and my INDG 201 class. I think it acts as a great primer for someone who has no idea of what indigenous peoples are, but it has not sparked any great lines of inquiry for me.  There is one exception to this, though, because of the ethnocentrism and generalizations in this book, I have been wondering if I am careful enough when I read.

This book keeps making huge sweeping statements of the sort I was warned against if my first year. I am simply amazed that the author got away with this. The author seems to think that every indigenous group belongs to the same worldview, or perhaps she just didn’t have enough room to write properly. Anyway, here is an example of a generalization from this book: “Music is the food of life for indigenous communities…[music] often accompanies story telling, as elders gather round the fire with the younger generation after the day’s labour is done” (Hughes, 108).  From this statement am I meant to understand that every indigenous group lives in this fashion? That they all, all of them gather round the fire after working to listen to songs and stories from the elders?

I will balance this criticism by saying that the author does use many specific examples from individual indigenous groups.  These examples, while taken with a grain of salt, were the most informative part of this book for me.

When I read a textbook I am not usually shocked at the ethnocentrism in it. This book, while warning against ‘exoticization’, does just that to indigenous peoples. The book says that “indigenous peoples are not simply victims”, but also paints indigenous peoples as environmental guardians, keepers of a great spiritual wisdom that would benefit humanity if only we were to stop oppressing them (Hughes, 82). I get the feeling that the author is some kind of new traditionalist, someone who idealizes and romanticizes indigenous traditions and believes that if indigenous peoples had never come in contact with white folks, they would be living in perfect peace and harmony with nature and themselves.

I would recommend this book for someone who wants the basics about indigenous life, but not for someone who cannot read critically. The reader of this book must be careful not to be swept away in the strong current of ethnocentrism running through it, nor be taken in by the constant generalizations.