Reading native literature from a traditional indigenous perspective : contemporary novels in a Windigo society

In this thesis I explore three novels by Aboriginal authors, using a perspective that evolves
\nfrom traditional Anishnabe teachings about the ?Windigo" character. In the Introduction, I
\nelaborate upon the reasons why a n interdisciplinary study is necessary for the advancement of
\nAboriginal education.
\nIn Chapter One, ?Literary Colonization," I formulate an Aboriginal literary criticism through
\n?inside? perspectives of Aboriginal social reality and community. I propose that through Aboriginal
\nliterary self-determination which includes youth. Elders, community, and Indigenous traditions and
\nstories, one may find an escape from literary colonization. In Chapter Two, ?The Windigo,? I focus
\non the Windigo not only as a character but also as a metaphor. I use the Windigo to explain
\nhumanity though a traditional Indigenous, multi-layered perspective of human reality.
\nIn Chapter Three, ?Silent Words and the Tradition of Respect,? I study the novel Silent Words
\nby Ruby Slipperjack for its rejection of Windigo domination and its establishment of respect for
\ncommunity. This chapter promotes Aboriginal pedagogy and traditional teachings through a study
\nof the protagonist?s journeys under the guidance of traditional teachers, from whom he learns
\nabout balanced, reciprocal relationships.
\nIn Chapter Four, ?Ravensong and the Them e of Transformation,? I study the novel Ravensong
\nby Lee Maracle in terms of resistance to assimilation and Windigo infection, noting the necessity
\nfor and possibility of transformation. Emphasizing the importance of Indigenous community to
\nIndigenous life and identity, this chapter explicates the protagonist's role as a potential ?bridge?
\nbetween non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal cultures.
\nIn Chapter Five, ?Slash. Assimilation, and Cultural Survival,? I study the novel Slash by
\nJeannette Armstrong as a challenge to Windigo, opposing assimilation and assisting cultural
\nsurvival. The protagonist?s journeys include political activist events as well as an inner exploration
\nwhere he must realize internalized oppression in himself as well as Windigo disease in his
\ncommunity and in the greater Canadian society.
\nIn the conclusion and recommendations, I suggest that the Windigo can be overcome through
\ncreative acts of literature and through informed reading of Indigenous literature from an insider perspective. I also recommend that Indigenous perspectives, such as those expressed in this
\nthesis, be accommodated by literary studies as a whole.

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