Indigenous Literary Nationalism

One of the most vibrant--and controversial--approaches in current Indigenous literary studies is a growing movement known as Indigenous literary nationalism. Very simply, Indigenous literary nationalism is a philosophy that places Indigenous intellectual and cultural values at the center of analysis, rather than the margins. It operates with the understanding that Native nations have powerful and sophisticated intellectual foundations, and that these are ideally suited to the study of Indigenous literatures. It's also an avowedly political movement, in that it asserts the active presence of Indigenous values in the study of the literatures of Indian Country, and it sees transformative possibility in studying nation-specific literatures through the critical lenses of their source cultures.

Indigenous literary nationalism--and Indigenous nationhood itself--can generally be distinguished from nation-state nationalism in both its foundations and its aims. Thus, Indigenous literary nationalism is rooted in kinship responsibilities and values difference and diversity, while taking into account their historical and socio-political contexts, rather than being located in the assimilative patriotism and historical amnesia of the nation-state. Though often painted as either an philosophy of exclusion or rejection, Indigenous literary nationalism is neither; rather, it's a response to some of the more dominant critical methods in the field that obsess over hybridity and mixed-blood angst at the expense of the complicated realities of the tribal. It doesn't take fragmentation or cultural confusion as critical givens, nor does it presume that cultural change equals erasure of either cultural distinctiveness or internal coherence. Diversity is a strength of tribal nations, not a deficiency.

Although many Native scholars and thinkers have engaged with these issues to varying degrees, three in particular have been particularly influential in identifying and mapping the contours of Indigenous literary nationalism:

• Craig S. Womack (Muskogee Creek-Cherokee), whose revolutionary Creek literary history, Red on Red: Native American Literary Nationalism (University of Minnesota Press, 1999, explores both the dynamic and empowering possibilities of nation-specific scholarship and the profound responsibilities that come from such an approach;
• Jace Weaver (Cherokee), whose comprehensive study of communitism (community + activism) in Native literature--That the People Might Live: Native American Literatures and Native American Community (Oxford University Press, 1997) --critically engages some of the most vital guiding principles of Indigenous literary expressions and their connection to tribal continuity and survival; and
• Robert Warrior (Osage), whose concept of intellectual sovereignty in Tribal Secrets: Recovering American Indian Intellectual Traditions (University of Minnesota Press, 1995) presents a critical shift away from dominant Eurowestern prescriptions about the deficits of Indigenous intellectualism to a clearer recognition of the deep and sophisticated intellectual roots of the tribal Nations of the Americas.

There is a growing number of scholars (both Native and non-Native) who specifically elaborate on principles of Indigenous literary nationalism in their analyses of tribal literatures, including Lisa Brooks (Abenaki), James Cox, Kristina Fagan (Métis), Malea Powell (Miami), Chris Teuton (Cherokee), and Sean Teuton (Cherokee), along with many others who draw on these principles for their own work. It's a movement that draws from deep reservoirs of knowledge and experience, one that helps to clarify the enriching bonds between the literary expressions of tribal imagination and the optimistic realities of political sovereignty, cultural adaptability, and kinship responsibilities.

At heart, Indigenous literary nationalism centers the study of tribal literatures within the physical and intellectual contexts from which those literatures emerge. In spite of centuries of assimilative and genocidal Eurowestern colonization in the Americas, Native intellectual and artistic traditions have not simply survived--they've flourished. Deep roots hold fast, no matter how strong the wind. Indigenous literary nationalism recognizes that endurance and gives honor to its utility in helping us reorient ourselves to our understandings toward empowering Indigenous principles.

My own work in literary nationalism is very much influenced by the above critical voices, among others. It focuses on Cherokee literature and cultural studies, attending as much as possible to Cherokee values and critical perspectives from a wide range of Cherokee sources, including historians, writers, creative writers, political and ceremonial leaders, social commentators, scholars, community members, family, friends, and mentors. Although I can only speak for myself as an outland Cherokee raised outside of the geographic boundaries of the Nation, I'm hopeful that this work is a meaningful contribution to ongoing conversations among Cherokees (and others) about Cherokee literary traditions and artistic expressions, and their relationships to Cherokee social history and cultural values.

*For further information about Cherokee culture, politics, and concerns--and for links to the official governments of the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians--please see the Roots and Branches section of this site.


Our Fire Survives the Storm: A Cherokee Literary History

from the introduction:

This book is an inquiry into the idea of "Cherokee-ness" within the Cherokee literary tradition. Drawing from this rich and ever-expanding canon, I examine three primary features of historical and contemporary Cherokee life--nationhood, removal, and regeneration--through literary expressions of cultural continuity. Our literature is the textual testament to our endurance; just as our oral traditions reflect the living realities and concerns of those who share them, so too do our literary traditions. This study is a focused exploration of a few key historical moments, texts, writers, and issues that compellingly illustrate the transformative and dynamic discourses of what it is to be Cherokee in various times and places. In short, it asks a simple question: how does a historically-rooted and culturally-informed reading of the Cherokee literary tradition help us to better understand Cherokee social history, and vice versa?

Some of the political leaders and writers discussed in this study include Nanye'hi/Nancy Ward, Tsiyu Gansini/Dragging Canoe, Chief John Ross, John Ridge and the Treaty Party, Lynn Riggs, John Milton Oskison, Will Rogers, Emmet Starr, Marilou Awiakta, Thomas King, Wilma Mankiller, Geary Hobson, Diane Glancy, and Robert Conley. Cherokee history and socio-political values form the interpretive lens for analyzing a wide range of materials created by Cherokees, from removal accounts in our oral traditions to newspaper articles, correspondence, treaties, laws and legal texts, historical monographs, plays, poems, and novels. This book is written for a wide audience, from Cherokee community members to academics to anyone interested in Native issues and literary studies.

• Our Fire Survives the Storm: A Cherokee Literary History is now available from the University of Minnesota Press, in both paperback and clothbound versions. Click HERE to read some reviews or HERE for an interview.

• "Seeing (and Reading) Red: Intellectual Sovereignty and the Study of Native Literatures" [pdf file]
• "Renewing the Fire: Notes Toward the Liberation of English Studies" [pdf file]
• "We're Not There Yet, Kemo Sabe: Positing a Future for American Indian Literary Studies" [pdf file]

Reviews--Nothing yet, but stay tuned!

Indigenous Studies
There are many different programs in Native/Indigenous Studies throughout North America. Some are organized as offshoots of Ethnic Studies programs, part of the multicultural mosaic model common in mainstream diversity education. Others are independent programs that assert a strong emphasis on Indigenous nationhood and socio-political self-determination. Some focus on issues of reservation/reserve communities, whereas others highlight the concerns of urban Indian/Aboriginal populations. Many are dedicated to cultural recovery and language revitalization. Simply put, Indigenous Studies programs are every bit as diverse and varied as the communities being studied. I've listed below some of the programs with which I'm most familiar; a more complete list can be found at the website for the Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures.

University of Toronto Aboriginal Studies Program

University of Toronto First Nations House

University of Georgia Institute of Native American Studies

Michigan State University American Indian Studies Program

University of Oklahoma Department of English--With such distinguished scholars and writers as Geary Hobson, Robert Warrior, and Craig Womack on faculty, you can bet that you’ll get an in-depth education in the field of Native American literary studies.

University of Toronto Department of English--If you're interested in studying in the field of Indigenous literatures of Canada and the U.S., drop a line!

Indigenous Literatures
The literatures of Indigenous North America have a long and rich history, from the Mayan and Aztecan codices, Dakota winter counts, Lenape wampum belts, Cherokee medical formulae books, songs, treaties, memorial petitions, and letters, to autobiographies, histories, poems, stories, novels, comic books, plays, and other textual and performance materials. This is a rich and exciting field of inquiry that, at its best, roots the study of the literary within the social, historical, and intellectual contexts of their source communities. It's a field that firmly connects the aesthetic with the experiential, and extends a relationship of reciprocity that reflects what Cherokee poet Marilou Awiakta calls the principle of "art for life's sake." Some of the guiding questions in the field include:

How do the worldviews and intellectual traditions of Indigenous communities distinguish this body of work from those of other cultures, and from one another?

How do Indigenous communities conceive of themselves and their world, and how are those understandings represented in the literary texts that emerge from these contexts?

How have Indigenous literatures responded to the pressures of Eurowestern colonization, and how have different communities responded to different colonialist systems?

What is the relationship between oral and written traditions, and what roles do they play in the lives of Indigenous peoples today?

What is the place of sovereignty, nationhood, self-determination, and decolonization within the body of Indigenous literature and criticism?

What are the ethical and political challenges of doing research in Indigenous Studies, especially at universities that are deeply rooted in Eurowestern cultural and intellectual values?

Recommended Links:

• ASAIL/SAIL--The Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures is the largest scholarly organization dedicated to the critical analysis of Indigenous literatures. The Association's journal, Studies in American Indian Literatures, has a growing reputation as the primary source for strong, provocative, and respectful scholarship in the field.
• Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers--The largest community of Indigenous writers in North America, Wordcraft is dedicated to expanding awareness of and opportunities for Indigenous literary expression. Its website is a good resource for both beginning and established Native writers.
• American Native Press Archives and the Sequoyah Research Center--An invaluable resource for those doing research into Native literary expression, both historical and contemporary, the ANPA is one of the most substantial Indigenous archive collections in the world.

Recommended Press
• University of Minnesota Press
• University of Oklahoma Press
• University of Nebraska Press
• University of Arizona Press
• University of Georgia Press
• University of Manitoba Press
• University of British Columbia Press
• Kegedonce Press
• Theytus Books
• Broadview Press