The Indian oral tradition : a model for teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide a model for teachers for the use of the oral tradition of the Indian in local history courses.The study was based on two basic premises: that the Indian side of history is neglected in Canadian history books and school textbooks and that the Indian oral tradition is as valid an historical source as the traditional documentary evidence.The Frog Lake Massacre, an incident during the Riel Rebellion in which eight white residents of Frog Lake were killed by some of the followers of Big Bear's band, was chosen to demonstrate this model. The Indian story of the Frog Lake Massacre has not been told in history books. Thus, it was proposed that the oral tradition for this event be traced, recorded and preserved for this study. Since the people involved in the Frog Lake Massacre fled from the area at the time of the troubles, three areas were chosen where it was suggested that there might be descendants of the people from the Frog Lake area. These were: Onion Lake Reserve and Poundmaker Reserve in Saskatchewan and Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana.The selection of the Elders who could provide the information was left to the director of the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre, Smith Atimoyoo, and the Chippewa-Cree Research team at Rocky Boy. These people have been involved in cultural retention programmes and have familiarity with the various Elders and their expertise. For the purpose of this study, one Elder was chosen from each area -- Mrs. PeeMee (Poundmaker), Mr. Four Souls (Rocky Boy), Mr. Francis Harper (Onion Lake).After the initial contact was made through the intermediaries, the researcher was introduced and the intent of the research explained, a time and place was arranged for the taping of the tradition.In preparation for the interviews, an extensive study was made of the literature on the oral tradition and in particular the oral tradition of the Cree. Further consultations with Smith Atimoyoo provided invaluable information on the position of the Elders and how someone should approach them when requesting their help.Four Souls was taped in his home by members of the Chippewa-Cree Research team, Mrs. PeeMee was interviewed in the home of her grandson in Saskatoon. Mr. Francis Harper was recorded in a field near his grandson's farm on Onion Lake Reserve.A search of the literature revealed very little work on the collection and preservation of the oral tradition on Native North Americans. Vansina, working in Africa, examined oral traditions and devised certain criteria for testing their validity as historical sources.The collected stories met the criteria for reliability -- the right of the person to tell that story.In applying Vansina's criteria -- the characteristics of the historian himself i.e. who he was, his acculturation level, reaction to the researcher; characteristics of the tradition i.e. origin, type and transmission; the cultural environment i.e. cultural value of the tradition, purpose and function; mnemonic devices -- it was revealed that each historian fulfilled the criteria in a similar fashion. The only difference appeared in the purpose for telling the story. The more traditional Mrs. PeeMee told her account simply to remember and let her grand-daughter relive it with her. Francis Harper and Four Souls expressed a desire to right some of the stories which they had heard and considered untrue.The study revealed that there is a Cree oral tradition concerning the Frog Lake Massacre. Three people from three separate areas covering over 500 miles gave essentially the same story with only differences in emphasis and perspective. Each account must be considered as a unique historical document for this event. Thus, the study showed there was an Indian oral tradition alive in Saskatchewan which is accessible and can be validated as historical evidence within its own frame of reference.Suggestions were made for ways in which teachers could utilize this untapped resource without exploiting it.