Book Review: Aboriginal Oral Traditions: Theory, Practice, Ethics Edited by Renée Hulan and Renate Eigenbrod

Authors

Maureen Simpkins, University College of the North

Date of this Version

Fall 2009

Citation

Published in Great Plains Research 19.2 (Fall 2009): 242.

Comments

Copyright 2009 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Used by permission.

Abstract

This collection of essays acknowledges and celebrates Aboriginal oral traditions in contemporary Aboriginal communities. Furthermore, many of these articles also tackle issues of appropriation, oral tradition in the courts, the effects of intellectual property rights, and the electronic media while drawing on the experience of Aboriginal community members themselves. In the cases and examples cited, the theory is not separated from practice, which helps ground the articles in current realities and pushes ethical discussions in empowering directions.

These essays are the result of a conference held in 2005 inspired by the archived work of Silas T. Rand, a missionary who listened to and gathered Mi’kmaq stories in the mid-1800’s. Many academics, filmmakers, historians, and community members have been involved with researching and discussing the many layers of historical and community interpretation of these stories.