Tuesday, November 25, 2008
« Roots of a Region: Southern Folk Culture... | Main | the maximum wild-capture fisheries poten... »
American Indian Autobiography
American Indian Autobiography. By H. David Brumble III. 2008.
Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. 282 pages. ISBN:
978-0-8032-1749-2 (soft cover).

Reviewed by Karlie M. King, Memorial University, Newfoundland

[Word count: 1399 words]

Twenty years after its first publication, H. David Brumble III offers
a revised American Indian Autobiography. He does this in light of two
criticisms. First, critics have challenged his assertion that "it is
possible to separate Indian from editor/amanuensis" in early
preliterate as-told-to autobiographies (vi). Second, Brumble was
accused of not giving enough credence to the preferences of American
Indians in regards to the material they chose to present.

In response, Brumble defends his original assertion, and demonstrates
that with a little discernment the separation between editor and
American Indian author can be drawn, thereby bringing stylistic
cultural distinctions to the forefront. In fact, he says that these
autobiographies are actually bicultural documents. They tell of two
personalities, two cultures. In regards to the second criticism,
Brumble shows the ways in which American Indians have selected the
material for their autobiographies, by examining the history of
American Indian autobiography as a whole.

Brumble argues that the lineage of the American Indian autobiography
parallels the history of Western autobiography in many ways, hence
his comparison throughout the book between American Indian
autobiographies and the autobiographies of ancient Egypt, Greece, and
Rome. This lineage begins an era in which the predominant influence
is that of the white, Anglo editor who radically transforms
traditional American Indian oral narratives to fit Western
aesthetics. Next, there is a period where American Indians begin to
write their own autobiographies. But, according to Brumble, these
works are representational of acculturation. The writers generally do
not maintain their cultural traditions of oral narrative, nor do they
tell of a traditional lifestyle. Rather, most write to please a
Western audience, and their writings show signs of romanticism and
nostalgia, rather than first-hand experience. The lineage then comes
full circle when American Indian writers return to the traditions of
American Indian oral narratives, thereby reinventing and transforming
this autobiographical tradition.

In chapter 1, Brumble begins with the pre-literate as-told-to
autobiographies of the late 1800s, highlighting the ways in which
they were shaped to fit Western ideals of autobiography. A case in
point, he says, is that these autobiographies are presented in
chronological order. The American Indian authors would not have told
their tales in such a fashion. Neither would they have begun with
their earliest childhood memories, even though this is how the
as-told-to autobiographies are presented. Rather, American Indian
tales are episodic and the focus is on one's activities as an adult.
Unlike the editors' preoccupation with childhood psychological
development and individualism, it is one's deeds as an adult (and
their contribution to the community as a whole) that are important in
pre-literate Indian culture. Another example is the omission of
repetition in as-told-to autobiographies, which "in many tribes...was
a rhetorical feature in oral narrative" (11). Again, this omission is
indicative of the accommodation to Western aesthetics.

In chapter 2, Brumble further illustrates the assertions laid out in
chapter 1 by discussing three autobiographies: one representational
of a traditional, pre-literate, pseudo pre-contact Indian
autobiography, the second representing the narrative of an Indian who
was well acquainted with and somewhat acculturated into white, Anglo,
Christian society, and a third that falls somewhere in the middle.
This discussion illustrates the difference between as-told-to versus
self-written autobiography. Plus, it illustrates a pivotal period of
this genre's history--how in the one instance it is the white, Anglo
editor who transforms the oral traditions of the original material to
suit a Western audience, and in the other case it is the American
Indian author who has "learned a good deal about her white audience"
(71), and thus adapts her writing.

Chapter 3 focuses on the Anglo editors. Brumble first talks about the
different kinds of relationships they had with their American Indian
informants. Next, he offers a description of three types of editors:
absent editors, self-conscious editors, and the editor who offers a
personal account. According to Brumble, the writing of absent editors
typifies modern Western autobiography in that the uniqueness of self
and/or personal self-development is central to the narrative. What is
more, these editors adhere to the "Organic Imperative" (76). They
"feel compelled to turn all the stories into a continuous narrative"
(76-77). Self-conscious editors are those who try to empathize with
American Indians and preserve their point of view. They try to
maintain the integrity of the narratives "as they were told" (84).
Stylistically, these editors do little to influence the original
material. Plus, they often present the material from multiple points
of view (87). The third type of editor, Brumble explains, is one who
offers a personal account. It is obvious that the "I" is the
recorder/observer, not the American Indian. These editors feel that
"absolute objectivity is impossible." Thus, they confess all biases
and offer totally subjective accounts.

Chapter 4 is a specific cross comparison between American Indian
autobiographies and autobiographies of ancient Egypt, Greece, and
Rome. Again, the focus is on issues like self-development, relevance
of childhood, the influence of psychology, and individualism. But,
the role of the social scientific perspective is also taken into
account. In chapter 5 Brumble extends the comparison by drawing a
parallel between two autobiographies (one from each tradition): Paul
Radin's collaboration with Blowsnake and Augustine's Confessions.

Chapter 6 takes a look at Albert Hensley's autobiography, because
this text demonstrates an awareness of two distinct audiences as well
as an ability to adapt to the two quite separate autobiographical
traditions. Namely, it tries to please the Western aesthetic and
remain true to original American Indian oral narrative traditions.
The result, as Brumble writes, is a series of what he calls
autobiographical anomalies--things that one would not expect to see
in this genre of writing, such as a broken-up narrative and a lack of
explanation as to "how one's experiences have led exactly to this
life, this self, and no other" (137). What is more, Hensley's work is
indicative of American Indian sentiments regarding acculturation.
There is a sense of what was left behind as well as what was taken
on.

Chapter 7 is another study of a specific autobiography, Charles
Alexander Eastman's, since he "is the first [American Indian] author
who tries self-consciously to write an autobiography after the
modern, Western fashion" (147). According to Brumble, Eastman (like
the self-conscious editors before him) tries to preserve as much as
possible the real American Indian tradition, but his sense of
authenticity is founded on romantic and nostalgic notions. Moreover,
Eastman's writing demonstrates a genuine sense of the need for
preservation--a need to "set it down before it vanishes" (154).

Chapter 8 shows how the lineage comes full circle. Brumble explains
how the fore-mentioned sense of loss sparked a return to the original
traditions of American Indian oral narratives. A prime example of
this is the work of N. Scott Momaday, who abandons the typical modern
Western style of autobiography and returns to a pre-literate mode.
For example, Momaday chooses a style where there is "no continuous,
chronological order" (166). Another case in point is that Momaday
emphasizes the three components of traditional American Indian
identity, the three types of memory: "the mythical, the historical,
and the immediate" (176). In this way, early pre-literate American
Indian oral narrative shapes modern American Indian autobiography,
thereby bringing the lineage back to its roots.

While Brumble provides adequate support for his argument and offers
many autobiographical examples (as well as an annotated bibliography
of the works mentioned in the book), he falls short in offering a
revision of his previous work. In the past twenty years there has
been an explosion of American Indian autobiographical writing. An
additional chapter referencing and examining this immense body of
work would have brought his research up to date. Further, it would
have shed light on his theory regarding the parallel between American
Indian autobiographies and those of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome,
which is weak to say the least. Just mentioning that there is a
parallel does not make it so. What is more, Brumble's work at times
is glaringly androcentric -- only one reference to a female American
Indian autobiography! Admittedly, there are few, perhaps only one,
female American Indian autobiographies from the 1800s, but had
Brumble included a few of the numerous female American Indian
autobiographies written in the last twenty years he would have
offered a more balanced, accurate portrayal. Ultimately, a revision
should be more than defending your previous argument, especially when
so much time has elapsed between publications.

---------

Read this review on-line at:

http://www.indiana.edu/~jofr/review.php?id=702

Arts | Books | Literacy | NetHappenings Mailing List
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:53:53 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Related posts:
Privacy
Beat Google Get a Library - National "ask" service
Submit Your Music - Major Airplay for Indie Artists
How to Make it in the Music Business
Chinese celadon
[EC] NetHappenings News and Resources