The Song of a Place to Itself – Some Reflections and Observations on the Connection between Place and Literature.pptx

‘The Song of a Place to Itself – Some Reflections and Observations on the Connection between Place and Literature’ is part of a series of educational materials I have developed.
The slides explore the relationship between place, culture, and literature and include examples and interpretations of selected works, as well as suggestions for various activities.
You are welcome to use these slides as teaching material for grade 12, college, and university or to study them independently on your own.
The content includes a detailed analysis & comparison of Skaay's Haida myth about ‘The Sapsucker’ and Franz Kafka's parable ‘Before the Law’ and is suitable for teens and adults - including students whose first language is NOT English.
Further your education by finding out more about stories, poems, and cultures from other places!

1. The Song of a Place to Itself: Reflections and Observations on the Connection between Literature and Place Slides by Gudrun Dreher, Ph.D.

2. Literature and Place In his book, The Wisdom of the Mythtellers , Sean Kane stresses that there are certain ‘PATTERNS’ that exist in the very texture of the world. MYTHS, according to him, can be seen as transcriptions of these patterns, or, one could say, as TRANSLATIONS of these PATTERNS into human speech. (Sean Kane, Wisdom of the Mythtellers , 15-16.) What is crucial here is that these PATTERNS have evolved independently from human culture. They “already exist in nature” (Sean Kane, 1994, 33) – as emotions of the earth, as dreams, vibrations, energy, rhythm, and music, (Sean Kane, 1994, 117-119). This music is polyphonic (Sean Kane, 1994, 115-119, 191-193): it is “the song of a place to itself” (Sean Kane, 1994, 50). But it can be overheard by human beings who are willing to listen. (Sean Kane, 1994, 33, 50).

3. Literature and Place (cont.) “In the beginning was, not the word, but the music,” he explains (Sean Kane, 1994, 118) and then he continues: By music, I mean a non-verbal discourse that protects its integrity from human possession and control. Open to the most subtle gradations of difference in the natural world – in fact, formed on those shifting relationships – this discourse of pattern is the primal associative power that we share with the animals. The mythtellers say it was given to us by the animal helpers. In so ascribing itself to a source beyond men and women, myth, by a strategy of circularity, keeps its frames of knowing in order within an overall kinship with nature . (Sean Kane, 1994, 118-119.)

4. Literature and Place (cont.) Sean Kane describes the CONNECTION that exists between the MYTHS and the PLACES where they were created as follows: ... each myth remembers a particular part of the land as story. [...] The events that happened there were compelled by greater-than-human powers, the powers which intersect with our world at various points [...] yet prefer to remain invisible. The myth teaches that these sacred places are to be respected for their own sake, not for what human beings can make of them. Myth, in its most ecologically discreet form, among people who live by hunting and fishing and gathering, seems to be the song of the place to itself, which humans overhear. [...] The stories remembered by the mythtellers were pictures of the flow of life and information from special places on the earth where that energy was felt most keenly. (Sean Kane, 1994, 50.)

5. Literature and Place (cont.) Each PLACE also has a unique, yet constantly changing, set of lights and colours, which together with the sounds and the electromagnetic energy – as well as with the animals, humans, plants, and geographic features – suggest a certain atmosphere and/or emotional and/or spiritual VIBRATION that can be expressed creatively in specific forms of visual art (including architecture & costumes/ fashion), of music, of movement (in particular, of dance), as well as in stories and songs – just as each place has its own cuisine, its own customs and ceremonies, its own language, social structure, and philosophical, religious, and spiritual beliefs. What Sean Kane has described in his book is particularly obvious in ORAL CULTURES, where people live in close proximity with the natural world around them and know not just every mountain but also every tree and every rock quite intimately. Of course, they also observe the animals and plants closely and listen to the sounds of the natural world. I am sure that already this unique combination of scenery, soundscape and living ecosystem inspires certain themes and makes sensitive people, quite literally, ‘HEAR’ certain stories.

6. Literature and Place (cont.) Nevertheless, we are all still aware of our connections to PLACE through the CULTURE(S) we have grown up in and/or live by. For even in the 21 st century, all cultures – as well as many special places within each culture – are still recognizably unique and form their own specific atmosphere that often seems to inspire or encourage certain forms of local artistic expression. However, these local art forms are today no longer bound to their places of origin but tend to travel freely and to mix with other art forms. They are also, because of the internet, now available everywhere – within a split second. Of course, in today’s world , most people no longer have such a close relationship to the natural world and its unique places. In fact, most people today hardly ever TOUCH the ground underneath their feet (unless, maybe, they go for a stroll at the beach and take off their shoes there), and many of us spend the main parts of our days in windowless rooms without sunlight and without any natural textures or sounds. Isolated by concrete, steel, plastic, and glass – and surrounded by the noise of traffic and machines – the visual and acoustic experiences most of us have today are very different from those that people had 100 years ago.

7. Literature and Place (cont.) Although this new situation can make some people give up their local traditions – because something from a politically or financially more powerful (and thus more prestigious) culture or country may seem ‘cooler’ and/or more important and/or more attractive – I think it also offers many new POSSIBILITIES, in particular, the opportunity to get to know many other cultural traditions just by clicking on a website or on a YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or Instagram link. In other words, local cultures from all over the world are now – quite literally – available at our fingertips 24/7. Information about other cultures has never before been so easily accessible as it is now. This can help us see the world with new eyes every day – if we want to.   I would like to invite you to use the next couple of days or weeks or months to i mmerse yourself in the literary – or other artistic – tradition(s) of one or two cultures you are not yet familiar with. I hope this will give you a new perspective and thus enrich your life.

8. Activity 1 Please look at any world map and randomly pick a PLACE or CULTURE you are relatively unfamiliar with. Then do some RESEARCH about it. You are not limited to literature in your EXPLORATION of your chosen place or culture. You are welcome to focus on other art forms (such as visual arts, music, dance, etc ) instead or in addition. Feel free to share what you learn with some family members or friends.

9. Examples: Kafka & Skaay Let’s now have a look at TWO LITERARY WORKS that were created around roughly the SAME TIME but on DIFFERENT CONTINENTS and see if the COMPARISON of the two WORKS will help us gain some insights into the ‘SPIRIT’ of the PLACE where each work was composed as well as into its unique values and cultural traditions. The two works in question are Franz Kafka’s story “Before the Law” and Skaay’s very short myth about “The Sapsucker.” Please find below the links to the two works: Franz Kafka, “Before the Law” (translated by Ian Johnston): P 1: http://www.kafka-online.info/before-the-law.html P 2: http://www.kafka-online.info/before-the-law-page2.html Skaay of the Qquuna Qiighawaay , “ Sttluujagadang ”/ “The Sapsucker” (translated by Robert Bringhurst ): https://jumpshare.com/v/AuVC4o0YBzVqFUwNY4Ho

10. Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924) lived in Prague, Europe, and was of Jewish background. He wrote several stories and novels – many of which combined realistic and non-realistic elements. His famous parable of the gatekeeper, “Before the Law” (“ Vor dem Gesetz ”), was published as an independent text in 1915 and as part of his novel The Trial (Der Proze ss) posthumously in 1925. Please READ Kafka’s piece in an English translation by Ian Johnston now! Here, again, the links: P 1: http://www.kafka-online.info/before-the-law.html P 2: http://www.kafka-online.info/before-the-law-page2.html Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.)

11. Skaay of the Qquuna Qiighawaay was born about 1827 in Qquuna ( Skedans ), a small First Nations Village on Haida Gwaii (a group of Islands in BC, Canada, West of Prince Rupert). Skaay was regarded as one of the Master Storytellers in his Haida community . Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) His short myth about ”The Sapsucker” (“ Sttluujagadang ”) was originally told in Haida and transcribed by the linguist John Swanton in 1900 . The English translation I chose was created by Robert Bringhurst and is published in my book Stories Are Maps: 5 Mythtellers from Haida Gwaii - Part 1: Skaay . Please read Skaay’s piece NOW. You can find the full text on the following three slides. Image of Skedans in 1878 (i.e., during Skaay’s time) from: Wikipedia: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Skedans_village_at_Laskeek_Bay%2C_British_Columbia_%28250%29.jpg/220px-Skedans_village_at_Laskeek_Bay%2C_British_Columbia_%28250%29.jpg

12. “The Sapsucker” This place was round And grass surrounded it, they say. He travelled around in it, Sapsucker did. Every one of his feathers was missing.   Now, up above, was a big spruce sloughing off its skin. He whacked it with his beak. And as he drummed his beak against it, something said, “Your father’s father asks you in.” He looked for what had spoken. Nothing stood out. Image from: http://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/styles/hero_cover_bird_page/public/Yellow%20bellied_Sapsucker_7_Linda%20Huffman_NC_2012_KK_GBBC.jpg?itok=0BpeH6eN

13. “The Sapsucker” (cont.) After something spoke to him the same way again, He looked inside the hollow tree. Someone shrunken and sunken, white as a gull, sat at the back. Then he went in. The elder reached into a small box. After he had pulled five boxes out from one another, Wing feathers lay there. Ooooh my! He gave him tailfeathers too. Image from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/385409680580630529/

14. “The Sapsucker” (cont.) Then he coloured the upper part of him red. A nd then he said to him, “Now, young grandson, go. This is why you have been with me.” Then he went back out. Then he flew. Then he did the same thing as before: He clutched the tree And then he struck it with his beak. And so it ends. Text from: Gudrun Dreher. Stories Are Maps: 5 Mythtellers from Haida Gwaii – Part 1: Skaay . 2016. Pp. 76–78. Image from: https://www.istockphoto.com/purchase/checkout?fastcheckoutasset=521110023

15. Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) In KAFKA’s story , the protagonist remains OUTSIDE of the DOOR – the opening to what he desires – until his death. Even though, as we learn at the very end, the door was ONLY meant for him (which is why nobody else ever requested entry and why the gatekeeper closes it as soon as the man dies), he does NOT manage to gain entrance . The main reason for the man’s lack of success is, I think, his FEARFULNESS : he lets the gatekeeper bully him into submission – instead of finding the courage to “follow his highest excitement” and simply walk through the door.

16. Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) Obeying RULES and REGULATIONS invented by OTHERS, the story seems to suggest, does NOT lead to personal fulfillment but to a life wasted in agony. Of course, it also doesn’t help that the man only SITS around WAITING instead of getting ACTIVE and DOING something: for example, overcoming his fear and stepping through the door, no matter what the consequences. In any case, the DOOR in Kafka’s story seems to have more similarities to a WALL than to an opening that is meant to connect different spaces or realms. Warning Do NOT Enter!

17. Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) While Kafka’s man seems to spend most of his life sitting passively in front of a door that BLOCKS his development, the protagonist of SKAAY’S poem is ACTIVE from the very beginning . The Sapsucker is TRAVELLING – almost as if going on a JOURNEY or QUEST . What is interesting is that the place is characterized by ‘ ROUNDNESS’: “This place was round , they say,” the poem starts out and continues: “and grass sur round ed it. He is walking a round in it, Sapsucker did.”

18. Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) In fact, the image of the CIRCLE is omnipresent in this piece: we don’t only have the round pla ce (which could symbolize the earth ) and a clearing surrounded by grass but inside those circles: the circle of a tree which is hollow and seems to have an OPENING that functions as a DOOR . Unlike the man in Kafka’s text, Sttluujagadang is NOT bullied to stay outside but INVITED INSIDE the circle by his father’s father (who is, in Haida tradition, necessarily from the same clan as he and therefore closely related to him). What the ELDER freely gives to the Sapsucker as a GIFT (which he brings out from boxes that are embedded inside other boxes ) is what gives IDENTITY AND PURPOSE to the BABY-BIRD : FEATHERS. At the same time, these feathers also embody the means to FLY and thus to TRANSCEND the ground-bound reality the featherless Sapsucker had formerly been confined to.

19. Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) Kafka Skaay * the protagonist is prevented from * the protagonist is invited in by entering by a stranger who is by his grandfather who cares emotionally detached about him * the man is – unsuccessfully - trying * the sapsucker is given a gift by to bribe the other person the other person * the man is afraid * the sapsucker is fearless/trusting * the man does NOT dare to follow his * the sapsucker is doing what he dream wants and going with the flow * the man gets nothing and has wasted * the sapsucker gets the gift of his life feathers: i.e. the means to fly What I think is important in the two texts are the following OPPOSITES: Welcome!

20. Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) Kafka (cont.) Skaay (cont.) * the man dies waiting i n front * the sapsucker lives and goes of the door back ”home” – transformed * he never finds his purpose * he finds his purpose and & fulfillment identity: it is the gift that but remains frustrated and sad makes him who he is meant to for the rest of his life be: a ‘sapsucker’ * the place seems to be * the place is round and seems to a cul-de-sac contain everything needed * the atmosphere is one of * the atmosphere is one of hopelessness optimism & infinite possibilities

21. Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) One that seems to be very hierarchical and based on rules, limitations, restrictions, and prohibitions; in this system, the protagonist’s journey ends in lack & death. Another one that seems to be holistic as well as welcoming, accepting, and generous; in this system, the protagonist’s journey leads to fulfillment & a happy life. I would say that the two pieces of literature are about the SAME GOAL: LEADING A FULFILLING LIFE. However, the OUTCOME as well as the JOURNEY and the EXPERIENCES of the protagonists could hardly be more DIFFERENT . These differences seem to be rooted in two fundamentally different VALUE SYSTEMS :

22. Examples: Kafka & Skaay (cont.) One of these worlds is rooted in traditional Haida culture, the other in European traditions. Please ask yourself in which of these two worlds you would like to live - and, once you know, try to make this world your reality!

23. Suggestions for Reading Here some suggestions of groups of POEMS and STORIES that you could read together while focusing on PLACE and/or CULTURAL TRADITIONS:   Group 1: three POEMS Asadullah Habib, “The Story of My Country”: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/the-story-of-my-country/ Yehuda Amichai , “Jews in the Land of Israel”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58629/jews-in-the-land-of-israel Al Purdy, “Remains of An Indian Village”: http://blaze84-creationofearth.blogspot.com/2016/10/remains-of-indian-village.html  

24. Suggestions for Reading (cont.) Group 2: three WRITTEN STORIES Jorge Luis Borges, “The Book of Sand”: http://archives.evergreen.edu/webpages/curricular/2010-2011/natural-order/Readings/Week_09/The_Book_of_Sands.pdf Yaroslav Barsukov , “ On the Nature of Reality: Boxed In”: https://www.nature.com/articles/nphys3570 Thomas King, “Totem”: http://mcdowellenglish.weebly.com/uploads/5/6/1/0/56106105/totem_by_thomas_king.pdf I hope you will enjoy reading these poems and stories!  

25. If you would rather like to listen to some ORAL STORIES, here two more groups you can consider: Group 3: Examples of ORAL Native American/ First Nations STORIES Hopi Origin Story | Native America | Sacred Stories | PBS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D53yGnJwjT0 Lakota Origin Story by Elder Duane Hollow Horn Bear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHbXk63wMTI Navajo: Story of the Stars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYWyIISAMGs Star Stories: The Lover Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ02h451anE Traditional Native Storytelling with Roger Fernandes: “Salmon Boy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2FTrPUpXNQ Robert Lewis - The First Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=othiWKn0trU Tales From the Longhouse - Native American Winter Storytelling Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UbmB6HG1yg Thirza Defoe, Native Storytelling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7RULN6cRk8 Suggestions for Listening

26. Group 4: Examples of ORAL STORIES from African Societies Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tEH6J5C3qs The Dogon Story of Creation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cMU7ISwRoU The Yoruba Creation Myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-wlwq2lPl0 Igbo Mythology - How Was God Created?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umfjFmYPRR8 Zimbabwe Creation Myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No3kUsqFf5E Zinse , “The Eagle Story”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zIJkpik0CI Anansi the Spider - A West African Folktale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvb5EsITzoM African and African American Folktales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNYBT59j4rk International Storytelling Conference (2013) Many Stories but One World - Diane Ferlatte : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iduMoffZ_54 Baba Onabamiero Ogunleye, “2 African Stories” (TED talk): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs4LZwgNh_c Suggestions for Listening (cont.)

27. Activity 2 Please select ONE of the following three options below! Feel free to do some research about the cultural traditions in question. Option 1: Read or listen to TWO works from ONE of the four groups I have suggested on the previous four slides (i.e.: choose 2 poems or 2 written stories or 2 oral stories) and reflect on the similarities and differences of your chosen TWO works. In what way(s) do you think have the places and/or the cultural traditions shaped these texts? Option 2: Find ANY TWO (or more) literary works that have some thematic similarities but that were created on TWO DIFFERENT CONTINENTS (though at roughly the same time) and think about whether the differences in PLACE and/or CULTURAL traditions may have had some influence on the DIFFERENCES expressed in the two works or not and WHY (or why not).

28. Activity 2 (cont.) Option 3: Choose TWO (or more) literary works from the SAME continent ( or even from the same cultural tradition) that were roughly written at the same time and that have some thematic similarities and discuss which elements/ aspects/ features you think have been influenced by the PLACE(S) they are SET in or that they were CREATED in and which elements/ aspects/ features you think are more UNIVERSAL/ GENERAL . How does this CONNECTEDNESS to PLACE and/or CULTURE on the one hand and the UNIVERSALITY manifested in the works on the other hand influence and/or affect you, as reader, and make you interpret, approach, and relate to the works in question?

29. Works Cited Sean Kane. The Wisdom of the Mythtellers . 1994. Franz Kafka. Der Prozess . [The Trial.] 1925. Franz Kafka, “Before the Law” (translated by Ian Johnston): http://www.kafka-online.info/before-the-law.html & http://www.kafka-online.info/before-the-law-page2.html Skaay of the Qquuna Qiighawaay , “ Sttluujagadang ”/ “The Sapsucker” (translated by Robert Bringhurst ): https://jumpshare.com/v/AuVC4o0YBzVqFUwNY4Ho Skaay of the Qquuna Qiighawaay . Being in Being: The Collected Works of a Master Haida Mythteller . Edited and Translated by Robert Bringhurst . Masterworks of Classical Haida Mythtellers , Vol 3. 2001. Robert Bringhurst . A Story as Sharp as a Knife: The Classical Haida Mythtellers and Their World. Masterworks of Classical Haida Mythtellers , Vol. 1. 1999. John Swanton. Haida Texts and Myths: Skidegate Dialect. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 29. 1905. Gudrun Dreher. Stories Are Maps: 5 Mythtellers from Haida Gwaii – Part 1: Skaay . 2016.

30. Thank you!