Performance and Memory
This week in lecture, we focused on the power of performance in rewriting colonial histories of Indigenous women. In Shari Huhndorf’s article, she discusses the complexities of “colonial memory”, referencing the story of the “trusty little Indian guide” Sacajawea, who served the colonial Captains in their expedition, noting that tales like these create narratives of Indigenous women as betrayers complicit in their own demise (Huhndorf 181). She discusses the tendency for both Indigenous lands AND Indigenous women to be seen as available and willingly submissive to white colonizers (182). She problematizes that colonial histories are dominated by heroines like Pocahontas, who are beloved for serving white males (182). Gender, Huhndorf argues, is a crucial tool of colonial power; colonialism and patriarchy cannot be separated (183). Upon reflection, it is undeniable that the film Pocahontas is highly problematic in that it represents the protagonist as a sexually available, timid Indigenous woman, willing to abandon her land and her family for the favour of her beloved white colonizer John Smith (Huhndorf 190). The work of Monique Mojica is powerfully subversive in that it exaggerates common stereotypes about Indigenous women in a manner so sarcastic that it renders them laughable. Theatre is an especially powerful tool for political transformation, according to Huhndorf, because it gathers an audience full of diverse spectators together to experience a performance simultaneously, reminding them of their communal strength (189). Especially in the case of “Princess Pocahontas”, the performative aspect of the story would be especially moving because of the rewriting of history that Mojica is putting forward as an alternative understanding for the audience. Because she is able to address numerous spectators simultaneously, it is visible the impact she is making. Mojica’s use of theatre as a tool to subvert stereotypical patriarchal and colonial assumptions about Indigenous women and their relation to both white men and the men in their community is an example of one way that Indigenous feminists are taking steps toward political change and the demystification of the patriarchal and colonial forces that continue to negatively impact Indigenous communities and that need to be challenged.
References
Hundorf, Shari. “Indigenous Feminism, Performance and the Politics of Memory in the Plays of Monique Mojica.”
by Monique Harvison
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DISCUSSION
Monique: This is a little off-point but I think it is interesting to bring up! I wanted to discuss the in-class performance of Mojica’s play. Wasn’t it great? I loved how theatrical our classmates were with the singing/ yelling/ running around at the front of the class room. For me, this performance made the play more clear than it had been when I read it, in that the stereotypes were so sarcastically presented that it could not be read as anything but subversive. What did you think of the in-class performance? Did it help you understand the play in a new way?
Cheers! Monique Harvison.
Grace:
I cannot speak towards the in-class performance as I was not there that week— but I did have some comments about the material. I think that blatant sarcasm and is an extremely effective tool in realizing the power that language and discourse has had on the understanding of our history in its truth, and not in the way that the colonizers manipulated it to sound.
I also think that since in this class we have learned numerous manners in which we can theorize about Indigenous populations, the movie “Pocahontas” becomes absolutely laughable. Like you said, Pocahontas eventually choosing a white man, allowing herself to choose the West over her home, and characters calling the Indigenous “savage” and “red-skinned” are just some of these ludicrous commentaries.
Grace Di Cesare
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I was pretty impressed with the performance myself, and I really appreciate the way the gender is discussed within this narrative of Native colonization as well. I think are so often targets and tools within colonialism that are played upon by both the colonizers and the colonized. In the case of Aboriginal women, we see this divide and characterization of Aboriginal women having relations with white men which ultimate stigmatizes them within their community. This of course serves to appropriate Aboriginal women towards white interests while demonizing them within their own community—the overall affect of this of course only leaves the women vulnerable.
This particular article reminded me of other instances in which racialized women are characterized in a way that ostracizes them from both the society that oppresses them and from their own traditional societies as well. For example, black women throughout the existence of slavery within the US were often very highly, and negatively sexualized in a way that completely degraded their femininity which essentially dehumanized them making them vulnerable to acts fo violence and prejudice from within and outside their communities.It really goes to show how intertwined race and gender are as tools within Colonialism.
Justine
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I really loved the use of an artistic performance to discuss such an emotional issue that affects the way that Native women are still stereotypes. I think that it was very impressive, and a great way to express the issue. I’m really glad that you discuss this stereotype Monique, and that you point out how indigenous women are seen as submissive and how Pocahontas is actually loved for serving a white male.I think that it’s very important that you discussed how problematic the film Pocahontas is, because it is so popular. This stereotype leads to indigenous women being treated as submissive people, which is proven to give them a larger target for sexual violence. This stereotype is very problematic, and harms and dehumanizes indigenous women.
Sam
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I believe the use of Pocahontas is very interesting when studying Indigenous women because Disney movies are an important part of our childhood. When we are kids, we do not notice the negative messages and stereotypes within the movies. I do believe the reason the reason Pocahontas was loved is because she was a good servant to white people however, this should not have been the primary message of a children movie. This continues the stereotypes in our society that Indigenous women should be serving white men.This makes them much more vulnerable and starts this stereotype when we are very young.
Phil
Pocahontas is one of many very stereotypical Disney movies. It shows to young people that the way Pocahontas acts and dresses is the way that all native women are. The movie does not recognize the historical difficulties and discrimination that native women have suffered. Still today, indigenous women are the highest populated victims of rape and sexual assault. It's great that people are recognize the down falls in Pocahontas and the serious false stereotypes given to native women. Lydia