The Pedagogy of Translation: Learning from Innu activist Elizabeth Penashues Diaries

ELIZABETH YEOMAN Memorial University of Newfoundland

Collaborating In every communicative act there is a ga ! bet"een teller an# listener$ bet"een "riter an# rea#er$ bet"een signi%ier an# signi%ie#& Ho"ever$ this ga can be a creative s ace in "hich ne" %orms o% agency an# o% voice may arise&&& A #iversity o% %orms o% a%%iliation is ossible an# in#ee# necessary to recogni'e the struggle o% "riting an# o% telling a more (ust story o% In#igenous resence in North America$ through the mo#e o% cross)cultural collaboration& *+o hie McCall$ ,-..$ & ,./0 You #on1t have to "rite e2actly "hat I sai# because my English is not that goo#& You can use other "or#s but it have to mean e2actly "hat I sai#& *Eli'abeth 3enashue0 I %irst met Eli'abeth 3enashue "hen I intervie"e# her %or a CBC I#eas ra#io #ocumentary on the theme o% "al4ing& I "as in +t& 5ohn1s an# she "as in 6oose Bay& It "as the %irst intervie" she ha# ever given in English an# she ha# brought her #aughter to hel her& As she #escribe# the annual "ee4s)long "al4 she lea#s on sno"shoes across the Labra#or "il#erness$ an# its meaning in relation to her 7uest %or environmental (ustice an# cultural survival %or the Innu$ she "e t 8 an# so #i# I& +omeho" across our vast cultural an# linguistic #i%%erence an# through our tears$ "e connecte#& The ne2t year I (oine# her on the "al4$ a "al4 across sno" covere# barrens$ through %orests an# over %ro'en la4es$ slee ing in a communal tent$ hunting an# %ishing$ an# ulling our belongings behin# us on toboggans& A%ter I returne# home$ Eli'abeth sent me a large bo2 containing the #iaries she has been 4ee ing since her early #ays o% rotesting "ith others against NATO lo")level %lying an# "ea ons testing on Innu lan# #uring the mi#).9:-s; t"enty noteboo4s an# a ile o% sheets o% a er covere# "ith %lo"ing han#"riting in Innu)aimun& Born into a noma#ic %amily$ Eli'abeth s ent most o% her chil#hoo# on the lan#& +he ha# very little schooling but a riest taught her a "riting system %or Innu)aimun #uring a erio# "hen she "as ill an# in North <est =iver %or me#ical care$ an# she has been "riting ever since& The #iaries 1

#escribe #aily li%e on the lan#$ #ocument Innu history an# cosmology$ an# rovi#e #etails o% the anti)NATO cam aigns$ her subse7uent im risonment$ an# her gro"th as an environmental an# cultural activist& They also inclu#e letters to various eo le; one to %ormer Ne"%oun#lan# an# Labra#or 3remier >anny <illiams remin#s him that the ?ueen has visite# her tent an# the least he coul# #o is visit her as "ell to #iscuss the ro ose# hy#ro #evelo ment on the Mista) shi u.@ another to a gran##aughter on the #ay she "as born laments the #i%%icult "orl# she has come into an# the huge challenges %acing the Innu& Eli'abeth is "ell 4no"n "ithin an# %ar beyon# the Innu Nation& The reci ient o% a National Aboriginal Achievement A"ar# an# an honorary #octorate %rom Memorial Aniversity$ she has been a sub(ect o% several #ocumentary %ilms$ boo4s an# articles& The im ortance o% her #iaries has long been recogni'e# but it "as #i%%icult to get them translate# because the %e" eo le "ho rea# an# "rite +heshatshui Innu)aimun are in constant #eman# as court inter reters$ e#ucators$ an# a#ministrators& This is "hy she #eci#e# to see4 the hel o% an outsi#er "ho coul# sit "ith her$ #iscuss the material$ an# hel her sha e it into a boo4& Our collaboration might best be summe# u by her observation that BYou have your mesh4anau , an# I have mine& Your mesh4anau is boo4s an# mine is the lan#&C <e sit si#e by si#e an# slo"ly$ ainsta4ingly$ she e2 lains "hat she has "ritten& <e have no" com lete# translations o% the e2isting #iaries *though she is still ro#ucing more0$ transcri tions o% the original te2ts in Innuaimun$ an# some au#io an# vi#eo recor#ings& Duture "or4 inclu#es #evelo ing transme#ia / curriculum base# on the #iaries %or %uture use in schools$ stan#ar#i'ation o% the Innu)aimun te2tsE$ e#iting the #igiti'e# material$ an# selecting images F& The images "ill enable el#ers "ho #o not rea# "ritten te2t to use the boo4 an# "ill also rovi#e an a##itional layer o% translation %or non)Innu rea#ers to hel them un#erstan# the conte2t an# erha s to buil# soli#arity through aesthetic engagement& Translation an# online #issemination "ill enable the stories an# images$ along "ith vi#eo an# au#io material$ to reach much "i#er national an# international au#iences& As "ell$ Eli'abeth1s stories ma4e a contribution to "orl# literature$ as they are both moving an# elo7uent$ an# #ocument an e2traor#inary li%e& This article is about the translation$ e#iting an# illustrating o% these #iaries& I #iscuss aesthetic #ecisions in re aring them %or ublication %or various au#iences inclu#ing In#igenous el#ers$ Innu school chil#ren in #anger o% losing their language$ an# non)Innu rea#ers aroun# the "orl#& Dor the ur ose o% this article$ I un#erstan# aesthetics in the sense o% Lu#"ig <ittgenstein1s "ell 4no"n statement that aesthetics an# ethics are one an# his relate# i#ea that art can sho" us "hat truly matters in li%e *Tilghman$ .99.0& +imilarly$ 6ayatri + iva4 *,--90 argues %or a certain 4in# o% e#ucation in the humanities$ a Btraining o% the imaginationC to"ar#s a more (ust %uture& A 4ey as ect o% this e#ucation might be the conce t o% Bstructures o% %eelingC$ a term coine# by =aymon# <illiams *.9GG0 to re%er to share# erce tions an# values common to an era or cultural grou an# circulate# through aesthetic %orms an# conventions& E#"ar# +aH# *.99/0 a lie# the conce t to ostcolonial conte2ts$ sho"ing ho" such structures an# the aesthetic %orms that su ort them coul# u hol# or

counter im erialism& This article e2amines ho" the aesthetic 7ualities o% certain 4in#s o% te2ts might contribute to ro#ucing Bstructures o% %eelingC that coul# enable #iverse rea#ers to engage "ith an Innu "oman "riting in Innu)aimun about her o"n rich an# %ascinating but also very #i%%icult li%e an# times& It is not ossible %or most eo le to visit a northern lace li4e Nitassinan I$ "here Eli'abeth lives$ but through translation$ "riting an# trans)me#ia re resentations they can learn a great #eal about a very #i%%erent "orl#& Thin4ing e2 licitly about the translation rocess *"hich also involves aesthetic #ecisions an# is rarely inclu#e# in school curricula0 might also o en u ne" "ays o% thin4ing about the #ilemmas o% re resenting the lives o% others as an ethical ractice& As art o% this #iscussion$ I ho e to intro#uce some o% the insights %rom the rich bo#y o% literature on translation to rea#ers intereste# in aesthetics$ cultural criticism$ an# curriculum& Collaboration an# translation across this 4in# o% social an# cultural #i%%erence are not sim le& Mi14ma7 scholar Marie Battiste *,--E0 uses the term culturalism to #escribe attitu#es an# ractices that homogeni'e In#igenous an# "estern cultures an# construct in#igenous cultures as #e%icient& Culturalism un#er ins coloni'ation$ lan# the%t an# genoci#e& Janessa An#reotti$ Cash Ahena4e" an# 6arric4 Coo er *,-..0 sho" ho" #i%%icult it can be to avoi#$ an# stress that$ scholars an# e#ucators "or4ing "ith in#igenous "ays o% 4no"ing are calle# to translate these into the #ominant language$ logic an# technologies in "ays that are intelligible an# coherent *an#$ very o%ten$ acce table or alatable0 to rea#ers an# inter reters in the #ominant culture * & EE0& Eli'abeth recogni'es recisely this #ilemma "henever she s ea4s ublicly in English& Dor e2am le$ she o%ten says the animals tol# her things an# then %ollo"s these statements "ith BI 4no" the animals #on1t really tal4 but&&&C +he #oes this because her chil#ren tol# her the A4enashau G "ill thin4 she is cra'y i% she says animals tal4 to her& +he is translating not (ust "or#s but "orl#s an# our collaborative ro(ect attem ts to #o the same& The value that such a ro(ect might have$ both %or the Innu an# %or others$ ma4es it seem "orth"hile$ #es ite the challenges outline# above& E#ith 6rossman$ the translator o% "riters ranging %rom Cervantes to the Chilean anti) oet Nicanor 3arra$ suggests that English s ea4ing regions o% the "orl# are not e2 ose# nearly enough to "riters in other languages because o% a cultural anti athy to"ar# translate# "or4s& +he argues that "e lose not only the o ortunity to rea# those "or4s but the ossibility o% relationshi s beyon# the English)s ea4ing "orl#; Translation not only lays its im ortant tra#itional role as the means that allo"s us access to literature originally "ritten in one o% the countless languages

"e cannot rea#$ but it also re resents a concrete literary resence "ith the crucial ca acity to ease an# ma4e more meaning%ul our relationshi s to those "ith "hom "e may not have ha# a connection be%ore& Translation al"ays hel s us to 4no"$ to see %rom a #i%%erent angle$ to attribute ne" value to "hat once may have been un%amiliar& As nations an# as in#ivi#uals$ "e have a critical nee# %or that 4in# o% un#erstan#ing an# insight& The alternative is unthin4able& *6rossman$ ,-.-$ & 2)2i0 This article a lies the argument above to curriculum stu#ies& Dor curriculum$ translations are valuable in t"o "ays; Dirst$ a greater a"areness o% translation in in#igenous conte2ts$ an# o% aesthetic #ecisions *o% style$ "or# choice$ illustration an# so on0 involve# in such translations$ coul# contribute to a better un#erstan#ing o% "hat it really means to live together in a #iverse nation& +econ#$ engagement "ith translate# te2ts can ma4e that relationshi more meaning%ul& Translating No translation "oul# be ossible i% in its ultimate essence it strove %or li4eness to the original& *<alter Ben(amin$ .9,/$ Zohn$ trans& .9I:$ & GE0 The violence "rea4e# by translation is artly inevitable$ inherent in the translation rocess$ artly otential$ emerging at any oint in the ro#uction an# rece tion o% the translate# te2t$ varying "ith s eci%ic cultural an# social %ormations at #i%%erent historical moments& *La"rence Jenuti$ ,--:$ & .F0 La"rence Jenuti *,--:0 argues that translation is violent in that it im oses the values o% the BtargetC culture an# its language onto those o% the source& Translators ten# to B#omesticateC the te2ts on "hich they "or4 to ma4e them more %amiliar an# alatable to rea#ers o% the translate# version& He suggests that instea# they shoul# B%oreigni'eC$ thus inviting rea#ers to ma4e an e%%ort to un#erstan# something about the culture o% origin& This a roach may rovi#e a artial ans"er to the roblem Jenuti #escribes$ but the violence relates not only to our o"n #ecisions regar#ing te2t an# images but also to circumstances outsi#e our control$ such as the regulations o% %un#ing bo#ies an# school boar#s& The %irst %orm o% violence "e ha# to con%ront is the %act that to get %un#ing "e must "rite in English *or Drench$ but not Innu)aimun0& I% the ne" olicy o% ++H=C is 4no"le#ge mobili'ation an# Aboriginal research is a riority area$ it seems strange that In#igenous 4no"le#ge hol#ers cannot a ly %or %un#ing i% they are not a%%iliate# "ith a university an# that a lications cannot be submitte# in any In#igenous language& Other "riters have ha# similar e2 eriences& Dor

e2am le$ 3aul A a4 Angilir7$ o% Iglooli4 Isuma 3ro#uctions$ #iscusse# %un#ing %or the %ilm Atanar(uat *The Dast =unner0 in an intervie" "ith anthro ologist Nancy <acho"ich; N<; +o let me get this straight$ it "as "ritten out on a er %rom ta es o% the el#ers s ea4ing in Inu4titut$ then turne# into an English story$ an# then turne# into an Inu4titut scri t$ an# then turne# into an English scri tK 3A; Yes$ that is the system that "e ha# to use in or#er to get money& Because&&& Cana#a Council an# other laces "here "e coul# a ly %or money$ they #on1t rea# Inu4titut *cite# in Nollette$ ,-.,0& Nicole Nollette conclu#es that Bboth the rocess an# the result o% translation are telling mani%estations o% the o"er #ynamics at lay$ #ynamics that not only lea# to language loss but also to a certain gainC *n 0& The loss seems clear& Although Inu4titut is "i#ely s o4en across the north$ its s ea4ers are %orce# to use this cumbersome rocess in #ealing "ith government institutions& An# the more #ominant English is$ the more li4ely the In#igenous language "ill be lost& The gain may be less obvious& <hat gain might there be in translating bac4 an# %orth$ in en#less e2 laining$ in trying to live simultaneously in t"o "orl#sK 3erha s #oing so can hel to synthesi'e "hat really matters about the "or4$ to reconce tuali'e$ to encounter each other in conversation about the te2ts$ an# to %in# s aces "here$ as Angilir7 #oes in the e2am le above$ s ea4ers o% the #ominant language are remin#e# that it is they "ho are #e%icient& A%ter all$ they are the ones "ho can1t rea# Inu4titut$ or Innuaimun& I thin4 Homi Bhabha1s *.99F0 conce t o% s litting can hel us un#erstan# "here the gain might lie; + litting constitutes an intricate strategy o% #e%ense an# #i%%erentiation in the colonial #iscourse& T"o contra#ictory an# in#e en#ent attitu#es inhabit the same lace$ one ta4es account o% reality$ the other is un#er the in%luence o% instincts "hich #etach the ego %rom reality& This results in the ro#uction o% multi le an# contra#ictory belie%&&& + litting is then a %orm o% enunciatory$ intellectual uncertainty an# an2iety that stems %rom the %act that #isavo"al is&&& a strategy %or articulating contra#ictory an# coeval statements o% belie%& *n 0& Bhabha goes on to e2 lain that this uncertainty Ballo"s the native or the subaltern or the coloni'e# the strategy o% attem ting to #isarticulate the voice o% authority at that oint o% s littingC *n 0 an# that Bthe e%%ort has to be ma#e to live on the cus $ to #eal "ith t"o contra#ictory things at the same time "ithout either transcen#ing or re ressing that contra#ictionC& The use o% "or#s li4e nutshimit: an# A4enashau "ithout translations or italics *though #e%initions are

suggeste# in the en#notes0 is a gesture to"ar#s that 4in# o% s litting& 3erha s the %ailure to translate certain "or#s might remin# us that they are not (ust "or#s but art o% a "orl# that can never be er%ectly translate#& An# erha s "hen Eli'abeth says she 4no"s the animals #on1t tal4 *having (ust tol# us "hat they sai# to her0$ she is inviting the A4enashau to imagine t"o "ays o% thin4ing an# to hol# both in our min#s at once& Hito +teyerl *,--I0 as4s "hether translation can be Ba "ay o% o ening u an# e2amining #i%%erence rather than managing itC *n 0& As i% in ans"er$ +o hie McCall suggests that Bone o% Lanthro ologist$ %ilmma4er an# "riter Hugh Bro#y1sM tactics is the %ailure o% cultural translation$ "hich #ra"s attention to the rovisionality o% all acts o% re resentationC *,-..$ & GF0& Bro#y uses various strategies ! such as (u2ta ositions o% #i%%ering versions o% a story$ in#irect rather than #irect *but still me#iate#0 7uotation$ or the highlighting o% inaccurate translations in lan# claims consultations ! to remin# us that re resentations are not trans arent& McCall ma4es a similar oint about Zacharias Nunu41s use o% artial translations in Atanar(uat& 3arts o% the #ialogue are resente# in Inu4titut but not e2 laine# in the sub)titles& Thus a non)Inu4titut s ea4ing au#ience might reali'e they are e2clu#e#$ an# can only %ollo" the story on certain levels& The use o% artial translation an# %aile# translation are also "ays o% remin#ing the #ominant grou that they are missing something$ something they might "ant to 4no"$ might even long to 4no"& *O% course$ I am re%erring mainly to eo le "ho %eel some #egree o% sym athy or soli#arity$ the A4enashau or Nallunaat9 "ho are li4ely to "atch Isuma1s %ilms or rea# Eli'abeth1s boo4s in the %irst lace& Mainly$ but not solely&0 The non)translation o% Innu "or#s that are either #i%%icult to translate or have s ecial im ortance or emotional intensity %or Innu *such as the use here o% "or#s li4e nutshimit$ A4enashau an# Mista)shi u0 is an e2am le o% artial translation& In Jenuti1s terms$ this is a 4in# o% B%oreigni'ationC *,--:0& McCall argues that this strategy enables Bt"o arallel te2ts LtoM interact an# s ea4 to each other in com le2 an# im er%ect "aysC * & .:90 an# a##ress #i%%erent au#iences& In the case o% Atanar(uat$ both versions are simultaneously available$ as voice# an# subtitle# versions o% the %ilm& In Eli'abeth1s boo4 an# relate# trans)me#ia material$ ho" to resent the languages is a 7uestion still to be #eci#e#& Nolette *,-.,0 notes that there are both artial translations an# Bsu lementary e2 lanatory measuresC *n 0 in the %orm o% a##e# materials$ "hich might lea# the au#ience to see4 %urther e2 lanation o% the incom rehensible )) %or most non)Inuit )) but moving an# beauti%ul "orl# #e icte# in Atanar(uat& There are 7uestions here about ho" to use both o% these strategies e%%ectively in the English an# Drench versions o% Eli'abeth1s #iaries an# to #o so in "ays that might Bchallenge Lnon)In#igenous rea#ersM to see "ith a native eyeC *Nru at$ ,--9$ & .//0& Nollette calls this 4in# o% a roach BcountertranslationC an# suggests that it might give rea#ers a %eeling o% Bnot 7uite un#erstan#ing everything on the terrain o% the originalC *n 0& As Camille Douillar#$ e#itor o% It1s Li4e the Legen# an# other Innu boo4s in English$ ut it$ BLet them #o the research i% they "ant to 4no" more about the InnuC * ersonal communication0& There is a ris4 o% losing some rea#ers$ erha s$ but also the ossibility that the %ailure to translate every "or# "ill signal that not everything

can be translate# an# invite rea#ers to try their best to un#erstan# "hat they can& Another area "here there are both gains an# losses is in the stan#ar#i'ation o% the Innu)aimun& Labra#or Innu schools have recently a#o te# a olicy o% using only stan#ar#i'e# language resources& On the one han#$ some e2 erts believe that stan#ar#i'ation o% the s elling$ grammar an# vocabulary may ma4e it easier %or stu#ents to #evelo literacy in the language an# %or the Innu to communicate e%%ectively across communities& On the other$ "hat ha ens to the aesthetics o% Eli'abeth1s voice in this rocessK <hat ha ens to the nuance$ ca#ence an# rhythm$ an# erha s also the assionate haste$ the on"ar# rush o% "or#s an# thoughts as she (ots things #o"n in 7uiet moments in the tent$ in her husban#1s truc4 as she "aits %or him in 6oose Bay$ in the long hours in rison a"aiting trial an# the %ear%ul moments on air lanes travelling to s ea4ing engagementsK The stan#ar#i'ation o% the Innuaimun version "ill be another 4in# o% translation an# another 4in# o% violence& +omething im ortant ) a sense o% Eli'abeth1s "riting voice an# the #ialect an# history it comes %rom ) "ill be lost but$ in ragmatic terms$ the boo4 "ill not be use# in schools unless it is stan#ar#i'e#& Another translation issue$ "ith ! as al"ays ! the otential %or violence$ is the 7uestion o% ho" to ren#er Eli'abeth1s voice in English& Be%ore I began "or4ing "ith her$ some o% the #iaries ha# been translate# into Drench by Innu translator an# oet 5ose hine Bacon& I retranslate# them into English$ a%ter #iscussing the Drench translations "ith Eli'abeth& In one o% them someone is #escribe# as BOlOganteC& The Drench "or# ma s very closely onto the English one an# I assume that Bacon chose a "or# that "oul# also evo4e "hat "as "ritten in Innu& But someone else sa" the translation an# sai# BEli'abeth "oul#n1t use a "or# li4e that&C It is true that in English she "oul# not$ but in Innuaimun she "oul#& Yet Douillar# s ea4s o% the o"er o% Innu voices in "hat they "rite in English$ even though ! or recisely because ! the English is are# #o"n * ersonal communication0& An# I can o%ten hear Eli'abeth1s voice in my min#$ even long a%ter I have correcte# an# stan#ar#i'e# her "ritten English$ as she as4e# me to #o& Her haunting lament$ %or e2am le$ "hen one o% her chil#ren gets an a#ministrative osition; BIt means you "on1t come on the lan# no moreC& Dinally$ one more 4in# o% otential violence is in #ecisions to %oreigni'e or #omesticate the te2t to be translate#& Either strategy has otential it%alls& >omestication may ma4e it easier %or rea#ers to relate to Eli'abeth$ to %eel they belong to the same "orl# an# there%ore shoul# su ort her "or4& Ho"ever$ this "oul# mean that they may not recogni'e ho" very #i%%erent her "orl# is$ or ma4e a sustaine# e%%ort to try to learn& Doreigni'ation might be a "ay o% inviting the rea#er to #o "hat I thin4 Emmanuel LOvinas *.9I.0 "as a#vocating$ "hich is trying to learn %rom the other "ithout ossessing or even i#enti%ying$ but sim ly acce ting their alterity& On the "hole$ I re%er this a roach but it has a ris4 o% creating an e2otic e%%ect that may ob(ecti%y or #istance the storyteller& Ho"$ %or e2am le$ shoul# "e treat Eli'abeth1s lyrical #escri tion o% "a4ing u at #a"n in her tentK In the %ollo"ing rough #ra%t$ "e have;

The bir#s "o4e me u early this morning& I lay in be# an# listene#$ thin4ing about ho" these "ere the same soun#s I hear# as a chil#& A%ter a "hile I got u an# ma#e the %ire$ then lay #o"n again$ rela2ing an# imagining the bir#s "ere calling me& They sang %or a "hile an# then they move# on& I %elt as though one o% them ha# sai# PON$ Eli'abethQs a"a4e no"&P Then I thought about another 4in# o% bir# "e use# to hear$ the 4autuRsi4unOst4uenOst$ that Innu eo le use# to say ha# a call; PTante ni atshi nita tshi 4usthi4utshishin ! ho" can I #ive #o"n an# come bac4 u PK I havenQt hear# that bir# %or a long time& I "on#er "here theyQve all gone& Then I got u in a nice "arm tent& This short assage raises many 7uestions& The "or# Bbe#C$ %or e2am le$ is a #omestication& +he "as slee ing on a caribou s4in lai# over evergreen branches& To e2 lain that might be to %oreigni'e$ to ma4e non)Innu rea#ers more a"are o% the #i%%erence& It might also lovingly evo4e the scent o% s ruce an# the so%tness o% %ur$ the smells an# te2tures o% the tent& The 4autuRsi4unOst4uenOst is calle# that because it loo4s as though it is "earing an Innu baby bonnet an# this lea#s us to thin4 it is a "hite cro"ne# s arro" in English& But "e are not certain an# erha s a %ailure o% translation is the best strategy here any"ay& An# the verb 4utshi4utshishin means to #ive #o"n an# come bac4 u many times but it is also an onomato oeia that mimics the bir#1s call& Is an e2 lanatory note calle# %orK Or notK This is (ust one very brie% e2am le$ given to illustrate the ethical sta4es o% the #ecisions "e must ma4e an# the uncertain e#agogical an# aesthetic e%%ects each #ecision might have& There are similar concerns "ith each selection o% an image$ "hich I turn to ne2t& Loo4ing The hotogra h is literally an emanation o% the re%erent& Drom a real bo#y$ "hich "as there$ rocee# ra#iations "hich ultimately touch me$ "ho am here@ the #uration o% the transmission is insigni%icant@ the hotogra h o% the missing being$ as +ontag says$ "ill touch me li4e the #elaye# rays o% a star& A sort o% umbilical cor# lin4s the bo#y o% the hotogra he# thing to my ga'e&&&& *=olan# Barthes$ .9:.$ & :-):.0 It is al"ays the image that someone chose@ to hotogra h is to %rame$ an# to %rame is to e2clu#e& *+usan +ontag$ ,--/$ & EI0 This is a time when "otherness" and various forms of ethnic authenticity are being commodified for visual consumption at an unprecedented rate; when the global circulation of cultural stereotypes is

becoming a major industry; when the relation of art to the state, to possible publics, to the market, and to political or ethical positioning seems more volatile and unpredictable than ever before !"habha, .99F0 Dollo"ing E#"ar# +aH#1s *.99/0 suggestion that narratives create BSstructures o% %eeling1 that su ort$ elaborate an# consoli#ate the ractice o% em ireC or alternative structures o% %eeling an# thus resistance * & .E0$ Maria Tymoc'4o *,---0 argues that engage# translation can contribute to geo olitical change through raising a"areness o% an# soli#arity %or o resse# eo les by translating their stories& Emily A ter *,--I0 has #evelo e# a similar argument about translation as a me#ium o% sub(ect re)%ormation an# olitical change& An# i% translate# narratives can #o this$ so can ictures& Choosing or ma4ing images %or the boo4 is also a 4in# o% translation& Dor the Innu or other In#igenous el#ers "ho "ill rea# only the ictures$ they "ill tell the "hole story$ or at least they "ill rovi#e the "hole %rame"or4& Ho"ever$ these rea#ers "ill 4no" much more o% the cultural conte2t than others an#$ erha s$ "ill be loo4ing more to see their o"n lives an# histories re%lecte# on the rinte# age ! a %airly unusual occurrence ! than to learn something ne"& Li4e the #elaye# rays o% a star or an umbilical cor#$ the images might lin4 them more closely to "hat is most im ortant to them alrea#y an# con%irm its value& Dor other rea#ers$ the ictures enhance the narrative an# o%%er an alternative version& Eli'abeth an# I have loo4e# at gra hic novels an# tal4e# about the ossibility o% resenting some o% the stories in that %orm& I ho e "e "ill be able to #o that& This strategy has become o ular ! so much so "e coul# erha s tal4 about the engage# gra hic novel& +ome e2am les are 6uy >elisle1s 3yongyang$ Mar(ane +atra i1s 3erse olis$ Chester Bro"n1s Louis =iel an# Marguerite Abouet an# ClOment Oubrerie1s Aya& Mean"hile$ "hat "e have so %ar is an archive o% hotogra hs& Eli'abeth has been #ocumenting her o"n li%e care%ully %or many years an# also has ol#er hotos$ more ran#om but very relevant; a blac4 an# "hite sna o% hersel% an# her husban#$ Drancis$ outsi#e the church a%ter their "e##ing$ stri4ingly goo#)loo4ing an# terribly young@ me#ia hotogra hs o% #emonstrations in the .9:-s$ inclu#ing one o% her being arreste# %or occu ying the NATO base in 6oose Bay@ an ol# blurre# one o% her mother in a "ool hat an# coat&&& There are also archival hotos o% Innu li%e in the .9th an# early ,-th centuries$ li%e be%ore settlement; lan#sca es$ cam s$ canoes$ an# %amilies at their #aily "or4 or osing unsmiling in sti%% grou s& Lastly$ there are hotogra hs by various eo le "ho have accom anie# Eli'abeth an# her %amily on canoe tri s an# "al4s$ inclu#ing several ro%essional hotogra hers& Many o% these last %ocus on the beauty o% the lan#sca e an# "ater"ays$ or on Eli'abeth an# her %amily an# %rien#s on sno"shoes$ a##ling canoes or setting u cam & One hotogra her$ 5erry Nobalen4o$ tol# me that he care%ully %rames his images to loo4 ristine$ e#iting out$ %or e2am le$ urine or garbage on the sno"& This is artly a basic rinci le o% com osition but sometimes$ es ecially i% an image ha# a#vertising otential$ he "oul# also e#it out evi#ence o% mo#ernity such as chainsa"s or sno"mobiles& As he ut it$ BEvery hotogra her 4no"s that an image o% Inuit in

caribou s4ins "oul# sell better than one o% them in sno"mobile suitsC * ersonal communication0& The %ollo"ing t"o hotogra hs$ both by 5erry Nobalen4o$ illustrate his a roach&
Elizabeth Penashue pulling her toboggan (credit: Jerry Kobalenko). One of Elizabeth's grandchildren on the land (credit: Jerry Kobalenko).

The hotos above are a stri4ing contrast to Eli'abeth1s o"n$ "hich o%ten sho" all o% the things 5erry %rames out$ as "ell as scenes o% the butchering o% animals$ "hich may a ear gra hic or #isturbing to vie"ers not %rom a hunting culture& As "ell$ those vie"ers might be har# ut to un#erstan# the enormous res ect the Innu have %or animals$ the "ay their "hole culture is built aroun# a cosmology in "hich animals are at the centre o% li%e an# o% s irituality& 5ohn Berger "rites elo7uently o% the #ual relationshi o% tra#itional small %armers an# animals; the %armers love the animals an# they 4ill an# eat them *not BbutC they 4ill them$ Ban#C they 4ill them ) that is the #ualism0& This is obviously also true o% hunters or others "ho live closely "ith animals& An# Berger conclu#es that the loss o% this #ualism in most o% our lives to#ay Bto "hich 'oos are a monument$ is no" irre#eemable %or the culture o% ca italismC *.9:-$ & ,I0&
rancis and Elizabeth Penashue ho!e fro! a caribou hunt (credit: fro! Elizabeth Penashue's collection).

Dor rea#ers beyon# the "orl# o% the Innu$ or other northern hunting cultures$ 5erry1s hotos have enormous a eal& The %act that his images a ear regularly in national an# international ublications such as Cana#ian 6eogra hic an# National 6eogra hic Travel suggests (ust ho" "i#e an a eal& He em hasi'es that his goal$ similar to Eli'abeth1s$ is to rotect the northern environments that he so loves * ersonal communication0$ an# clearly he sees his beauti%ul hotogra hs as laying a 4ey role in this& In that sense he is an engage# BtranslatorC o% a "orl# that %e" southerners see %irst)han#& Eli'abeth is also a assionately engage# inter reter o% her "orl#$ "ho see4s to ersua#e both Innu an# outsi#ers to rotect it$ but her aesthetic is stri4ingly #i%%erent %rom 5erry1s& <hat sorts o% Bstructures o% %eelingC might each ins ire$ an# %or "homK The ans"er to this 7uestion is %ar %rom sim le but rea#ers might re%er again to my earlier #iscussion o% the ros an# cons o% #omestication or %oreigni'ation; the beauty an# serenity o% 5erry Nobalen4o1s hotogra hs might ins ire vie"ers to "or4 to rotect the laces #e icte#$ but Eli'abeth 3enashue1s images might invite the same vie"ers *or erha s #i%%erent ones0 to leave their com%ort 'one an# learn %rom a "orl# beyon# their current un#erstan#ing& I1m thin4ing also o% the %ilm$ =abbit 3roo% Dence$ #irecte# by 3hilli Noyce an# base# on the boo4$ Dollo" the =abbit)3roo% Dence *.99-0 by Australian Aboriginal author$ >oris 3il4ington 6arimara& Both boo4 an# %ilm tell the story o% three Aboriginal chil#ren *one o% them 6arimara1s mother0 "ho esca e# %rom a resi#ential school an# "al4e# across Australia to get home& Accor#ing to the su lementary material "ith the >J> version$ chil# actors "ere sought "ho "ere Aboriginal but "hose loo4s "ere such that non)Aboriginal vie"ers "oul# i#enti%y "ith them$ in other "or#s not too Aboriginal& It coul# be argue# that a #omesticating violence "as #one in the translating o% this story %or cinema& Yet the #irector ma#e the %ilm "ith the goal o% telling an alternative history o%

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Australia$ a Bcounter historyC$ an# it a ears to have been success%ul in gaining "i#es rea# attention an# su ort& <hat e#agogical e%%ects might this counter history ro#uce$ an# "hat might be the e%%ects o% various 4in#s o% images in our o"n "or4; beauti%ul hotos o% P ristineP environments$ blac4 an# "hite archival hotos "ith their sense o% a "orl# alrea#y lost$ or Eli'abeth1s o"n$ so %ull o% li%e an# love an# bloo# an# messK As "ith all the e2am les in this essay$ the ans"er is not sim le an# much #e en#s on conte2t an# a "illingness to loo4$ an# to listen& Listening L+tories %rom the northM are inaccessible$ i% "e mean by that geogra hically remote %rom the south; a ious an# ironic alibi& But$ more than this$&&& many %rom else"here have not ha# ears "ith "hich to hear them& It seems clear as "ell that voices %rom the North sel#om gather su%%icient %orce to rise above the colonial #in o% southern settler li%e& *3eter Jan <yc4$ ,-.-$ & .I0 The roblematic o% globali'ation to#ay lea#s to the ethical character o% translation as listening an# the res onsibility o% the translator to"ar#s the Other& *+usan 3etrelli T Augusto 3on'io$ ,--I$ & ,,,0 I "ant to em hasi'e t"o s eci%ic oints here; the role o% the translator as listener$ an# thoughts on Bgathering %orce to rise above the colonial #inC so that this story %rom the north can be hear#& Although this section is short$ both o% these oints are im ortant$ so much so that listening$ in the sense o% being o en to the other an# ma4ing the necessary e%%ort to un#erstan# another reality$ coul# be consi#ere# the rimary %orm o% engagement& The %irst oint$ about the role o% the translator$ is in some "ays straight%or"ar#& In the 4in# o% "or4 Eli'abeth an# I are #oing$ I am literally a listener& Yet there is more to it than that an# the role o% the translator is a controversial one& Theoretical un#erstan#ings o% translation range %rom Ba %iel#&&& #e%ine# by roblems o% linguistic an# te2tual %i#elity@ to the originalC *A ter$ ,--I$ & /0 or "hat 6rossman *,-.-0 calls Bthe literalist %allacyC@ to Ben(amin1s o osing vie"$ that BLNMo translation "oul# be ossible i% in its ultimate essence it strove %or li4eness to the originalC *.9,/U.9I:$ & GE0@ to Jenuti1s *,--:0 notion o% the inherent violence o% translation$ es ecially in ostcolonial conte2ts@ to 3etrelli an# 3on'io *,--I0 "ho suggest that there is a BsemioethicsC o% translation an# a #ee res onsibility to"ar#s the Other& 3etrelli an# 3on'io also #istinguish bet"een listening an# "anting to hear& Listening is o ening ourselves u to"ar#s the Other$ res on#ing$ o%%ering hos itality& <anting to hear is more ossessive$ less reci rocal& It #e%ines$ (u#ges$ classi%ies& <hen a translation is also a collaboration in "hich neither artici ant has all the s4ills nor in%ormation$ both must be listeners&

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Yet such a collaboration is not only about the a lication o% s4ills an# the trans%er o% in%ormation& LOvinas *.9I.0 suggests that an ethical encounter re7uires the recognition that the Other is ultimately un4no"able$ combine# "ith a "illingness$ #es ite this$ to learn& It is not through i#enti%ication "ith the Other$ or through mastery o% "hat they tell us$ that "e can learn$ but through un#erstan#ing that their e2 erience is uni7ue an# #i%%erent an# still listening attentively$ being o en$ committe# to our res onsibility to"ar#s them& Only through this 4in# o% listening can "e come to un#erstan# things #i%%erently& An# such listening is not only about atten#ing to the "or#s that are s o4en$ im ortant though they may be$ but also to the embo#ie# resence o% the Other$ "hich e2cee#s s o4en "or#s& +haron To## a lies LOvinas1s i#eas to social (ustice e#ucation$ as4ing ho" the #evelo ment o% such a relationshi can contribute to a larger sense o% res onsibility$ beyon# the one on one encounter& +he suggests that B(ustice #e en#s on our ca acity to be move#$ to have ourselves sha4en u to the oint "here the lives o% others matterC *,--,$ & E..0& The secon# oint I "ant to #iscuss is ho" to create con#itions in "hich rea#ers o% a boo4 li4e Eli'abeth1s "ill try to listen$ in "hich they might be move# an# Bsha4en u to the oint "here the lives o% others matterC& This is an aesthetic 7uestion "ith many ossible ans"ers& One interesting res onse comes %rom a sur rising lace$ %ar %rom Nitassinan& Jalerie Henitiu4 recently "on a ri'e %or her research on translations o% the ..th century 5a anese classics$ The Tale o% 6en(i an# The 3illo" Boo4& *+ee intervie" at htt ;UU"""&sshrc) crsh&gc&caUresults)resultatsU ri'es) ri2U,--FU ost#octoralVhenitiu4)eng&as 2 &0 +tu#ents stu#y them in high school an#$ until recently$ ten#e# to thin4 o% them as #i%%icult an# #ry$ i% not com letely incom rehensible& Ho"ever$ they have no" ta4en on ne" li%e in manga comic versions an# a movie& Accor#ing to Henitiu4$ a main reason %or this ne" interest is the %act that$ in English translation$ they have become art o% "orl# literature$ thus raising international interest "hich ma#e its "ay bac4 to 5a an& I o%%er this as a %ragment$ the beginning o% an i#ea$ but one that suggests a role that certain 4in#s o% translation might lay in enabling a voice %rom the margins to be hear#& Coul# translation$ es ecially into o ular %orms such as %ilm or gra hic novel$ lea# to "i#es rea# international interest in Eli'abeth1s story$ an# the InnuK An#$ i% so$ "hat might be the e%%ects o% these %orms o% translationK It is ossible that the comic an# movie versions o% 6en(i an# The 3illo" Boo4 re resent a #omestication$ an# that it is because o% this #omestication that the stories no" a eal to "i#e an# #iverse au#iences& Nevertheless$ li4e =abbit 3roo% Dence$ this is an interesting e2am le o% an im ortant but little 4no"n or una reciate# story that #re" "i#es rea# attention %ollo"ing translation& As "e have seen$ the BtranslationC o% =abbit 3roo% Dence "as a reinter retation o% the story as a %ilm& In the 5a anese e2am les$ there "ere several 4in#s o% translation; the Bbringing overC *6rossman$ ,-.-0 into English$ an# into manga an# %ilm versions& There are im lications %or curriculum stu#ies here relating to bringing eri heral stories to national an# international consciousness& >oing so otentially Bintro#uces #iscourse shi%ts$ #estabili'es receive# meanings$ creates alternate vie"s o% reality$ establishes ne" re resentations$ an# ma4es ossible ne" i#entitiesC& *Tymoc'4o$ ,--/$ & ,G0

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+ ea4ing That slo" iling one on to o% the other o% thin$ trans arent layers "hich constitutes the most a ro riate icture or "ay in "hich the er%ect narrative is reveale# through the layers o% a variety o% retellings& *Ben(amin$ cite# in McCall$ & /I0 Ho" to re resent Eli'abeth hersel% in a ro(ect li4e thisK An# can she s ea4 through the translators1 act o% listeningK <hat ethical obligations come %rom s ea4ing on behal% o% the otherK I have alrea#y suggeste# that Eli'abeth has limite# access to #ominant or resisting #iscourses in ma(ority languages& Yet she has an e2traor#inary ability to reach eo le$ to move them$ an# to %orm strategic alliances& In both the senses o% re resentation as use# by + iva4 *.9::0 o% #arstellen *to re resent aesthetically0 an# vertreten *to re resent by ro2y as a chie% or a olitician re resents her eo le0$ Eli'abeth can be sai# to re resent many Innu& Jertreten a lies because she "as a lea#er in the struggle against NATO$ because she still re resents those Innu$ many o% them el#ers$ "ho #o not su ort %urther #evelo ment o% the Mista)shi u an#$ because o% her numerous ublic intervie"s$ consultations an# resentations as an Innu s o4es erson& >arstellen also a lies because the iconic image o% her %igure "al4ing on sno"shoes ulling a toboggan in nutshimit is recogni'e# by everyone in Nitassinan$ an# has clearly ins ire# others such as Michel An#re" "ho no" lea#s a "al4 o% young eo le %rom +heshatshiu to +e t)Wles *about /E-- 4ilometers return0 an# +tanley Jollant$ an Innu surgeon "ho invite# eo le to "al4 "ith him %rom Blanc +ablon to Natash7uan& >r& Jollant *,-.-0 state#$ PI% I can ins ire one or t"o young eo le in each o% the communities I visit over the ne2t %ive years$ I "oul# say that "oul# be mission accom lishe#&P Eli'abeth has ins ire# many an# the translation an# ublication o% stories %rom her #iaries "ill ins ire many more& The #iaries are not (ust an ethnogra hic recor# *though they are that an# Eli'abeth is$ in a sense$ an ethnogra her #ocumenting a li%e$ a history an# a cultural conte2t in rich an# intimate #etail0& They are also a set o% te2ts o% literary value$ %ull o% humour$ o"er%ul storytelling$ an# oetic observations o% intimate moments; a set o% te2ts through "hich Eli'abeth ho es to s ea4 to the "orl#& +o many o% her stories come to min#; the "a4ing u in her tent at #a"n to the song o% the 4autuRsi4unOst4uenOst an# loo4ing at the lay o% light across the canvas@ the travelling by train to Aashat ga'ing out at the lan# an# imagining her ancestors "al4ing over it@ the anguish o% rison@ the loneliness o% a night s ent me#itating alone on a mountain@ an# the trium h o% reaching Mineini i La4e on %oot the %irst time& Nolette1s *,-.,0 #iscussion o% the o"er o% certain 4in#s o% art seems to a ly to the aesthetic value o% Eli'abeths voice; LAMrt is un#erstoo# to have a role in the resent$ as a rotective %orm "ith an Sin s ite o%1 7uality that enables eo le to tolerate su%%ering not so that they become immune to it$ but so that they have the energy to continue to resist& L8M +econ#$ artici ation in the (oy%ul is art o% a #ream o% a

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Sbeauti%ul %uture1$ in the sense that it becomes an ins irational %orce& Dar %rom being a #iversion$ it acts to ma4e visible a better "orl# * & ,0& + iva4 as4s that translations give a Btough sense o% the s eci%ic terrain o% the originalC *,--E$ & //-0$ one that$ accor#ing to Nolette$ B#eman#s an in#ivi#uali'e# aesthetic reaction$ "hich in turn moves outsi#e the bo#y into realms o% sociability an# hermeneuticsC *,-.,$ n 0& Nolette goes on to #iscuss ho" #iverse au#iences might be mobili'e# through the leasure o% aesthetic engagement an# %rom there le# to see4 e2 lanation& BTo see4 e2 lanation$C Douillar# suggests$ %or e2am le$ that Innu "or#s such as BnutshimitC shoul# sim ly be use# in English& Let us learn their "or#& The "or# has been variously translate# as Bin the bushC$ Bin the countryC Bon the lan#C$ an# Bin the "il#ernessC& In Drench I have seen BX l1intOrieur #es terresC an# B#ans la natureC an# one version o% the "il#erness "al4 "as #escribe# as Bune ran#onnOe sauvageC& *In Ne" Bruns"ic4 an# ?uObec until at least the .9G-s some eo le still re%erre# to In#igenous eo le as Bles sauvagesC or savages& This is clearly not the re%erent in the translation above but nevertheless there is a certain connection&0 =ecogni'ing the #i%%iculty o% translating the "or# BnutshimitC$ Eli'abeth hersel% says Bin)the)bush)in)the)countryC as i% it "ere all one "or#& I thin4 it coul# also mean BhomeC as she an# other Innu use the term so lovingly& It seems to me that s eech that is beauti%ul *as are many o% Eli'abeth1s stories0 but at times mysterious or elusive *as are incom lete translations0 might move eo le to Bsee4 e2 lanationC& =emin#ing us o% the ossibilities o% artial translation an# o% aesthetic engagement$ Jenuti "rites; Translation is a rocess that involves loo4ing %or similarities bet"een languages an# cultures&&& but it #oes this only because it is constantly con%ronting #issimilarities&&& A translate# te2t shoul# be the site "here linguistic an# cultural #i%%erences are someho" signalle#$ "here a rea#er gets some sense o% a cultural other$ an# resistancy$ a translation strategy base# on an aesthetic o% #iscontinuity$ can best signal those #i%%erences$ that sense o% otherness$ by remin#ing the rea#er o% the gains an# losses in the translation rocess an# the unbri#geable ga s bet"een cultures& *,--:$ & ,IE0 The travel "riter 3ico Iyer *,--90 suggests that travel "riting is #i%%erent %rom other 4in#s o% "riting because Bit engages "ith the "orl# in a very urgent an# s eci%ic "ay$ 4ee s &&& one1s eyes constantly %resh$ con%ers on li%e the sense o% an a#venture an# remin#s you that every moment is rovisional$ every erce tion local&&&C * & ./.0& 3erha s this$ along "ith an aesthetic o% #iscontinuity$ is the real e#agogy o% Eli'abeth1s voice as she s ea4s to us via her #iaries&

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Teaching Translation is relation& Inasmuch as language is constitutive o% thought an# o% e2 erience$ translation is the enactment o% language contact$ the encounter o% #iverse "ays o% un#erstan#ing thought an# e2 erience& Translation is also a #rive& A %ailure to un#erstan#$ a #esire to continue to hear$ to 4no"$ ho"ever im er%ect$ %ragmente# or messy$ are evi#ence o% the #rive to translation& *MarYa Constan'a 6u'mRn$ n#$ n 0 Ho" can "e romote the i#ea o% conversation rather than #ictationK Ho"$ in#ee#$ can "e ma4e or challenge #ominant languages to enable "ithout #isabling$ to enable visibility "ithout$ at the same time$ u rooting intellectuals %rom their languages an# culturesK This must be the %unction o% translation; laying a 4ey role in all o% that conversation& In other "or#s$ "e see translation as the language o% languages or as the language "hich all other languages s ea4& *Ngugi <a Thiong)o$ ,--I$ n 0 The rocess o% translation ! all the #i%%erent 4in#s I have #escribe# here ! reveals many o% the challenges o% using aesthetic an# narrative a roaches in curriculum stu#ies& Communication is never trans arent$ an# any attem t to ren#er a version o% a story in another %orm$ "hether through images$ language stan#ar#i'ation$ or bringing over a "ritten te2t %rom one language an# culture to another$ sho"s (ust ho" com licate# an# un re#ictable it can be& As "ell$ the rocess suggests ho" #i%%icult an# un re#ictable teaching about such things can be& Eli'abeth is a#amant that she is a teacher& Her olitical struggles$ her "al4s on the lan#$ an# the "or4 on the boo4s all have a ro%oun#ly e#agogical ur ose& This article has %ocuse# on language an# images$ but teaching in *or about0 In#igenous conte2ts is also$ an# in some cases rimarily$ about the lan#& Because o% this$ I "ant to en# this article "ith some #iscussion o% ractical e2am les o% teaching that ma4e connections bet"een language$ stories$ an# the lan#& One e2am le )) inten#e# more to gather evi#ence %or lan# claims an# to sto construction o% the MacNen'ie valley i eline$ but nevertheless ro%oun#ly e#agogical )) is the Ma ing 3ro(ect coor#inate# by 3hoebe Nahanni an# other >ene in the .9G-s& In this ro(ect$ artici ants *all o% "hom receive# %iel# training an# s o4e %luent >ene0 s ent t"o years travelling to eo les1 tra lines an# "al4ing on hunting an# gathering trails "ith them& >uring the rocess$ they intervie"e# them$ collecte# stories$ an# ma#e ma s& They later returne# to the tra ers to veri%y the ma s$ thus ensuring a collaborative rocess %rom start to

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%inish& McCall *,-..0 "rites that$ B%or artici ants in the ma ing ro(ect$ the olitics o% Svoice1 an# o% Slan#1 "ere mutually constitutive an# inter#e en#entC * & FE0& In Labra#or$ Innu an# Inuit teachers have sent their stu#ents to as4 el#ers ho" to say things that have been %orgotten by younger generations an# to e2 erience an# #ocument tra#itional "ays o% li%e& An# Eli'abeth hersel% s en#s countless hours on the lan#$ an# in her tent$ teaching chil#ren an# young eo le in small grou s or one)on)one& There have also been other ro(ects in Nitassinan$ inclu#ing the Innu ma ing ro(ect *+heshatshiu Innu Dirst Nation$ ,--:0$ in "hich Innu el#ers "or4e# "ith outsi#e researchers to ma $ #ocument$ an# #igiti'e lace names an# stories relating to them$ an# the Ash4ui ro(ect *6overnment o% Cana#a$ ,--G0 a collaboration bet"een the Innu nation an# university an# government scientists& They stu#ie# 7uestions raise# by the Innu an# consi#ere# im ortant %or their survival on the lan# as "ell as %or gaining a more holistic un#erstan#ing o% a s eci%ic ecosystem& Dinally$ Cynthia Chambers *,--:0 #escribes a research ro(ect e2 loring the literacies o% the Nangiryuarmuit o% Alu4ha4to4$ N<T& +he "rites Bthe literacies are not ne" but ol#$ non)scri tist literacies that are necessary to live in articular laces$ literacies that are being re)ne"e#$ re)learne# an# retaine# in contem orary timesC * & ..E0& The ro(ect$ #ocumente# in an e2hibit calle# 3ihua7tiuyugut; <e Are the Long >istance <al4ers$ sho"s that stories$ songs an# ceremonies are un#erstoo# as "ays o% ma ing an# as literacies& A curriculum o% lace$ accor#ing to Chambers$ inclu#es a #i%%erent sense o% time$ a learning o% ne" s4ills$ largely through han#s on e2 erience$ a sensuous engagement "ith the "orl#$ an# B"ay %in#ingC$ "hich is learne# through mentors an# also through oems$ songs$ ma s an# stories& It is obvious that most eo le "ill not be able to go to northern laces that are very %ar %rom their homes$ an# that not all o% the 4in#s o% learning suggeste# here can be accom lishe# through translation an# engagement "ith e2hibits an# "ritten an# multime#ia te2ts& Yet such te2ts have much to o%%er& <herever eo le live$ a serious consi#eration o% nutshimit$ an# o% the thoughts$ stories an# languages o% someone %rom a lace li4e the MacNen'ie Jalley or Alu4ha4to4 or Nitassinan can o en u ne" "ays o% thin4ing about the "orl#& The above is a very short list o% e2am les o% collaborative ro(ects %or teaching an# learning that %ocuse# on the lan# an# involve# storytelling$ translation an# various %orms o% communication an# re resentation across #i%%erences& This article has also #iscusse# other activities that raise 7uestions or suggest ractical ossibilities %or curriculum an# teaching; the use o% hotogra hy an# gra hic novels to translate e2 eriences an# stories into images$ the issue o% language stan#ar#i'ation an# otential losses an# gains involve# in the rocess$ the otential o% o ular culture an# "orl# literature in raising a"areness o% tra#itional stories an# values$ the ossibility that artial translation an# aesthetic engagement might lea# rea#ers to Bsee4 e2 lanationC& <hat can "e learn %rom all this$ an# ho" can "e teachK Clearly$ no single strategy o% translation or re resentation an# no school)base# a roach to curriculum "ill #o (ustice to this 4in# o% com le2 "or4 an# its goals& In#ee#$ school itsel% is in many "ays antithetical to the lan#& I% chil#ren are at school they are not on the lan# an# it is #i%%icult %or eo le living in cities to be close to nature& Yet$ i% they can hol# both in their min#s$ as Bhabha *.99F0 says$

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B+omething o ens u &&& that cannot be returne# to the t"o o ositional rinci les& An# once it o ens u $ "eQre in a #i%%erent s ace$ "eQre ma4ing #i%%erent resum tions an# mobili'ing emergent$ unantici ate# %orms o% historical agency *.99F$ *n 0&C Is it ossible to hol# school learning an# learning %rom li%e on the lan# in the min# at the same timeK Is it ossible to imagine a curriculum$ erha s li4e some o% the e2am les given here$ that "oul# enable thisK Might atten#ing to the challenges o% translation an# the #ilemmas o% re resentation lay a 4ey role in such a curriculumK There are no straight%or"ar# ans"ers to any o% the roblems this article has set out to #iscuss$ an# trying to translate across such #i%%erence$ in conte2ts "here the sta4es are so high$ is ris4y& Yet not to try is %ar ris4ier& Notes
. ,

The lo"er Churchill =iver Innu)aimun %or B athC / The term Btransme#iaC re%ers to resentation o% Eli'abeth1s stories through several #i%%erent me#ia& E The Innu school boar# has recently #eci#e# to use only stan#ar#i'e# language materials in an e%%ort to ma4e learning to rea# an# "rite Innuaimun easier& The "or4 o% stan#ar#i'ing the #iaries "ill be #one by linguists in consultation "ith the school boar#& F Eli'abeth suggeste# that ictures "oul# be im ortant as many el#er cannot rea# "ritten te2t in any language but they coul# relate to the ictures& I Innu lan# G Innu)aimun "or# %or non)Innu$ or "hite eo le : An Innu)aimun "or# "hich I #iscuss in more #etail in a later section$ an# "hich can be translate# as the lan#$ the bush$ the country$ the "il#erness )) travelling there has even been translate# into Drench as Bran#onnO sauvageC)) an# erha s %or many Innu it can also be translate# sim ly as BhomeC& 9 Inuttitut "or# "ith roughly the same meaning as A4enashau$ but %rom an Inuit ers ective& Inuttitut is the Nunatsiavut variety o% Inu4titut& Ac4no"le#gements <e have receive# a great #eal o% su ort %or this ro(ect& Dun#ers inclu#e the NL Arts Council$ NL Intangible Cultural Heritage$ the +mall"oo# Doun#ation an# ++H=C& I than4 all o% them %or their generosity& Most o% all I than4 Eli'abeth hersel%& Originally$ she as4e# me to hel her but in the en# it has been an incre#ible gi%t %or me to have s ent countless hours learning %rom her& Her stories are hers to tell an# I use only short e2cer ts here$ to illustrate certain oints& =ea#ers intereste# in learning more about her li%e an# "or4 can %ollo" her blog at htt ;UUeli'abeth enashue&blogs ot&caU an# "ill also %in# ublications$ intervie"s an# images by googling her name& +he is also %eature# in the NDBUNe2us %ilm Hunters an# Bombers *.99.0 "hich rovi#es bac4groun# in%ormation on the Innu struggles against NATO& A artial bibliogra hy o% her ublications an# intervie"s %ollo"s the re%erence list at the en# o% this article&

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