Richard Wagamese's "Keeper'n Me" (1994). The Quest of Healing First Nation Identity in Canada

Scientific Essay from the year 2024 in the subject Literature - Canada, University of Marburg (Marburger Zentrum für Kanada-Studien), language: English, abstract: The importance and role of literature originating in former colonies such as Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand or Pakistan during the last fifty years by now is undisputed since most writers gave a new push to English-speaking literature by adding matters of colonialism, racism, immigration, exile, survival, border crossing or hybrid existence. Canada hereby soon gained a key role since it was and still is considered to be an ideal place for diversity which formed the basis for a multicultural society which soon produced an enormous number of writers disposing of different political, cultural, ethnic or religious backgrounds. This essay therefore mainly deals with matters of loosing and (re-)gaining First Nation identity in contemporary Canada. It hereby throws light on a history of racism, exploitation, genocide, subjugation and discrimination which has marked Canadian history for such a long time. The loss of tradition and identity patterns hereby are of special interest since their results led to various ways of existence which constantly created multiple forms of the hybrid between two worlds – the world of the First Nations and the world of Western colonialism and its manifold realisations.