American Indian Culture and Research Journal

We have had lots of researchers come to this community. They don’t understand the people. They come here for a short time, talk to a few people, then they leave and write a report or book with their name on it that is totally inaccurate. Then other researchers quote them continuing the problem and then you have guys like at the college or the government forestry department quoting these guys to our youth instead of listening to us. —Raymond Beaver, personal communication At a conference hosted by the University of Calgary’s Department of History in 1977 both Chief John Snow (Stoney) and Dr. Joseph Couture (Métis/Cree) called for a greater reliance on the oral history of Aboriginal peoples. In his address Chief Snow called on historians to “recognize another form of history, the oral accounts of historic events and understandings passed down by the elders of our tribes.” He denounced the emphasis on written history as truth and noted that by denying the validity of oral history misunderstanding, prejudice, and fallacy often result. For his part Dr. Couture held that “as a point of professional integrity, historians must come to grips with the issue of the accuracy of native oral history, in order, as a sine qua non, to develop a more comprehensive understanding and appreciation of that history.” I believe Chief Snow and Dr. Couture meant that academics need to get over the obstacles that prevent them from viewing this rich source of material as the literature, not only because it is ethical to do so but also because otherwise one cannot produce solid work whether it be in history, anthropology, education, or health research.