Open Collections

Archibald, Kara

University of British Columbia

The study of the past, History, is often presented through a colonial lens. The past is a collection of events that happened, with people who existed, and it can be seen as static and a record of the truth. With the current discourse on decolonization, however, such a representation of history sets a limitation, on classical studies in particular, in the way that the past can be examined. It is the stagnation of imagination that causes a rift between what is considered historical and what is considered fictional. Therefore, it is integral to engage in alternative approaches to the ancient past, and one key way to do this is to Indigenize it. In texts such as the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey,' the fictional or mythical elements supersede the significance of orality and oral history. Homer’s epics are therefore considered unverifiable, which can ultimately lead to the limitations of what can be interpreted and gleaned from reading these epic poems. The information and details embedded in the poem, however, are remnants of cultural memory, and are highly influential to later authors, including translators today. Further, Herodotus’ 'Histories' is subject to scrutiny for the validity of his text, whether he wrote the truth as it actually was or whether he invented it. Based on the way historians, both modern and ancient, experience and interpret the past, any form of fictionalization can result in assumptions. Interpretation and translation can often lead to discrepancies in order to make the past look a certain way. In some cases, through a colonial perspective, it means putting emphasis on socially acceptable ideas rather than what might have been the reality. As a result, anything outside of those ideals are considered “unsophisticated.” It is necessary to break away from opposing categorization – black and white, real or fake, true or false – in order to see the complex nature of the past through Indigenous perspectives on its texts. As such, this thesis is an exploration of the significance of orality, oral history, and the use of narrative in order to provide different interpretations of these ancient texts.

Text

2024-02-29

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87487

Ancient Culture, Religion and Ethnicity

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/