Why We Should Read

Why We Should Read

Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal,

Courage and Survival The Warmland Book & Film Collective – a response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada – next meets online June 9th to discuss Speaking My Truth: Reflections on Reconciliation & Residential School, selected by Shelagh Rogers, et al. Email WarmlandBFC@ gmail.com for zoom link.

When was the last time you heard a good story, from the mouth of a real storyteller? Even though we have access to immense amounts of information, that experience has become rare for most of us. As the subtitle indicates, Two Old Women is a legend, a story handed down through the generations, forming a part of the oral tradition of the Gwich’in people of Alaska. There is a great difference between oral and written storytelling; it is not simply a matter of writing down what is said. There is a real skill to replicating the pacing and atmosphere of a fireside telling, a feat that Velma Wallis executes marvellously in this book. In this slim volume - the whole book can be read in a couple of hours - she captures an evening of legend telling perfectly. Like many legends, on the surface it is a deceptively simple story, but there is a depth of lessons to be learnt if you look more deeply. An unusually harsh winter has pushed a nomadic group into a desperate situation and the chief decides to leave behind two elderly women who are not seen as contributing. What happens next surprises both the women themselves and the rest of the band. Wallis explains that this story was told to her by her mother, who heard it from her mother before her. In this way, legends are teachers, reminding us of what is important in life. In Two Old Women, Wallis reminds us of the importance of elders and the strength and resourcefulness of women. The legend asks us to broaden our definition of what contribution is, drawing attention to the power of the knowledge keepers. Today when elders are routinely relegated to the fringes of our society, we would do well to pay attention. Submitted by David & Ranji

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