CANS 315 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10/15: The Buffalo Boy, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
13 Dec 2015
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Document Summary
Asserts indg sexuality systs in the face of patriarchal/homophobic victorian values. Draws attn to missing/murdered indg women while also honouring indg medicinal of the west practices. Parodies buffalo bill/colonialist performances that celebrated the winning/taming. Portrays dirt not as something for the lower classes, thus rejecting western predilection towards polar binaries ( coal jubilee ) (coal primarily for railroad) Use of coal is also evocative of indg relationship w/ land and eur exploitation of it. Railroad brought rcmp, settlers, wasteful buffalo hunters. Uses excessive mourning/celebration to draw attn to colonialism. Acts contrary to colonialist images of indg ppls. Further extension of indg process of adapting cowboy culture to their own buffalo culture. Connects near-extinction of buffalo to starvation, cultural genocide, unfair treaties experienced by indg ppls. Uses camp aesthetic to show absurdity of these stereotypes. Confuses time and identity to further reject western conventions. Terms like two-spirit are reductive but necessary.
