Essay Example: Essentiality of History in Richard Wagamese

In his book Keeper 'n Me Richard Wagamese notes that history plays and identity plays a vital role in humans life. In his assertions, he noted the importance of the same in the case of Raven who wanted nothing but an Indian. This is one of the tales that brings out a reconnection to the family and the way of life to a particular people. Raven seeks to reconnect with his family and culture while wholly setting out to be a tale of self-discovery. The story bears some resemblance to the cover of the book (Wagamese, p. 36). The cover articulates Wagameses life history in brief. The baby snatching of the mainstream of the social services was then followed by the residential school debacle that was separated by experiences that many native people whose families are separated develop the urge to search for their identity at later stages of life. Garnet fell in as one of the babies who was snatched and taken from his home at the age of three. In his own words, garnet explained that his family relocated due to the hydro development and the parents moved to the urban city.

Seemingly, it was natural to Ravens parent to have left the little boy with his granny as they went out in the town to fend for themselves. While they were out trying to make life, the Ontario childrens aid society through their investigative agencies realized how the children ware becoming destitute. They were lured with chocolates as their granny was in the backyard. The captured children were kept together for almost a year when Garnet was separated from his sibling. Throughout the search for accommodative lifestyle, graven was plunged into loitering for and wide. Eventually, he became adept at street life (Wagamese, p. 38). While traversing in search of means of life, he met a black family, as this became his learning point for the first time the strength and support a family can provide. At the same time, he became an expert in dealing with drug and selling, an act that landed him in jail.

Wagames's story is a significant contribution to the Canadian literature because it culminates in the presentation of a special segment of the Canadian society, which historically has been largely ignored. In her writings, Maria Campbell has artistically noted that writers from outside the culture come from only a half a place, but rather it is noted that Wagamese comes to the whole places as he fictionalizes the collective experience. He presents the Ojibway as a culture from a viewpoint where someone is trying to regain his rightful place in the culture. Being a stranger to reserve life, Raven lent a lot (Wagamese, p. 40). His story of the orientation to the culture is told with great hope and integrity. As it expects might, he laughs at himself and his foibles. He arrives at the reserve while ambitious to impress the country yokels with his smarts. Upon arriving, the people are gawking like crazy. Within the cultural context, one of the relative wonders if Liberace had adopted Raven, with another commenting that he smells strongly that the fruit flies should be buzzing around his head. While the third warns of the danger of playing with electricity. Keeper concludes.

Customs, as well as practices of the reserve life, were woven artfully with the most significant teaching coming from Keeper. The stories are unique in that among the recurring themes is that of gender balance within the culture and as well as within each human being. For the first time, Garnet hears of the spiritual, emotional, mental and philosophical equity chat characterized his parents union. Much later, Keeper comes out to elaborate on the term soo-wanee-quay which means power of the woman. He says, See when we get sent out into the world, we set in endowed with two categories of gifts- the gift of the father and the gift of the mother and each of them equals the other. The main issue, therefore, is that sometimes the world gets hold of humanity and makes to see things unnaturally (Wagamese, p. 42). In the typical way of pursuing the normal life, one tends to wander in the line of thoughts in which case men are told that they got to be active and fearless, thus starting to ignore the gifts of the mother.

In his book, Wgamese presents a valuable source for seeking to understand as well as rectifying some of the devastating consequences of the patriarchal society. Because of Christianity, the residential schools and the Indian act articulate how Indian have been coerced into functioning in ways that violate their traditional teachings. The power conferred to men by invading the culture creates disharmony and loss typically (Wagamese, p. 45). In regaining, the balance, which once made the native cultures the most eleganterian in the history, is a painful process. Some of his many teachings reflect teachings about respect, sharing, kindness, and love. Keeper emphasized the importance of the balance that t is apparently essential to Wagamese. As the writer put is there is always a feeling coming inside me .somewhere, sometimes I heard of it all before. Like it is not that much to be thought of me as reawakened we often carry the embers of the old fire within us.

Work Cited

Wagamese, Richard. Keeper'n Me. Place of publication not identified: Anchor Canada, 2011. Internet resource.