Onward Christian Soldiers: Situating the Writings of the Alaska Native Brotherhood/Sisterhood within a Longstanding Indigenous Literary Tradition. A lecture by Michael Taylor, a Ph.D. candidate in English and First Nations Studies at the University of British Columbia.
In his research, Taylor argues that the current record of Alaska Native literature is divided into two categories: traditional oral literature and post-1960s fiction and poetry.
“Though both categories of literature are vital, the glaring absence of early twentieth-century Alaska Native writers maintains the myth that Alaska Natives remain only recently and marginally literate,” Taylor wrote.
In his presentation, Taylor explores the early writings of the ANB/ANS—including their constitutions, petitions and newspapers—to highlight how these writings attest to ongoing Alaska Native community and survival during an era of forced individualization and assimilation.
