ABSTRACT

This entry uses indigenous literatures in its title as an umbrella term. Yet, to come to terms with the long trajectory and diversity of indigenous cultures in the Americas and their literary contributions other relevant and context bound terms like American Indian, Native American, and First Nations or specific cultures like Maya and Inca will be referenced when necessary. For example throughout this entry, the term “American Indian” reflects populations within the current borders of the United States. “First Nations” is often the preferred term in the Canadian context; “Native American” is also employed to refer to indigenous peoples (→ I/11) throughout the Americas. The plural use of “literatures” allows for a recognition of the many ways in which stories were and are shared across Indigenous communities and also highlights the presence of many tribal nations and communities and their distinct literary and cultural expressions. Most texts addressed in this entry are by indigenous authors and indigenous authors of mixed race origins, and very few by writers who primarily position themselves to speak for indigenous people (→ Indigeneity, I/31). Many tensions are prevalent in the study of American Indian literatures within a U.S. context, and they invite needed dialogue about the legacies of North American colonization (→ Conquest and Colonization, I/7), notions of authenticity and tokenism, and the roles literary history and the English language play in relation to enduring perceptions about American Indian peoples. Additionally, the centrality of the U.S. in a worldwide political, economic, and social arena means that indigenous peoples living outside of the geographical borders of the United States, Latin America, and Canada are not often thought about in conjunction with the peoples within these European-constructed boundaries. This brief overview of Indigenous literatures from an inter-American perspective shifts away from culturally imperialistic notions of literary history, which privilege origins focused on Columbus, the “colonial” Americas and “revolutionary” “America,” written traditions over oral ones, and linear notions of progress.