THE SACRED CIRCLE: THE CONCEPT OF AUTOHISTORY IN NATIVE CANADIAN LITERATURE (Pages 85-96) by Dr. Aditi Vahia in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

Aproud Amerindian and a Huron by birth, Sioui has complete faith in his native tradition. Sioui’s For An Amerindian Autohistory offers a few guidelines which should govern the study of native history. He feels that these guidelines are also essential for the self image and social ethics of native people and should govern the relations between native people and non-natives.He is convinced that the greatness of Amerindians does not lie only in the past; in the future Native people will play an even more important role by providing the model for a viable way for North America and the world Sioui talks about certain traditional beliefs held by the Amerindians which he feels offer a pathway to global equality and harmony. While trying to prove this superiority Sioui discusses at length, the concept of ‘Autohistory’ i.e. native history written in accordance with Amerindian values. He aims to define the place of the Amerindian in history. History as dispensed to young children is one of the obvious reasons for the prejudices that keep people from respecting both themselves and the mainstream society. At the base of this faith is the very belief regarding the sacred circle of life, which the author discusses through the character of the Sioux holy man Hehaka Sapa. This man felt that all the power of the natives came from the sacred circle of the nation. At the centre is the blossoming tree, the east gives peace and light, the south gives warmth, from the west comes rain and the north, with its cold and powerful wind, gives strength and endurance. The basic spirit is derived from Mother Nature and is thus omnipresent. A circle does not have lines and angles and so in the sacred circle of life, all beings, material and immaterial, are equal and interdependent. Discovering their own vision, their meaning, their religion is the chief obligation of human beings. This is followed by an awareness of the sacred relations which they must help maintain among all beings. This leads them to recognize and observe the laws and to avoid reducing the freedom of other creatures. In other words, Amerindians, Sioui claims, have a fundamental respect for life and for the complementary nature of beings. “They have no desire to affirm their supremacy over any other creature. They do not even domesticate animals, for animals, like humans, possess a spirit and liberty” (12). Sioui proclaims that the Indian value systems embody hope for the future of all humanity. He asserts the basic ideal of the Amerindians which says that if it is their right to exist, then it must be shared, or else one of the parties may disappear. He foresees the fact that in the contemporary world, Euro-American values are misunderstood and may lead to their adopting a view of the world akin to that of the sacred circle of life. Though such a situation might bring in the issue of equality all over again, it will be less of an imbalance due to the basic native belief in the love of life and freedom. My paper explores this concept of Autohistory exemplifying it with reference to some of the works of writers like Thomas King and Harry Robinson. Keywords: Amerindian Autohistory, social ethics, traditional beliefs, global equality, mainstream society, Amerindians, sacred relations etc.