Cuthand S Poem

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Social Interaction: Review of First Nations’ Poem

Introduction

Beth Cuthand is a celebrated indigenous writer and poet whose work ‘Four Songs for the

Fifth Generation’ bears insightful views on the nature of social interactions that the First Nations

had with the early colonial European settlers. The poem is simply laid out, articulate and bold on

the issue of social interaction that faced the four generations of Native Indians. Besides, the

social interactions by members of four generation give a hint on the future of the fifth generation.

The Cree poem is an emotional piece of work that is captivating as the poet races the

mythological roots of her people. To a large extent, one can see that the poet is successful in

capturing the resilience that her people possess despite the ills of social interaction. Despite the

changing of the socio-cultural evolution that the four Indian generations has undergone the poet

echoes optimism that there will come a day where the community will reap full benefits of

positive social interaction.

Social Interactions in Four Songs for the Fifth Generation

First, the title that the poet chooses is not only relevant but bears strong connotations of

what the family has undergone. She starts off with the member of the first generation who recalls

the peaceful times before the coming of European settlers. She reminisces that ‘the buffalo were

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our life/the life of prairies/we loved them/and they loved us (Cuthand 176).’ The poet in this

sense scores high on highlighting initial state of affairs to the family. Primarily, her people

enjoyed the social interaction with nature and peaceful coexistence with themselves. They would

coexist with buffaloes and often periodically shifted the sites of their villages so that nature could

rebuild itself. At this point, the interaction with external adversaries had not come yet. The great-

grandmother recalls the life with buffaloes, ‘but now they are gone’ (Cuthand 176). The contact

with the colonialists disturbed their social interactions with nature, especially, vast lands and

diversity of wildlife. She goes on that the thundering buffalo hooves ‘flowed like a river/over the

hills into the valleys (Cuthand 177).’ The explanation of the echoes of pounding drumbeats,

buffalo hooves, and heartbeats effectively outlines social interaction with nature, showing the

community’s dependence on it.

That aside, Cuthand makes a good impact to readers, by explaining a sharp contrast upon

the coming the colonialists. The explanation of the change resonates well on the reader. Reading

about a new life of segregation, being stripped off their lands and racialization by the dominating

European settlers puts the reader well into context. Even in the third generation, the Aborigines

are granted a right to vote, but equality war was not over yet. It now begins the struggle for

equality. Here, at this point, Cuthand is insightful and empathetic. One does not agree more

seeing the suffering in a people that were peaceful and enjoyed a union with the abundant natural

life. It is saddening that the Aborigines do not fit in the Whiteman civilization. Cuthand’s

illustration on the case of the son of I is well done. The latter says he does not want to ‘a white

high school.’ He prefers to stay in under-resourced but happy Indian schools where he strongly

identifies with. They even share smokes. He remarks that going into a white school will make

‘his spirit die.’ Away from their local schools, they feel threatened, abused and discriminated

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against. The fourth generation member is so disturbed by the scale of segregation and suffering

that he asks whether his offspring (fifth generation child) ‘will have to fight for a place in the

neighborhood too? (Cuthand 178).’ The poet is very successful in sowing the agony of her

people, in a society that is dominated by the Whites.

What makes Cuthand’s a success to the reader has also a lot to tying social interaction to

the community’s loss of identity. Evidently, from the poem upon the social interaction with the

new settlers, their identity started falling back fast. They were not recognized, valued and

respected as the native races. As the new civilization (formal education) took place, the

aboriginal children went through lots of suffering. Even in prior generation life was tough. The

speaker's parents worked for the settlers to make a living. ‘I’ narrates to his son how they used to

cut posts for the English settler, Clarence Simons and could get ’10 cents a post’ which was by

the way ‘good back then.’ Despite the degradation of aborigine’s identity, the poet suitably

believes in use of education to reshape the identity. A member of the third generation, for

instance, urges his son to go to white school and embrace the civilization and perhaps raise the

status and identity of the First Nation communities. While he cherished the native Indian culture,

he desires that his son become an accepted member of the larger community. He hopes that

through formal education, the social interactions will yield many benefits to the Natives.

Cuthand makes good an effort to embrace education to bring liberation to a community whose

identity is under erosion. The poet thus portrays education as powerful tool and avenue to second

liberation.

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In addition to that, Cuthand gives a real or fair account of the nature of the social

interaction between the Natives and non-Natives. It is plain and bold; it was fractious. One

cannot agree more looking at the nature of bullying, ridicule and segregation that the natives

encounter. For instance, the sons of ‘I’ choose to go to school through the long way to avoid

ridicule and bullying of a dog-owning non-native child. ‘My brother was always fighting/it

seemed (Cuthand 179).’ It implies that out of constant disappointment and bullying, natives

became angry. In a reported fight, two boys fight, and the speaker insisting that they should not

be separated. In this account, the poet accurately reports that inequality wars have no winner. It

is only imperative that both natives make a truce and iron out the differences. As a realist,

Cuthand also highlights on theoretical frameworks of integration and how they are largely

ineffective in achieving the set purpose. An ideal example is where the speaker’s family could

not be allowed to swim in a pool with non-Natives. Despite being armed with copies of

‘Declaration of Human Rights,’ non-Natives perceived them as dirty and unworthy of their

company. The poet goes real on the social interaction and not sugarcoating, thus painting a fair

picture of the nature of social interaction.

Finally, one can observe that the poet manages to attain the purpose for which the work

was meant for; portraying Aborigines as resilient and peace-loving. Cuthand effectively curves

the soft side of the Natives. They were kind and gentle despite non-Natives having shown

resentment and open discrimination against them. For instance, they were restricted from cutting

down their trees, cultivated settler’s land for wages but still serve them at time of need. For

instance, the speaker’s family, in the 1930s, toiled hard for Mr. Simmons but also cared for him.

The father instructed them; ‘Take this meat over to Simmons place/ drop at the door (Cuthand

178).’ They showed sympathy to the oppressors, and even the father mourned over Simmons

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who had committed suicide. The poet writes, ‘That was one of the few times/ I ever saw him cry

(Cuthand 178).’ Indeed, despite the ills brought along with settlers, the Natives desired inner

peace to themselves, showing no resentment hoping that one day they would coexist well and

have peaceful times. The poet successfully portrays the tolerance in suffering and glimmer of

hope that someday the oppression to natives will shrink, never to reemerge.

Conclusion

In a wrap-up, Beth Cuthand’s ‘Four Songs for the Fifth Generation’ is a thought-

provoking poem highlighting the social interaction that the First Nation communities had with

the European settler. Upon onset of settlers, the Native lost land, freedom and were subjected to

racism despite theoretical efforts such as Declaration of Human Rights for all. Cuthand maintains

that just as they were survivors before, the aboriginal will survive the oppression through

empowerment, kindness and hope that they will outlive the oppression. Despite the exploitative

social interactions, Aborigines are not doomed to vanish. Cuthand successfully mirrors the hope

that soon, natives would shape their identity once more, reconnect with their ‘pounded earth’ and

enjoy freedom and peace.

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Work Cited

Four Songs for the Fifth Generation’ by Beth Cuthand in The New Wascana Anthology by

Media Purdham and Michael Trussler. Toronto: Canadian Plains Research

Center. 2014. Print

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