Aboriginal Poetry by Tappage and Armstrong: The Personal Past, The Political Future Natasha Borden College

Two poems, "Tyee—Big Chief" by Mary Augusta Tappage and "For Tony"by Jeannette C. Armstrong, both contain the theme of that language is important because it is the foundation of what connects us to our community, and it gives us our sense of identity within, and without, that shared culture.It tells us not only who we are but also who we are not. The difference between these two poems is that "Tyee--Big Chief" is written in the traditional Aboriginal orature style and "For Tony" is written using a Western literary style.The way in which these differing styles affect the treatment of the theme is that the first poem is rooted, and stays firmly planted, in the personal and in the past,whereas the second poem starts in the past but finishes by taking a more political tone and looking into the future.

Tappage's poem tells a personal story. In traditional orature style it contains information and repetition, is non-linear in its chronology, and it circles around the theme to come back to the issue of language and identity. Tappage is speaking to an audience who does not know her language and she is educating them about this subject.The first stanza starts by telling us that the word in the title "Tyee" is "not Shuswap...It's...