Science fiction, with an aboriginal consciousness
Native science fiction isn’t an oxymoron anymore. Not after October 3, anyway. That’s when Drew Hayden Taylor’s latest book, Take Us to
your Chief, comes out. The 150-page read holds nine science fiction short stories with a modern First Nations outlook.
“I’ve taken traditional science fiction mechanics and filtered it through an aboriginal consciousness,” said Taylor, who is Anishinaabe.
It’s the Curve Lake resident’s 29th book, all of which are First Nation themed. He’s also penned plays, novels, personal essays and fiction.
But never science fiction before now.
Writing in this genre was a chance to alter the perception of native literature, Taylor said.
“It’s either being victim narrative, historical or it’s always us looking back or what history has done to us,” he said.
With Take Us to Your Chief, Taylor took that perspective and flipped it 180 degrees.
“I’ve taken characteristics of contemporary science fiction, aliens landing, superhero, time travel, all of these popular characteristics of a genre, and I’ve indigenized them,” said Taylor, 54.
Like most of his work, Take Us to Your Chief is humour based.
“They’re a lot of fun ... they take a look at the aboriginal universe and turn it on its side.”
There’s also a lot of meat to some of the stories, dealing with some of the issues that native people are facing within a contemporary society.
The Lakefield District Secondary School graduate has travelled to more than 140 First Nations communities in Canada and the United States.
With First Nations themes, Taylor said he tries to show that the perception many Canadians have of native communities isn’t always what it appears to be.
“I try to open a door of understanding and recognition into the native community.”
And with a humour-based style, he focuses on the more of the positive aspects of indigenous communities, celebrating them.
The former Examiner columnist’s 30th book, Crees in Carribean, comes out Jan. 30. It’s a comedic play that’s being produced in Thunder Bay, then again in Mazatlan, Mexico in February.
And he’s got two commissioned plays in the works now. One is for the National Arts Centre in Ottawa about John A. Macdonald, written from an aboriginal perspective, for Canada’s 150. The other is about the wild rice wars on Pigeon Lake for Tarragon Theatre.
As for writing his first science fiction book, Taylor said it wasn’t too difficult to do. He’s been a scifi fan for years and the ideas came to him easily.
It’s also one he’s especially proud of.
“I’ve worked really hard on it and I hope people have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.”