Summary Of Writing As Witness By Beth Brant

Beth Brant’s journey through Writing as Witness is to reclaim power, particularly that which she perceives in relation to langauge and words. "I hope to convey the message that words are sacred," she says, establishing her perception of what the power words entails through emphasis on tribalography and reclaiming tribal culture and history. The power of language to shape our perceptions of other people is immense. Precise use of terms in regards to race and gender can have a significant impact on demystifying many misperceptions. Power of word also relates to identity, and when Brant speaks about her sexual identity and Mohawk heritage, she ultimately reclaims power, particularly the power of word is* it is understand from her perspective

Brant wants to tell us the truth but finds it very hard for different reasons. First of all, she associates writing with the holy Bible. *However, when the colonizers arrived in the New World, they started to assimilate Indians with this book. It was an unreliable text for her and her People since abuse was permitted; it did not fit their ideologies and was a synonym for their misfortune. Brant speaks of homophobia as a sickness that was introduced by colonialism, just as smallpox and alcohol were introduced by the Europeans to weaken and destroy the first peoples of the land. "Although we have never left that home, in a sense we have been pulled and pushed into accepting the lies told about our Indian selves"

"Sexuality, and the magic ability of our bodies to produce orgasm was another way to please Creator and ensure all was well and in balance in our world" (55). "...something I couldn't have said years ago when I was a battered woman, a self-hating half-breed, a woman who self-destructed at every turning, before I acknowledged by lesbianism and before I began to write"