Abstract
The authors discuss the use of a novel, Waterlily, by Ella Cara Deloria, for courses in communication studies. As a representation of the life and culture of Teton Dakotas in the time before substantial contact with European Americans, the novel reveals a distinctive outlook and system of practices with regard to communication. Thus it provides a striking counterpoint to assumptions commonly presented in courses in communication studies. An interpretive framework for examining such a novel, with particular reference to its portrayal of culturally distinctive ways of communicating, is presented and applied to Waterlily. Issues regarding the validity of the novel as an authentic representation of traditional Dakota culture are discussed, in the context of pedagogy.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Communication
Volume
29
Issue
29
First Page
1
Last Page
31
Language
49
File Format
en
Recommended Citation
Philipsen, Gerry; Aoki, Eric; Castor, Theresa R.; Coutu, Lisa M.; Covarrubias, Patricia; Jabs, Lorelle; Kane, Melissa; and Winchatz, Michaela R.
(1997)
"Reading Ella Cara Deloria's Waterlily for Cultured Speech,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 29:
No.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol29/iss1/4
Copyright
UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa
