ABSTRACT
One category of literature is the “philosophical novel,” defi ned as “that subspecies of fi ction which endeavors to present a specifi c philosophical viewpoint, sometimes metaphysical, sometimes ethical, and sometimes aesthetic . . . whereas it is usually a defect in a work of fi ction to ally itself closely with a particular viewpoint, for a philosophical novel, a grasp of the fact that a particular world-view is embodied is a precondition of understanding the novel” (Honderich 2005). Following this defi nition, I suspect that most important works of fi ction by Indigenous writers fall within this category, even though they are not arguing philosophy in the Western sense. Indigenous authors are attempting to reveal the Indigenous way of thought and life to readers who are typically unfamiliar with these perspectives and are “reinventing the enemy’s language” (Harjo and Bird 1997) in an effort to keep a sense of Indigenous identity alive.
