 Xhuyaa and Ts’ehk’i: Translations of Two Versions of the Raven’s Deeds and the Ethics of Translating First Nations Traditional Narratives
This article compares three translations of the Skidegate Haida version of the adventures of the raven, the trickster of many of North America’s North-Western First Nations, with a translation of the Northern Tuchoni version of the same myth. The Haida tale was translated by three non-aboriginal academics with the help of native Haida interpreters, whose translations the academics modified before publishing them. The analysis of the translations of the Haida version shows little difference between the three target texts and a common westernising tendency. A Northern Tuchoni elder’s translation of the same myth, however, remains faithful to aboriginal traditions.