Colonizing the Polar Bears
When we hear the term colonize, we usually think of one country going to an “undeveloped” nation and claiming it as their own. Of course, that’s the proper definition, but the word colonize also connotes a feeling of taking what’s not yours and having control over. In this sense, Knut’s grandmother was colonized by her trainers. They took her and claimed her as their property and did what they wanted to her, much like many European countries did.
Germany, as well as the rest of Europe has a dark history when it comes to colonization. Colonizers who landed in America murdered and raped and displaced countless Native American tribes and peoples. Those who landed in Central and South America plundered the land for natural resources. And in Africa they stole wealth and people, forcing them into slavery. Whichever way you slice it, whichever country you look at, colonization was a dismal part of the world’s history.
In Yoko Tawada’s Etüden im Schnee, we see similar effects in the lives of Knut and his ancestors. Tawada shows us many parallels between the grandmother and people from colonized nations. The lasting impact of colonization is prevalent, not only in Knut’s grandmother, but also in our own world.
If you look at countries like Brazil, or states like Louisiana and Quebec, you can see ghosts of the colonizing countries. Even with America as a whole, one could argue. The languages and cultures of these areas are still heavily influenced by the countries who “founded” them. Places like Quebec still speak the language of their colonizers, as does the United States and many countries in South America. Louisiana, despite having developed a rich, fascinating culture that cannot be found anywhere else in the United States, also still contains traces of French culture from its colonization in the 17th century. Many families have French roots and in some areas up to 15% of the population speaks French in their home. We see this language phenomenon translate (get it? Translate. It’s a language pun) over to Knut’s grandmother, who learns to speak Russian and then German from her handlers. The ones who colonized her.
As we see with Louisiana and Quebec and places in South America, colonizing has a lasting effect, no matter how hard the colonized try to distance themselves from their colonizers. So too is Knut’s grandmother unable to truly separate herself from her colonizes, no matter how far she travels, no matter how hard she tries to forget them, her life and the lives of her daughter and grandson are still affected by her colonization.
