Rudy Wiebe’s collection of short stories Where Is the Voice Coming
From was first published in 1974. The mere fact that this collection has seen
numerous new editions at the turn of the 21st century reflects its credibility in
depicting contemporary indigenous phenomena. Apart from exploring the complex
relationship of document, history, and fiction, the well-known title story depicts two
contrasted views on experiencing reality—the one that perceives it as a mysterious,
almost mystical experience and is generally related to the oral traditions of the
indigenous peoples and the other one that rests on the allegedly objective factual
evidence of the white settlers In his exploration of the conflict between the
‘Almighty Voice’ and the NorthWest Mounted police which has been the subject of
various conflicting accounts Wiebe examines the process of turning events into
stories and expresses his doubts about their historical accuracy In that he comes
close to the view of various postcolonial literary critics who generally oppose the
trend of falsifying reality by relying on the object

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