Sentence:  There is much at work in this discussion of canon and <WSD>orature</WSD>. As a starting point, it is worth noting that the academic discipline of English developed in the colonial era, and it should be equally patent that Eurocentric attempts to define a canon since the 19th century have been "less a statement of the superiority of the Western tradition than a vital, active instrument of Western hegemony." Limiting consideration or admission to the canon to <WSD>orature</WSD> is a way of continuing colonialism. It once again keeps American Indians from entering the 20th century and denies to Native literary artists who choose other media any legitimate or "authentic" Native identity. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The oral equivalent of literature: a collection of traditional folk songs, stories, etc., that is communicated orally rather than in writing. (from 1970s)