🪶Native American Literature Unit 8 – Contemporary Native American Fiction

Key Themes and Concepts

• Identity exploration delves into the complex nature of Native American identity in contemporary society, often highlighting the struggle to maintain cultural traditions while navigating modern life
• Cultural survival emphasizes the resilience and perseverance of Native American communities in the face of historical oppression and ongoing challenges
  • Includes the preservation of language, traditions, and spiritual practices
• Intergenerational trauma addresses the lasting impact of historical injustices, such as forced assimilation and the boarding school era, on Native American families and communities
• Connection to land and environment underscores the deep spiritual and cultural significance of the natural world in Native American worldviews
  • Often contrasts with Western notions of land ownership and resource exploitation
• Reclaiming history involves rewriting and reinterpreting historical narratives from a Native American perspective, challenging dominant colonial narratives
• Intersection of tradition and modernity explores the tensions and negotiations between traditional Native American ways of life and contemporary society
  • Highlights the adaptability and innovation of Native American cultures
• Political activism and resistance portrays Native American characters engaging in various forms of social and political activism to protect their rights, lands, and communities

Historical Context

• Legacy of colonialism and its ongoing impact on Native American communities, including land dispossession, cultural suppression, and systemic inequalities
• Forced assimilation policies, such as the boarding school era (late 19th to mid-20th century), aimed at erasing Native American cultures and identities
  • Resulted in widespread trauma, loss of language, and cultural disconnection
• Termination era (1940s-1960s) involved federal policies designed to end the special status of Native American tribes and promote assimilation into mainstream society
• American Indian Movement (AIM) and Red Power activism (1960s-1970s) marked a period of increased political activism and cultural revitalization among Native American communities
  • Key events include the occupation of Alcatraz Island (1969-1971) and the Wounded Knee incident (1973)
• Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975) and other legislation aimed at promoting tribal sovereignty and self-governance
• Ongoing struggles for land rights, treaty enforcement, and environmental justice, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline protests (2016-2017)

Major Authors and Works

• N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa): "House Made of Dawn" (1968), a groundbreaking novel that explores themes of identity, cultural dislocation, and spiritual healing
• Leslie Marmon Silko (Laguna Pueblo): "Ceremony" (1977), a novel that interweaves traditional Laguna stories with the story of a World War II veteran's journey towards healing
  • "Almanac of the Dead" (1991), an epic novel that addresses themes of resistance, prophecy, and the interconnectedness of all beings
• Louise Erdrich (Ojibwe): "Love Medicine" (1984), a novel that follows the lives of several interconnected Ojibwe families over several generations
  • "The Round House" (2012), a coming-of-age story that addresses issues of sexual violence and tribal jurisdiction
• Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur d'Alene): "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" (1993), a collection of short stories that explore themes of poverty, addiction, and cultural identity
  • "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" (2007), a semi-autobiographical novel about a Native American teenager navigating between reservation life and an all-white high school
• Tommy Orange (Cheyenne/Arapaho): "There There" (2018), a novel that follows the lives of several Urban Indians in Oakland, California, as they converge at a powwow

Literary Techniques and Styles

• Non-linear narratives that disrupt conventional Western storytelling structures, often reflecting Native American oral traditions and cyclical conceptions of time
• Incorporation of Native American languages, phrases, and concepts, highlighting the importance of linguistic preservation and cultural specificity
  • Examples include the use of Laguna words in Silko's "Ceremony" and Ojibwe phrases in Erdrich's novels
• Magical realism and the blending of spiritual and physical realms, reflecting Native American worldviews that emphasize the interconnectedness of all beings
  • Seen in works like Momaday's "House Made of Dawn" and Silko's "Ceremony"
• Use of humor and irony to subvert stereotypes and address serious issues, particularly in the works of Sherman Alexie
• Intertextuality and the incorporation of traditional stories, myths, and oral histories into contemporary narratives
  • Exemplified in Silko's "Ceremony," which interweaves Laguna stories with the main plot
• Polyvocal narratives that feature multiple narrators and perspectives, reflecting the diversity of Native American experiences and communities
  • Employed in works like Erdrich's "Love Medicine" and Orange's "There There"
• Emphasis on the importance of storytelling as a means of cultural transmission, healing, and resistance

Cultural Representation

• Authentic portrayals of Native American cultures, traditions, and worldviews, as opposed to stereotypical or romanticized depictions in mainstream media
  • Includes accurate representations of ceremonies, spiritual practices, and social structures
• Exploration of the diversity among Native American communities, challenging the notion of a monolithic "Native American" identity
  • Highlights the unique histories, languages, and cultures of different tribes and regions
• Representation of Urban Indians and the experiences of Native Americans living in cities, challenging the stereotype of Native Americans as solely reservation-based
  • Prominently featured in works like Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" and Orange's "There There"
• Depiction of Native American characters as complex, multidimensional individuals, rather than as one-dimensional stereotypes or sidekicks
• Emphasis on the importance of community, family, and intergenerational relationships in Native American cultures
• Portrayal of Native American resistance and resilience in the face of historical and ongoing oppression
  • Includes depictions of political activism, cultural revitalization efforts, and everyday acts of survival and perseverance

Contemporary Issues Addressed

• Environmental justice and the protection of sacred sites, such as the ongoing struggles against pipeline projects and resource extraction on Native American lands
• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis, which involves the disproportionately high rates of violence against Native American women and the lack of adequate response from law enforcement and government agencies
  • Addressed in works like Erdrich's "The Round House" and the anthology "Stolen Sisters: The Politics, Policies, and Travesty of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls"
• Cultural appropriation and the misuse of Native American imagery, symbols, and spiritual practices by non-Native individuals and corporations
• Ongoing impact of intergenerational trauma and the need for healing and reconciliation within Native American communities
  • Explored in works like Momaday's "House Made of Dawn" and Silko's "Ceremony"
• Struggles for tribal sovereignty and self-determination, including issues related to land rights, treaty enforcement, and economic development
• Urban Indian experiences and the challenges of maintaining cultural connections and identities in cities
  • Central theme in works like Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" and Orange's "There There"
• Intersection of Native American identities with other marginalized identities, such as LGBTQ+ and mixed-race experiences

Critical Reception and Analysis

• Recognition of the groundbreaking nature of works like Momaday's "House Made of Dawn," which helped establish Native American literature as a distinct and valuable field of study
• Analysis of the ways in which Native American authors challenge and subvert Western literary conventions and dominant narratives
  • Includes examination of non-linear storytelling, incorporation of oral traditions, and use of magical realism
• Exploration of the themes of identity, cultural survival, and resistance in Native American literature, and how these themes reflect the lived experiences and struggles of Native American communities
• Examination of the role of Native American literature in promoting cultural revitalization, political activism, and social change
  • Includes analysis of how works like Silko's "Ceremony" and Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" have inspired real-world activism and cultural pride
• Discussion of the importance of Native American literary representation and the need for more diverse voices and perspectives in mainstream publishing and academia
• Critical analysis of the ways in which Native American literature challenges and expands the boundaries of American literature as a whole
  • Argues for the inclusion of Native American works in the American literary canon and the recognition of Native American authors as significant contributors to American culture

Connections to Broader Literary Movements

• Influence of the Native American Renaissance (1960s-1970s) on contemporary Native American literature, particularly in terms of cultural revitalization and political activism
  • Key figures include N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, and Leslie Marmon Silko
• Relationship between Native American literature and postcolonial literature, in terms of challenging colonial narratives and asserting cultural identities
  • Shared themes of resistance, cultural survival, and the reclaiming of history
• Contributions to the development of ethnic American literature and the promotion of diverse voices and perspectives in American culture
• Connections to environmental literature and eco-criticism, particularly in terms of the emphasis on the relationship between humans and the natural world in Native American worldviews
  • Seen in works like Silko's "Ceremony" and "Almanac of the Dead," which highlight the interconnectedness of all beings and the importance of environmental stewardship
• Engagement with feminist and gender studies, particularly in terms of the representation of Native American women's experiences and the intersection of gender and colonialism
  • Exemplified in works like Erdrich's "The Round House" and the poetry of Joy Harjo
• Influence on the development of Indigenous literatures worldwide, in terms of shared themes of cultural survival, resistance, and the assertion of Indigenous identities
  • Includes connections to Indigenous authors from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other settler-colonial nations