The power of fiction

I am really enjoying the turn we have taken in regards to our reading assignments. I feel like there is something that fiction is able to do that non-fiction can't. I find myself preoccupied, when reading non-fiction, with facts and history. I get caught up in wondering if something really happened that way or if the truth is being distorted, etc. However with fiction it is much easier to let go of all that baggage. There are no rules and no criteria to fit in. Some things can be true and others can be made up but they all work together to reveal a theme or greater purpose.

I especially liked Requiem for a Leg. I think the strength of the piece comes from the absurdity of fighting over a dead man's leg. In one way it is just ridiculous and in another it draws attention to the complete injustice and blind ignorance that Native Americans have had to deal with on a constant basis. Because it is fiction it has the ability to really focus on purpose and the reader doesn't have to worry about the truth of its assertions.

Water and Autonomy

I get alot out of the stories from our reader but seeing "Water and Autonomy" gave me an entirely new perspective on what we are learning. It was similar to watching "We Shall Remain" because it allowed me to actually see what was happening and to put it into a real context as opposed to just making things up in my head. "Water and Autonomy" really connected with me and, I think, since it was filmed entirely by Zapatistas and people living in the village, it had a really personal feeling. The simple shots of landscape, household interiors, and family routine made it humanizing and is very effective at de-stigmatizing. It seems like if this could be circulated to a wider audience perhaps it would help with the negative preconceptions that alot of people have about the Zapatista movement and even native peoples.

Ishi

I was particularly affected by the story of Ishi that was told in class the other day so I decided to do a wikipedia search to see what would come up, and whether or not it was parallel to what was said in class. Most of the things that I found especially troubling (Ishi being put on display, being viewed as a sort of zoo animal, being forced to recite his stories to death) are all absent from the article. I am honestly not surprised that the most offensive things about Ishi's story are not readily available to the public. This seems to fit with what I have been seeing as my Native American knowledge increases. I find, while talking to friends and thinking about how little I know about the subject, that no one has been taught any of this in school. How is it possible that all of this information, that the atrocities that have occurred are just omitted from textbooks and class discussion? Most people have a vague understanding of what happened to the Native American people, that there was genocide and that many were killed, but the extent of the inhumanity is forgotten. I told the story of Ishi to my friends at a dinner party a few nights ago and everyone was as upset and dumbfounded as I was. No one had any idea that such a thing had happened so near in time and place. This really made me realize the importance of this class and of the Native American Studies department at Davis. If public education will not teach the facts then it is up to individuals to spread the knowledge.

Thompson and survivance

I was really intrigued by the question posed at the end of class on Thursday regarding whether we saw Lucy Thompson's writings as an act of survivance or not. I feel that her writings are a clear act of survivance and that she has done a great deal to help her culture endure. A prime example is her detailed description of the different rituals that her people performed throughout the year. For instance, the white deerskin dance. She went into such elaborate detail that it seems almost possible to recreate the dance and the rituals surrounding it. One of the few instances where her work does not fit with the notion of survivance is when she says that when she dies the true name of her people's God will forever be lost. However, I see this as an inescapable by-product of what has happened around her. If she were to speak this name to anyone but the Talth it would be betraying the fundamental belief of her people. I think it is better to allow the culture to end this way than to forsake its sanctity.

Thoughts on Mr. Boudinot

So, Mr. Boudinot. I realize he is a pretty dubious figure in regards to Indian history and he is doubtless to blame for the death of many, many of his people. This, though horrifying, isn't cause for his immediate dismissal. As I see it, Boudinot thought there was no other way for reconciliation. He knew the desire of his people, that they would remain on their land and fight, and he knew that the Georgia militia would act on this with extreme force. It is reasonable then, if one were in his position, to act as he acted. He knew, when signing a treaty with the United States Government, that he was signing his death warrant. He knew that his people would forever see him as a traitor yet he signed regardless. It is, of course, impossible to know what would have happened if that treaty was unsigned but I imagine he believed the very existence of his culture to be at stake. It is possible that, without Boudinot, there would remain very little, if not none, of the Cherokee culture that the United States is blessed with today. I know that this view of Boudinot is not a very popular one, and I honestly don't know if it is the truth, but at the very least it is possible that this was his reasoning. He wasn't dumb, it seems obvious that he cared for the Cherokee people (his texts, though offensive and belittling, could easily be a coup to the U.S. Government) and that he was working towards their continued existence. I think this could possibly be the explanation for his horrendous actions. Humans all have the capability to mistakes, especially under extreme pressure. Boudinot's mistake cost 4,000 Cherokee lives but I do not believe it was made out of disrespect or malice. I believe it was out of desperation and a wish to see his culture survive.

The purpose of the squid

In the past 4 years at UC davis (really the past 21 years of my life) I have remained seriously undereducated about the trials of the Native Americans. I have always thought of myself as a well read, open-minded person and yet I haven't explored this incredibly important aspect of my countries history. It seemes to me that regardless of how much we learn about another race it is impossible to truly put ourselves into their shoes, to truly understand what it is like to have the history that they have. This is the reason that I chose to name my blog "the squameleon." It is an ingenious combination of the words squid and chameleon... essentially because I couldn't decide which animal I enjoyed more. In short, the history of Native Americans, though incredibly important to learn about and attempt to understand, is one that, because of the passing of time, the obscuring of truth, and my own separation from their culture will remain elusive and ever-changing as more and more knowledge presents itself. Thus, it is.... a squameleon.