Sherman Alexie / Part-Time Indian Web Guide

Objective: Students will gain historical and cultural context so as to better understand the concepts and several allusions in Sherman Alexie's book.

Reservations and Some History of Treaties Between Native Americans and the US Government

Vocabulary (look them up!):

"allusion" (noun), "to allude" (verb)

"indian reservation" (noun)

"treaty" (noun)

An "allusion" (don't confuse with "illusion"!) is a reference within a piece of literature to a well-known person, place, or event from history, or a reference to a title, character or event from another well-known piece of literature. Sherman Alexie includes many historical and literary allusions in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, some of which are more specific to Native American culture and history, so we'll need to learn about this information ahead of time. For instance, do you know what a "pow-wow" is?

An Indian "reservation" is a piece of land within the United States designated as federal territory and managed by a Native American tribal council. Many Indian reservations are not on the original ancestral land of the tribe that inhabits them, as many tribes were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and placed on undesirable lands throughout the 19th century. There are around 300 Indian Reservations overall, covering approximately 55 million acres total, or about 2.5% of the entire United States. Still, well over 200 of the country's recognized Native American tribes do not have a reservation or ancestral space to call home.

The quality of life on a typical Indian reservation is notoriously difficult, with poverty levels among the worst in the entire world. Unemployment, alcoholism and drug use, homelessness and violence are commonplace; however, these realities do not over-shadow the value placed upon tradition and family in these environments. Indeed, Native American reservations remain resiliently rich in culture, pride, and love.

CONTEMPORARY RESERVATION LIFE

Wait...where is the Leech Lake Indian Reservation? It's in the state of Minnesota. See these maps:

Minnesota

Leech Lake

Now watch this two-part documentary created by some teenagers from the Leech Lake Reservation, and respond to the questions on the Web Guide. What does "Rez" life seem like in these videos? What is the TONE of these videos?

History of Treaties: Click this link and listen to this four-minute story about the history of treaties between the US Government and Native Americans: http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/01/18/368559990/broken-promises-on-display-at-native-american-treaties-exhibit

First, look closely at the maps below to get some sense of where the Lakota Indians originate from and where the current Pine Ridge Reservation is. Notice how much land the Lakota Indians lost. Similar maps are provided further down in relation to the tribe and reservation connected to the story we're reading.

Now watch Aaron Huey's TEDtalk (15 minutes), and respond to the Web Guide questions

How does Aaron Huey's photo-essay affect our sense for "Rez" life, especially as compared to the Leech Lake documentary?

More photographs from Aaron Huey's time with the Lakota: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/08/pine-ridge/huey-photography

These topics are NOT just history...they persist! See these reports from 2016:

Click the audio to listen to this story: http://www.npr.org/2016/10/27/499479185/in-fight-over-n-d-pipeline-tribe-leader-calls-for-peace-and-prayers

Read this brief article, about a bill introduced in 2016 intended to revoke land from Native Americans: http://www.ecowatch.com/native-american-land-grab-2010250967.html

What attitude do you suspect most American Indians have toward "treaties"?

Education and the Assimilation of Native Americans

This topic plays a significant role in the decisions of the main character early in the story we’re about to read, so our understanding of its history is paramount.

First, define the following words:

assimilate (verb) -

indigenous (adjective) -

Early education of Native Americans, which began during colonial times, was focused primarily on "civilizing" their native culture. The old epithet, "Kill the Indian to save the man," rang true in their efforts. Although Indians were taught to read and write, they were also forced to give up their culture, their language, even their clothing.

1. Watch this 10-minute SchoolTube video called "Kill the Indian, Save the Man": https://www.schooltube.com/video/d9b5b07cb81e455cae88/%22Kill%20the%20Indian,%20Save%20the%20Man%22%20-%20A%20Turn%20for%20the%20Better%20of%20the%20Worse

1b. Click this link to see the before and after effects on Indian students at the Carlisle school: http://www.radiolab.org/story/photos-before-and-after-carlisle/

Today, education in "Rez" schools is quite different. In many ways, this is the best of the times for Native American schools. Although most are in rural areas, many are technology- and program-rich, thanks to state and federal funding. Curriculum is designed to prepare students academically for life off the reservation while grounding them in native culture.

2. Watch this 17-minute documentary called "Little Dream Catchers": https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/500780/legacy-native-americans-forced-assimilation/?utm_source=atlfb

3. Watch this 6-minute video on the condition and purpose of Native American schools today:

Cultural Flavor

THE POW-WOW

"pow-wow" - an organized gathering of Native Americans. The word derives from the Narragansett word "powwaw," meaning "spiritual leader." A modern pow-wow usually involves large gatherings of Indians, often from several tribes, and some non-native people, and includes socializing, dancing, singing, all to honor, protect and perpetuate Native American culture. There are often outfit and dancing competitions, and some pow-wows last for days.

Pow-Wow Dance Outfits: The dance outfits worn in pow-wow dance circles are usually highly decorative and symbolic. They are NOT referred to as "costumes," a term that denotes falsehood, artificiality, mis-representation, impermanence (think Halloween). Rather these outfits are very personal, worn for events considered to be part of one's ongoing existence and continuous connection to tradition. They are artistic expressions of dancers' lives, feelings, interests, family, and spirituality. Elements of the regalia are often gifts from elders, and thus are to be word with pride and responsibility. The regalia evolves as the dancer's life evolves. Each season, changes are made depending on the fashion of the time or personal taste. There is no contradiction in blending historic elements with modern elements, for example weaving traditional beadwork with Minnie Mouse braid-holders.

Now watch these two brief videos on the Pow Wow:

"Fry Bread" - "Fry bread" plays a significant traditional role in Native American cultures. It is often served as a staple at home and at gatherings, such as pow-wows. The way it is cooked and served varies from region to region and tribe to tribe. It can be found at most state fairs in some form or another, but what is served to the general public may be different from what is served in private homes and in the context of traditional tribal relations. Have you ever had "fried dough" or "elephant ears" at a carnival?

Race, Tradition & Contemporary Attitudes

Look carefully at these images below. What should they make us think about? How do you suspect Native Americans feel about them? What's the commentary in this imagery below? What do the artists want us to consider?

What is the political cartoon below trying to point out?

What happens if we flip the image, change the context? See below:

Are we honoring Native Americans by using this imagery and these names as our sports mascots, or are we stereotyping them?

Ok...answer some questions on the Web Quest Guide!

Setting for Part-Time Indian: Wellpinit & Reardan, Washington

The setting of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian carries us all the way across the country to Washington state. The above information gives us some history, but now we'll begin to get a sense for a part of our contemporary society that many of us are not aware of. While the stories the Native Americans fill the pages of our American History books, we seldom think of them as a living, thriving culture. While we live our lives in our cities, suburbs and little towns, some Native Americans live among us, but many still live on the very same reservations - what Aaron Huey refers to as "Prisoner of War Camps" in his presentation - set aside for them by the US Government in the mid/late 1800s. Life on these reservations, as we saw in Aaron Huey's photo-essay, is very different from the lives lived by their native ancestors before the arrival of European settlers centuries ago. Most reservations suffer from serious problems, including some of the worst poverty in the country, poor educational systems, under-employment, and rampant alcoholism. And yet, there remains a remarkable resilience and pride among American Indians. Look for evidence of all of those qualities in the links below. First...some geography again:

See the Map Key at the bottom of the map on the left. Notice the difference between the original Spokane Indian territory (yellow), and the current reservation area (white). Think about what we learned from Aaron Huey's TEDtalk.

The Spokane Tribe once controlled and protected some three million acres of land. The Spokane Indians lived along the river in three bands, known as the Upper, Middle, and Lower Spokane Indians. They fished the Spokane River as their main source of sustenance, and used the Grand Spokane Falls as a gathering place of family and friends.

In January of 1881, President Rutherford B. Hayes declared by executive order the Spokane Indian Reservation the new and permanent (and much smaller) home of the Spokane Indians. The three Spokane bands of Indians were split up into three other smaller reservations, known as the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, the Flathead Indian Reservation, and the Colville Indian Reservation.

Today, the Spokane Indian Reservation is approximately 159,000 acres in size. Tribal membership is a bit below 3000, but growing.

Wellpinit (part of the Spokane Indian Reservation where both Junior and the author Sherman Alexie grew up) and the small town of Reardan are located in eastern Washington state, near the Idaho border. Both settings are predominantly rural, but vastly different in terms of culture: Wellpinit is heavily influenced by the Spokane Indian Reservation and the Native American culture of its population. This includes traditional foods, dancing, ceremonies, and pride in traditional cultural practices. However, the realities of contemporary reservation life are true on the Spokane Rez too, including high rates of unemployment, alcoholism, drug use, and domestic violence.

Reardan is a small farming community about 20 miles outside the reservation. While this is not a super wealthy community, the families and children live much more stable lives. Graduates of Reardan High School typically go on to college and careers, while many of the children from Wellpinit will spend their lives on the reservation.

About the Author: Sherman Alexie

A National Book Award-winning author, poet and filmmaker, Sherman Alexie has been named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists and has been lauded by The Boston Globe as "an important voice in American literature." He is one of the most well-known and beloved literary writers of his generation, with such works as The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Reservation Blues. He has received numerous awards and citations, including the PEN/Malamud Award for Fiction and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Award.

Watch this interview with Sherman Alexie:

OK! Answer the questions in the document!

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