Welcome to Day 2: April 17CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN FILM

AND FICTIONSusan Power (born 1961) and Sherman Alexie (born 1966)

Morning Session:

Resources for Teaching Native American Studies

Part I: Resources for Teaching Native American Studies

Additional Handout Material• Reservation areas (map)

• Tribal areas (map)

• Traditional Cultural Areas Timelines Legal Status of Native Americans

TIMELINE I

THE PERIOD BEFORE COLUMBUS

• 40,000-13,000 B.C: ICE AGE

The migration of peoples from Siberia to Alaska over a land bridge 13,000 B.C.-1492 A.D.

Native Americans establish communities in all of N & S America 1006 A.D. Vikings travel to ”Vinland” By 1492 there were:

• Approx 1 million Natives in N America (several million in S)

• 21 language groups (200 separate languages)

• Several hundred different tribes

TIMELINE II

THE PERIOD AFTER COLUMBUS 1492-1600 Spanish Conquest of S America 1600s European Colonization of N America 1700s

1754 French and Indian War 1763 Royal Proclamation Establishing ”Indian Territory” 1775-1783: The American Revolution

1800s 1803 Lousiana Purchase 1830 Indian Removal Act (S East) 1862 Homestead Act (West and N West) 1865-1890: The Indian Wars/ Plains Indians

TIMELINE III

THE 20TH CENTURY

1924: Native Americans Become U.S. Citizens Native American participation in WWI, WWII, Vietnam etc From the 1960s: period of Native American political activism

Blossoming of Contemporary Native American Literature 1961: Susan Power born 1966: Sherman Alexie born 1990: Census registered nearly 2 million Native Americans 2000: Census registered 4.1 million Native Americans

the dramatic leap in demographic numbers has to do with registration methods, etc

AMERICAN INDIANS: LEGAL STATUS IN THE U.S.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Powers include: maintaining the armed forces, international affairs, regulation of interstate commerce, coining money, punishment of federal crimes, Civil Rights protection, etc. Bureau of Indian Affairs State Governments (BIA) Powers Include: marriage and Established in 1824. Provides: divorce laws, regulation of educational and social services, alchohol and gambling, creation funding and assistance in all Indian of local govts., courts, schools, affairs. local taxing, punishment of minor crimes. Tribal/Reservation Governments Local Governments All laws which are not Administration of: local federal do not apply to reservations. elections and courts, local Administration of: local elections, taxing, etc. and courts, exploitation of natural resources, hunting and fishing rights, etc. INDIAN CITIZENS ALL OTHER CITIZENS

Part II: Introduction to Susan Powerand The Grass Dancer

I. WAYS OF READING THE NOVEL: As a postmodern novel: (consider topics we have

previously discussed) As a novel that incorporates elements of magic realism As an indigenous/ Native American novel. II. Narrative techniques in The Grass Dancer Power employs multiple narrative techniques in this

novel; reasons for her choices may be connected to the – genesis of the novel (written as short stories)– world view in the novel (communal history and cyclical time

more important than the individual character or linear time)– postmodern issues

Each chapter balances the narration between the chapter’s narrator (either first or third person), and various focalizers (characters whose point of view we follow)

III. Characters/Generations

Susan Power’s The Grass Dancer Generations of Characters: Charlene’s Family

Chapter 1: 1981

great greatgrandparents

great grandparents

grandfather

great greatgrandparents

great grandparents

grandmother

Martin Lundstrom

great greatgrandparents

great grandparents

Clive Broken Rope

RED DRESSand her sister

great grandparents

Mercury Thunder

Crystal Thunder

Charlene Thunder

Susan Power’s The Grass Dancer Generations of Characters: Harley’s Family

Prologue: Death of Harley's Father

Ghost Horseand his brother

great grandparents

grandfather

great greatgrandparents

great grandparents

grandmother

Calvin Wind Soldier

great greatgrandparents

great grandparents

grandfather

great greatgrandparents

great grandparents

Margaret Many Woundsdied in 1969

Lydia

Harley Wind Soldier

Part III: Sherman Alexie and Smoke SignalsOVERVIEW OF TOPICS

Introduction to Sherman Alexie The story collection: The Lone Ranger and Tonto

Fistfight in Heaven (1993) Resources on individual stories Readings from individual stories

(”Because My Father....” and ”This Is What it means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”)

The Film Smoke Signals

STUDY RESOURCES: “BECAUSE MY FATHER ALWAYS SAID HE WAS THE ONLY INDIAN TO SEE JIMI HENDRIX PLAY ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ AT WOODSTOCK” (PDF FILE)IntroductionAuthor BiographyPlot SummaryCharactersThemesStyleHistorical ContextCritical OverviewCriticism (Three Critical Essays)Media AdaptationsTopics for Further StudyCompare & ContrastWhat Do I Read Next? Further Reading SourcesCopyright InformationHow to Cite the Story

Web links

http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/Bios/entries/power_susan.html (Susan Power)

http://www.fallsapart.com/ (Sherman Alexie’s home page)

http://www.bookrags.com/account/ (online literary resources) http://www.spraksikring.com/ (pdf files, etc) http://uit.no/humfak/tilsette/54

(Sandra’s office webpage)

Smoke Signals 1998 All Native-American Production Intertextual Film Genres:

– The Western (esp. John Wayne Movies)– Cowboy-and-Indian Movies– The Road Movie– The TV series “The Lone Ranger”

Bill from the TV Show

Smoke Signalsreadings from adapted stories

“BECAUSE MY FATHER ALWAYS SAID HE WAS THE ONLY INDIAN TO SEE JIMI HENDRIX PLAY ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ AT WOODSTOCK”

“This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” Main characters: two young men: the “cool”

Victor and the “nerdy” Thomas Builds-the-Fire Plot/themes: reservation life; the characters’

childhood and loss of parents; journey to Phoenix after the death of Victor’s father