Comments | theair_thesun: Let's discuss... Native American racism!

sleepy_sheep683 in theair_thesun

Let's discuss... Native American racism!

Oct 13, 2010 01:14

Hi all,

I'm opening up a dialogue about this for fairly selfish reasons- my beta-reader has been going over one of the later chapters of my fanfic and is of the opinion that the racism aspect is potentially overshadowing the story.

There are indeed quite a few references in my story to tensions between Forks and La Push reservation, the tribe ( Read more... )

Comments 32

runningsissors October 13 2010, 01:10:36 UTC

well I can't give you any first hand experience, but my boyfriend and his entire family are first nation, so I have a little bit of knowledge on stuff. Mainly stereotyping.

The alcoholism thing is a big factor, as well as the general assumption that reservations are basically junk yards. Mixed relationships are pretty common, at least in BC, but a lot of families want to keep their lineage in the community.

Personally, I'm the antichrist to his grandmother. She hates me.

But then again, this is all the generalized typical Canadian view (obviously we all don't think this). I couldn't tell if American views are different or not.

sleepy_sheep683 October 14 2010, 00:09:41 UTC

That's interesting; particularly what you said about your relationship.

The more research I did, the more comfortable I felt with laying on the racial tension- because there seemed to be so much of it. It seems it wasn't a bad thing to do.

audreyii_fic October 13 2010, 02:43:05 UTC

I've found that it's pretty damn difficult to figure out how to handle these issues when dealing with Twilightverse Quileutes, because in order to fit canon, they have to be what Meyer thinks Native Americans are like. Very annoying. (Though I suppose given Meyer's general sucktasticness, we should be grateful that she didn't actually try to address any race issues. I can't even begin to think of how badly she would have fucked it up.)

awe_0 October 13 2010, 03:16:21 UTC

Well, I wasn't going to comment since I have no first hand experiences, yet. No matter how devoted I am to this topic, my experiences as a Mexican American, though not a ball of sunshine, aren't exactly equivalent to those of Native Americans, though sometimes we come quite close.

You did however link to Alexie's book, which I happened to have read recently and believe to be a damn good piece of literature. I don't know if you've actually read the book or just know its overall themes, but in it we see that racism is a VERY BIG DEAL. It matters a lot, and often not just to the elders. It's also a two-way street. Things like alcoholism and poverty are sometimes rampant. Stereotypes are usually created for a (sad)reason. The book paints a really vivid picture of life for Spokane Indians and often emphasizes the point of mixed relationships as big cultural no-nos ( ... )

Also... awe_0 October 13 2010, 03:29:56 UTC

This is an excerpt from the book that might help you:

"SEVENTH GRADE

I leaned through the basement window of the HUD house and kissed the white girl who would later be raped by her foster-parent father, who was also white. They both lived on the reservation, though, and when the headlines and stories filled the papers later, not one word was made of their color.

Just Indians being Indians, someone must have said somewhere and they wrong ( ... )

Re: Also... awe_0 October 13 2010, 03:58:10 UTC

*Held not help.

*Just Indians being Indians, someone must have said somewhere and they *were* wrong.

Sorry!

likexaxdove October 13 2010, 03:44:36 UTC

Great minds think alike.

Seriously though, it was a fantastic book.

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likexaxdove October 13 2010, 03:40:49 UTC

A few months ago I read a book called The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Here's the synopsis:

"With his first foray into teen literature, acclaimed author Sherman Alexie packs a punch in this absorbing novel about a Native American boy searching for a brighter future. At once humorous and stirring, Alexie's novel follows Junior, a resident of the Spokane reservation who transfers out of the reservation's school -- and into a nearby rich, all-white farm school -- in order to nurture his desire to become a cartoonist. Junior encounters resistance there, a backlash at home, and numerous family problems -- all the while relaying his thoughts and feelings via amusing descriptions and drawings. Having already garnered a National Book Award for Young Adult Literature, this moving look at race and growing up is definitely one to pick up."The book is based on real life events that Alexie went through growing up as a Native American, and for me personally it was really eye opening. Granted, the Spokanes are ( ... )

sleepy_sheep683 October 14 2010, 00:21:04 UTC

Thanks- I read 'The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist-Fight in Heaven', which has similar themes (I do fancy reading 'The Absolutely True Diary...' however). Again, 'The Lone Ranger...' was apparently semi-autobiographical, Alexie drawing from his friends, family and himself for each story. It was this that made me think, 'Fuck- I can really push this a lot further than I was ever going to.', although one has to remember that he grew up in the 60s/70s and some things are bound to have improved (the stories in this book suggested the hospital deceived women who had given birth into signing consent forms for sterilization, for example- I would be very surprised if that still went on).

"since you're writing a story where you want to get the current Native American culture right (which I commend you for, by the way)"Thanks. I still don't feel 100% comfortable with it, mainly because I think I've got a reasonable generic Native American tribe but as each tribe is vastly different, it stands to reason it won't reflect the Quileutes that closely ( ( ... )

Racism & out-marriage wanakin October 13 2010, 05:20:27 UTC

I'm descendant of three "Native American" tribes, Navajo, Hopi, and Pima (your fine feathered friends, a little Indian humor for you) but I'm registered with the Navajo. I've grown up on the Navajo reservation most of my life up until college and I'm currently taking an American Indian Studies (AIS) introductory course ( ... )

Re: Racism & out-marriage stigmata_crow October 13 2010, 06:39:31 UTC

This is one area where I think Canada has it better. First Nations have the right, if they so choose, to self determine who qualifies as a Status Indian (basically the Canadian equivalent of who gets to determine what is a "Native American" is) under their tribe. Not all First Nations choose to do this, but the option is there. If they not choose to do this, it falls on Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and in that case I believe so long as one parent is Status, you are eligible for Status.

And gods, the resentment. The resentment is a huge issue. My sister worked at a college book store, and one of the responsibilities of the book store was to pay Status Indians their stipend (all Status Indians get paid to go to post-secondary school), and she used to have stories of the evil looks people would shoot their way as they were coming in to get their money. I get it, I was mad about how much my textbooks cost too, but I'm not getting mad at Status Indians for it.

Edited since I missed the end of a sentence XD.

Re: Racism & out-marriage sleepy_sheep683 October 13 2010, 23:48:36 UTC

Wow- I'm actually feeling a little more confident about my story having read your post; those are the sorts of things I've hinted at in it (I don't want to give away too much). I get the impression that almost all serious racism stems from resentment. The UK in the 70s had an influx of migrant workers from the India region, and the abuse they received from some quarters was terrible- mainly because these people believed their jobs were being taken from them by said migrants. Really, people should just grow up- equal and fair are not the same thing ( ... )

Re: Racism & out-marriage wanakin October 14 2010, 01:32:52 UTC

a) I think just about anyone would agree that this sounds like a very vindictive move on the part of the tribe but I really would need a little more info to give you a real opinion on wither the matter is illogical or not. I think I'd really need to know the specific tribe and when this took place so I could put it into context but my initial reaction is this seems pretty illogical as many tribes allow there members to out marry and maintain membership (things get a little more complicated when a member marries a member of a different tribe in terms of dual enrollment and dis-enrollment to become part of the spouses tribe ( ... )

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