"Reservation Blues" Book Review

With Reservation Blues, Sherman Alexie is able to wrestle with what it means to be an American Indian and show the consequences that come with the loss of identity and culture. Not only are these issues at the forefront of the novel, but they are a reality for many American Indian reservations across the country. Sometimes it takes a story to open your eyes to the struggles happening outside of your own backyard. For me, Reservation Blues was an eye-opening read.

The story begins with legendary blues player, Robert Johnson, visiting the Spokane Reservation in search of a mystical religious woman named, Big Mom. He gives his guitar to Thomas-Builds-A-Fire who starts an American Indian Catholic rock band with his friends, Victor and Junior. The only problem with Thomas’ idea for a band is that none of these characters have any musical background. Thomas is a fairly religious man who has lived through a childhood of poverty while Victor and Junior are the local Reservation tough guys. This is why Robert Johnson’s guitar acts as the catalyst for the entire story. It is with this initial passing of the guitar that Alexie sets up the theme of identity loss. Just as Johnson sold his soul to the Devil, Thomas and his band mates embark on a journey which leads them down a road of self discovery and assimilation.

I may have a personal bias when reviewing this novel because the love for music runs deep within my blood. Even so, Alexie’s witty writing style is a delight to read. It amazes me that he can write with such humor despite the hardships he puts his characters through in the story. But don’t think for a moment that Alexie does not care about the problems and themes present in his book. He may write with a self-deprecating style of wit, but the themes he presents in Reservation Blues are powerful fictional accounts of real life issues facing American Indians across the country.

My Life as a Fake Native American

I am unsure if this counts toward my final tally of blog posts but I wanted to share it with the class. This is an excerpt from my Autobiography assignment where I talk about how my nickname came to be “Chief,” and how I am often mistaken for a Native American. It may look a bit lengthy online but I hope some of you will find it to be entertaining. Enjoy!

Ever since I can remember, people have been asking me what nationality I am. When I was younger I would feel a little uncomfortable and just tell them what I was. But now I like to have a little fun when I am asked the question. Now I turn the tables and reply, “What nationality do you think I am?” Usually, the person who gathered up enough courage to ask me in the first place becomes the uncomfortable one and tells me he or she was just wondering. End of conversation. The reason I like to play around with this question is by no means because I am ashamed of my heritage. Instead, it is because I have been trying to keep a mental tally of how many times I am mistaken for a Hawaiian/American Indian.

I acquired the nickname, “Chief,” when I was in junior high. At the time, I was unsure of the moniker’s origins and assumed my friends called me “Chief” because they thought I was a great leader. After all, I was pretty physical on the basketball court back in my day, a spiritual leader by example one might say. It wasn’t until I saw the film, “One Flew over a Cuckoo’s Nest,” years later that I discovered the birth of my nickname. Apparently, my friend’s father had attended one of our park district basketball games and saw me grabbing rebounds and playing solid defense like I was Dennis “The Worm” Rodman. He also noticed that I was a pretty stone-faced fellow who didn’t talk much. These same characteristics are shared by the Indian Chief who plays basketball in “Cuckoo’s Nest.” Add to the mix we both have brown skin and my friend’s father started calling me “Chief.” The nickname spread like wildfire and pretty soon, the whole school, even opposing teams, knew me as “Chief.” I can’t complain though, at least it’s better than “The Worm.” That was the beginning of my life as a misunderstood fake American Indian.

I can remember my senior year of high school football. All of the friends I grew up with attended my rival high school because I was the only one who grew up on the west side of the district border (WEST SIDE!). The week that our schools played one another I called my best friend who played defensive line for the other team. He told me that during their film scouting session, one of their coaches told the team that “Stagg (my high school) has this guy named Chief,” and they should watch for him. I’m not trying to boast about opposing schools thinking I was good, in fact, I hate the spotlight, but I am just trying to illustrate how it is safe for me to assume that anyone who knows me as Chief will most likely think I am of Indian descent. With all of this being said, I am extremely unfamiliar with any type of American Indian culture or tradition. I have of course been exposed to many ignorant stereotypes society has about American Indian culture, such as the time in junior high when my childhood enemy told me to go back to my tepee and inform my mother that he had a wonderful time doing whatever it is they did together the previous night. In his eyes, I was in fact an Indian, which meant I undoubtedly resided in a tepee hidden away in the forests of Worth, Illinois.

Of course, this kind of ignorance should be expected by children in junior high. The amount of ignorance being displayed should reduce as a person gains more life experience and education, right? Well, I am guilty of giving in to stereotypes as recent as two years ago. This is when I saw the film, “Dead Man,” starring Johnny Depp as a fugitive cowboy who meets an Indian named “Nobody.” Nobody is the stereotypical American Indian. He speaks very few words, conducts strange ceremonies, and is obsessed with trading his goods for tobacco. I thought he was the coolest character back then. But it is only recently that I realize how demeaning this portrayal of American Indian life is to their history and struggles. I am somewhat ashamed by how much television and pop culture has shaped my ideas of American Indian culture. Although I don’t think I am the only one poisoned by the media, I want to wipe my slate clean. The documentary on John Trudell we watched the other day really opened my eyes to the complete disregard in which the larger American Indian population has been treated since the arrival of Columbus. I am intrigued and inspired by the revolutionary actions Trudell led and I really hope that we delve deeper into American Indian activism.

Native American Wrestlers - Tatanka

We have had many discussions in class regarding Native American mascots. It seems like there are two sides to this debate. One side believes some mascots are preserving Native American culture and tradition while the other side believes that the Native American is being used as a caricature of sorts. Now, I know it is not as black and white as this, but I haven’t been able to figure out what side of the debate I am on. That being said, let me share with you one particular example that I’m having trouble decoding.

Growing up, I was a big fan of professional wrestling and the WWF. One of my favorite wrestlers was a Native American named, Tatanka. A biography of Tatanka can be found here. Basically, “Tatanka” translates to “buffalo,” which seems like it makes sense for a wrestling alias. Here is a short forty second clip of his entrance music/video just to give you some perspective.

Now, I can’t decide whether I think Tatanka is exploiting the stereotypes of Native Americans as “savages,” or if he is truly trying to celebrate the traditions of his ancestors. In the biography I linked earlier he states, “I will represent all the tribes, and I have hopes that one day in the future I will lead a new Native American nation in the W.W.F. I will be victorious, and I will dedicate my victory to all Native Americans of all tribes." This may be what he genuinely wanted to accomplish, but I can’t help but think he is using the stereotypes we have of Native Americans for personal gain.

For example, his finishing wrestling moves are called: The Papoose to go, The end of the trail, The Tomahawk chop, and The Indian death drop. The rhetoric of all these names make the Indian appear dangerous and savage. Although, I will say that I think “The end of the trail” is clever and ironic. In addition to his finishing moves, Tatanka was also famous for doing a war/rain dance in order to taunt his opponents in the ring. All of these signs indicate to me that he is playing the role we want/expect him to be in order to gain popularity. Even so, given the forum he was in, professional wrestling, maybe he had to conform to a stereotype in order to become a role model in the first place.

So if you are reading this, what side of the debate do you fall on in regards to Tatanka? Was he really just celebrating his heritage and trying to inspire younger generations of Native Americans? Or was he capitalizing on Native American stereotypes in order to gain popularity?