Contemporary Native American Literature

Native American literature is traditionally oral stories handed down through the generations. Contemporary Native American literature saw a resurgence in the late 1960s during a time some have called the Native American Renaissance, a term considered by some academics to be controversial, and gave rise to a new generation of Native American writers. According to Anna Combs, “the purpose of Contemporary Native American Literature is to” fuse the literate and oral cultures and to construct an ethnic identity of Native Americans in the late twentieth century.” I will discuss three books which I see as examples of this purpose.

The first book I would like to discuss is N. Scott Momaday’s House Made of Dawn. It was published in 1968 and was created with the resurgence in modern Native American literature. The title is a reference to the connectedness between the spiritual and physical worlds as well as the people and the land. The story follows Abel as he returns to the reservation in New Mexico after fighting in WWII. His grandfather, Francisco, tries to instill in him a sense of native traditions and values. However, the war has left Abel broken and shattered. Abel begins to wander, eventually ended up in Los Angeles, California where life is difficult for him as many criticize him for not assimilating to the modern world. When he returns, once again, to the reservation to care for his dying grandfather, he hears the stories of his people. His grandfather stresses the importance of staying connected to the traditions. Abel participates in a traditional ritual which helps him return to the land, his people and his place in the world. I also read this book for a Native American literature class and again it stayed with me because the story is intertwined with poetry and I love poetry. The imagery and words are powerful as it highlights that many of our struggles are spiritual as well as physical. It is not a book to rush through. It needs to be read slowly, absorbing and contemplating the images and meanings. I still have my copy from college along with my notes in the margins. I’ve read many criticisms about this book and I find that many who disliked it do not truly understand the poetry as Momaday is a self-described poet and not a novelist. Regardless, I found House Made of Dawn very powerful.

The second book I would like to discuss is Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony. I read this book for a Native American literature class in college over ten years ago. It is a book that has stayed with me. The imagery, the message, the process of recovery the main character goes through are powerful. The story follows Tayo, a half-white, half Laguna Pueblo man, who has returned from WWII. The white doctors say he’s suffering from battle fatigue (we’d now call it PTSD). He is struggling with the death of his cousin, Rocky, during the Bataan Death March of 1942 and the death of his uncle, Josiah, back home. He believes he let his uncle down as he was unable to keep his promises. After spending several years in a mental health facility, he is sent home to his aunt and grandmother. The story connects with the three main Pueblo spiritual entities who created the world. The fight in the spiritual world connects with Tayo and his own spiritual fight to rid himself of his guilt and pain. Tayo is key to the healing of the land as well as his own healing. With multiple timelines weaving into one and mixtures of spiritual, past and present, Ceremony is a story of how it’s all connected and how moving forward often involves confronting the past and making what peace you can with it.

A final book I would like to discuss is Mary Crow Dog’s memoir Lakota Woman. She is a Sicangu Lakota. Born September 26, 1954 and raised on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In her memoir, she describes her childhood and her young adulthood during the American Indian Movement of the 1970s. The book details her participation in the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties, a cross-country protest to bring national attention to the issues effecting the Native American people such as living standards and inadequate housing. She also describes her participation in the 1973 Indian Occupation at Wounded Knee. Her description of the occupation is the part which has stayed with me. It began on February 27, 1973 when an estimated 200 Oglala Lakota and the followers of the American Indian Movement seized and occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The town was chosen for its symbolic value as it was the site of the 1890 massacre where 300 men, women and children were killed. Her memoir was published in 1990 and she remained active in the Native American church until her death on February 14, 2013 at the age of 58.

In conclusion, there are many more examples of great Native American literature which help portray the Native American life, culture and traditions. There is power of these stories is in the imagery and in the words the author uses to tell the story of these characters. As an avid bookworm, I find profound life lessons and truths in stories outside my culture and the world as I experience it. I highly recommend reading these books I have discussed as well as other Native American authors. You will see and, hopefully, understand the world in a different way.

References

Combs, Anna Contemporary Native American Literature January 15, 2014. prezi.com/1eixsbcn0rqi/contemporary-native-american-literature/ Retrieved November 16, 2017.