![]() ![]() An apple is red on the outside and white on the inside.” He masterfully captures the true internal dialogue of the plight of the Urban Indian on the journey to find inclusion amongst a whitewashed America. Called us citified, superficial, inauthentic, cultureless refuges, apples. In his prologue Orange laments, “They used to call us sidewalk Indians. Orange, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma, tackles Native stereotypes and rewrites what it means to be Native American raised by a city. Tommy Orange’s debut novel “There There” feels like a reflection of my own childhood and presents a well needed dialogue on the urban Indigenous identity. I spoke simply and stated “I am an American Indian” and presented corn bread as my potluck contribution (as if corn bread is some national identifying Native food.) Before I could sit back down in my seat I was heckled at from a child across the room “INDIANS ARE EXTINCT - LIKE THE DINOSAURS! You’re a liar!” It was the first time I questioned my identity, am I a liar? Am I not Native? What does it mean to be an American Indian? It was part of the usual Elementary multicultural day celebration and I was asked to stand in front of the class and present my culture. ![]() ![]() ![]() The first time I revealed in a public place that I was Native (American) I was in 4th grade. A review of “There There” by Krystyna Printup ( Tuscarora, Turtle Clan) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |