Week 9: Microlecture

     One important question that There, There examines is the idea of Indigenous individualism versus collectivism. Many characters in the novel have trouble reconciling their modern, urban lifestyle with that of their Native culture. Efforts like the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 are probably largely responsible for this, since they tried to assimilate Native peoples into more urban American society. You can see this struggle in a lot of characters, like Octavio, who do not 'feel' Native. There is a crisis of identity for a lot of the characters, since they cannot identify fully with Native culture, while also feeling that they are outside of urban culture in a sense, too, since they will always be viewed as Native.

    The very land in which the characters call home represents this conflicting duality of identity. Oakland is their heritage. Many of them have ties to the land because of their Native ancestry. This conflicts with their urban identity in some ways. A lot of them feel that they have lost that connection to their identity. Some don't care or bother to think about it. Others, like Jacquie's children, are trying their best to reestablish that connection. I think one of the novel's main purposes is trying to demonstrate that urbanism and Native culture do not have to exist separately.  Native culture and ideas can exist in an urban setting, which is an important idea not just for Native people struggling to find identity in the city, but also for everyone else. Non-native peoples need to recognize that Native Americans are not history. They exist the same as everyone else, within cities leading normal lives. Finding this connection is essential.

Comments

  1. CassiNovember 25, 2022 at 11:55 AM

    Hi Jalen! I definitely agree, and I think you used a lot of the information in the microlecture to support Orange's message well. I like how you included that the novel has a "call to action" somewhat for non-Natives, in the sense that while it is important to honor history, it is also equally important to not define them solely by this history. I think the microlectures and book displayed this theme well.

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  2. Paulos HabtewoldNovember 28, 2022 at 6:55 PM

    Hi Jalen, I agree that a major problem that was caused from settler colonialism is a person's identity. Using Octavio is a great example, but this also applies to almost every character in the story from Edwin to Dene to Orvile to Tony to Calvin.

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