Thursday, October 24, 2013

Sherman Alexie writes of his people: the Spokane Indians

Well-known writer Sherman Alexie, a self-described northwest Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian,  in his 1996 novel INDIAN KILLER, the title alone an amazing meld of meaning and counter meaning, describes one of his characters (on page 33):

"Because she did not dance or sing traditionally, and because she could not speak Spokane, Marie was often thought of as being less than Indian.  Her parents, who did speak Spokane, had refused to teach Marie because they felt it would be of no use to her in that world outside the reservation.  Her mother, the speech therapist at the tribal school, and her father, the principal, knew their bright daughter belonged in that larger world. . . "

Sound familiar to any of you Armenians out there?

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