Annotated Bibliography
Introduction
Leslie Marmon Silko’s “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” is a story which draws on many elements that can be found in Native American literature. It represents and refers specifically to Laguna Pueblo tradition and history, but can also be used as a stepping stone to broader understanding of literature written by American Indians. Through Silko’s portrayal of centuries of conflict summed up in one brief and poignant tale, for my paper, I begin an exploration of the elements and themes commonly found throughout Native American literature and how it has become a voice for a long suffering people.
Through the insight of various articles and books written by both native and non-native authors and critics, I’ve zeroed in on the uniting theme of survival – or, as Native American author Gerald Vizenor puts it, “survivance.” In David Higgins’ essay discussing the themes of “survivance” in work by Native American authors, specifically Vizenor, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Diane Glancy, he states, “instead of fetishizing the victim role, as mainstream science fiction often does, indigenous stories reject victimry in favor of ‘biskaabiyang,’ an Anishinaalemowin term that describes a process of ‘returning to ourselves’” (Higgins). In essence, the themes of survival and resilience present in Native American literature are multi layered, and refer also to the act of rediscovery, reconnecting with ancient traditions, and reclaiming culture and history in, as Higgins puts it, their “post apocalypse world.”
Dawn Quigley and Joseph Bruchac wrote essays outlining the significance of this theme as well as a gaping lack of representation of Native Americans in mainstream literature. They also discuss the inaccuracies and tendencies in countless popular works of literature, especially in children’s and young adult genres, to completely misrepresent Native Americans or to portray them in a negative light. Quigley, a Native American professor at a St. Paul, MN university, states, “…our very American Indian identities are still being taken today…through the use of false identity of indigenous characters portrayed in classrooms across the country, thereby taking away our right to a true and accurate representation of American Indian people.”
The issue of misrepresentation or lack of representation in literature runs parallel to the significance of the rise in the past fifty or so years in Native American literature – more specifically, literature written by and for Native Americans, not only providing a fair representation but also a source of inspiration and a way to cope with a painful past and present. Other resources in my essay are works which discuss and analyze the traditions in various Native American cultures and how they may relate to a particular work of literature, as well as general observations and studies conducted about the manifestation of “historical trauma” in generation after generation of indigenous Americans. These all loop back to the true purpose and theme prevalent throughout literature written by American Indians: the process of surviving, rising above and beyond, and moving past.
Annotated Sources
Bruchac, Joseph. "Real Human Beings: Throughout 2017, We're Inviting Star Authors to Contribute Essays about YA, in Whatever Forms the Authors Choose, along with a List of Five Books That Influenced or Inspired Them." Booklist, no. 11, 2017, p. 39. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.481244856&site=eds-live.
Joseph Bruchac, a Native American author, reflects on the lack of representation, most specifically in young adult literature, of Native Americans – calling out a lack of work both by and for them in this genre. He discusses at length a few examples which do not portray American Indians in a positive or accurate light. He explores how Native Americans have largely been “invisible” in general, missing from 20th century life, non-existent in pop culture, film, and literature. He laments how, when Natives did appear, “it was in books by non-native authors portraying Indians in broad, inaccurate strokes.” This is an article critical in stressing the importance of the American Indians’ voice being present in their own literature and their own stories.
Higgins, David M. "Survivance in Indigenous Science Fictions: Vizenor, Silko, Glancy, and the Rejection of Imperial Victimry." Extrapolation, no. 1-2, 2016, p. 51. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.452880073&site=eds-live.
David Higgins draws from the term “survivance,” coined by Native American author and critic in this insightful essay to discuss the themes of survival and resilience that are consistently found in Native American literature. Survivance is a theme which speaks out against the theme of “victimry,” a term also coined and used by Vizenor. To better illustrate his point, Higgins draws on parallels between Native American literature and science fiction and in fact asserts that much of Native American literature, using work by Leslie Marmon Silko, Gerald Vizenor, and Diane Glancy as examples, is its own science fiction. He maintains that, “…one of the most striking aspects of indigenous speculative fictions is a consistent refusal to sanctify victimry.” Higgins deeply examines the common themes of anti-imperialism and the universal fight against colonization in mainstream science fiction, showing examples of “a widespread tendency in contemporary science fiction: Empires proliferate and heroes liberate the oppressed from tyranny.” He discusses how, ironically, white men and sometimes women are usually the “hero,” and coincidentally the victims, because the two tend to go hand in hand, he asserts. Indigenous literature, however, explores heroism and victimization differently.
Oré, Christina E., et al. "American Indian and Alaska Native Resilience along the Life Course and across Generations: A Literature Review." American Indian & Alaska Native Mental Health Research: The Journal of the National Center, vol. 23, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 134-157. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=slh&AN=116811845&site=eds-live.
This is a periodical which cites several case studies done in the recent past regarding the collective resilience and coping mechanisms seen in American Indians of all ages. It discusses something called the “historical trauma theory,” which states that a collective history of trauma or extreme hardship shared by a group of people affects those people for many generations. These studies support evidence throughout my essay of how themes of resilience are also present in Native American literature, and how storytelling and poetry have become a way of moving forward and away from a painful and oppressive past that indigenous Americans have endured.
QUIGLEY, DAWN. "Silenced." American Indian Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 4, Fall2016, pp. 364-378. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=slh&AN=120423474&site=eds-live.
This article’s author describes herself as “an indigenous woman, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe in North Dakota, and an assistant professor in the education department at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN.” Her article “Silenced” is a passionate call-out of the prevalence of children’s and young adult’s books which portray Native Americans in negative, unrealistic ways. She discusses specific books that over the past century have been widely read by children and young adults all across the country, specifically in classrooms, including the “Little House on the Prairie” series and “Caddie Woodlawn,” among several others, citing specific examples in which the indigenous characters are represented as primitive, dumb, savage or scary, and, especially in the case of indigenous women, completely and deliberately silent. Quigley makes a resounding argument against such portrayals and against the availability of these books to children in classrooms, and discusses other more authentically written books that can better educate and celebrate Native American history and life.
Velie, Alan R. and A. Robert Lee. The Native American Renaissance : Literary Imagination and Achievement. Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, 2013., 2013. American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series: Volume 59. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00477a&AN=gast.2461411&site=eds-live.
This book explores the slow rise of Native American literature since the 18th century. The authors list and cite examples of the growth spurt that began in the 1960’s of literature written by American Indians, and describe the term “Native American Renaissance” as including more than just literature. They claim that although indigenous Americans certainly still face unparalleled poverty and oppression to this day, their situation began to improve drastically in the 1960’s, coinciding with the movements in art and literature which brought an influx of Native authors, poets, and artists to the forefront, and a resurgence of Native pride. The book specifically discusses Scott Momoday, one of the first American Indian authors to see success in 1968 with his novel “House Made of Dawn,” and whose work inspired authors like Leslie Marmon Silko and Gerald Vizenor.
Analyzed Sources
Kelsey, Penelope Myrtle. Tribal Theory in Native American Literature : Dakota and Haudenosaunee Writing and Indigenous Worldviews. University of Nebraska Press, 2008. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=219096&site=eds-live.
This book, drawing reference from Leslie Marmon Silko’s “The Almanac of the Dead” and Gerald Vizenor’s work, discusses the critical need for understanding of tribal theories, history, and culture when reading or analyzing Native American literature and how it contributes to understanding. The author expresses her intent to focus on the work done by Native American scholars in the book and “those whose work emphasizes tribal viewpoints as well as postcolonial critics and their relative failure to include Native American literature in academic discussions.”
Lundquist, Suzanne Evertsen. Native American Literatures : An Introduction. Continuum, 2004. Continuum Studies in Literary Genre. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=377941&site=eds-live.
This book is a general study of various examples of Native American literature. I plan to use the material in this book as a reference throughout my essay because it specifically cites several examples of Native American work while enforcing the importance of the distinctions between the many indigenous American cultures, and the many types of oral and written tradition prevalent through them all.
Madsen, Deborah L. and A. Robert Lee. Gerald Vizenor. [Electronic Resource] : Texts and Contexts. Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, 2010., 2010. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00477a&AN=gast.2894401&site=eds-live.
The authors of this book closely analyze and interpret the work of Gerald Vizenor, one of the most notable Native American authors. I plan to use this work throughout my essay to draw on Vizenor’s many in depth critiques and viewpoints, as much of his original work is included in the book, as well as the analysis of his work by the authors.
Murtaza, Ghulam and Shaheena Ayub Bhatti. "Sherman Alexie's Discursive Reconstruction of the Native American Subject." NUML Journal of Critical Inquiry, vol. 14, no. 1, June 2016, pp. 31-47. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=116338828&site=eds-live.
An analysis of the way Native American writer Sherman Alexie, through his poetry and stories, reconstructs the Native American discourse to counter “the white-washed essentializing misinterpretation of the Native American socio-cultural practices as primitive and uncultured.” This will be important to my essay because it shows examples from a specific author - which can tie in to the work of other authors as well - of how the process of rewriting the American Indian experience from its previously white-washed depictions has become a critical element in Native American literature and in the process of healing and moving forward from the mass inflicted trauma Native Americans have a people have endured.
Silko, Leslie Marmon. The Man to Send Rain Clouds. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Compact Edition. Sixth Edition. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. New Jersey: Pearson, 2015, 2012, and 2008.
This story, which draws on many examples and symbols of Native American history, conflict and tradition, will be referenced and discussed at the opening of the essay as a lead in to the exploration of Native American literature.
Leslie Marmon Silko’s “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” is a story which draws on many elements that can be found in Native American literature. It represents and refers specifically to Laguna Pueblo tradition and history, but can also be used as a stepping stone to broader understanding of literature written by American Indians. Through Silko’s portrayal of centuries of conflict summed up in one brief and poignant tale, for my paper, I begin an exploration of the elements and themes commonly found throughout Native American literature and how it has become a voice for a long suffering people.
Through the insight of various articles and books written by both native and non-native authors and critics, I’ve zeroed in on the uniting theme of survival – or, as Native American author Gerald Vizenor puts it, “survivance.” In David Higgins’ essay discussing the themes of “survivance” in work by Native American authors, specifically Vizenor, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Diane Glancy, he states, “instead of fetishizing the victim role, as mainstream science fiction often does, indigenous stories reject victimry in favor of ‘biskaabiyang,’ an Anishinaalemowin term that describes a process of ‘returning to ourselves’” (Higgins). In essence, the themes of survival and resilience present in Native American literature are multi layered, and refer also to the act of rediscovery, reconnecting with ancient traditions, and reclaiming culture and history in, as Higgins puts it, their “post apocalypse world.”
Dawn Quigley and Joseph Bruchac wrote essays outlining the significance of this theme as well as a gaping lack of representation of Native Americans in mainstream literature. They also discuss the inaccuracies and tendencies in countless popular works of literature, especially in children’s and young adult genres, to completely misrepresent Native Americans or to portray them in a negative light. Quigley, a Native American professor at a St. Paul, MN university, states, “…our very American Indian identities are still being taken today…through the use of false identity of indigenous characters portrayed in classrooms across the country, thereby taking away our right to a true and accurate representation of American Indian people.”
The issue of misrepresentation or lack of representation in literature runs parallel to the significance of the rise in the past fifty or so years in Native American literature – more specifically, literature written by and for Native Americans, not only providing a fair representation but also a source of inspiration and a way to cope with a painful past and present. Other resources in my essay are works which discuss and analyze the traditions in various Native American cultures and how they may relate to a particular work of literature, as well as general observations and studies conducted about the manifestation of “historical trauma” in generation after generation of indigenous Americans. These all loop back to the true purpose and theme prevalent throughout literature written by American Indians: the process of surviving, rising above and beyond, and moving past.
Annotated Sources
Bruchac, Joseph. "Real Human Beings: Throughout 2017, We're Inviting Star Authors to Contribute Essays about YA, in Whatever Forms the Authors Choose, along with a List of Five Books That Influenced or Inspired Them." Booklist, no. 11, 2017, p. 39. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.481244856&site=eds-live.
Joseph Bruchac, a Native American author, reflects on the lack of representation, most specifically in young adult literature, of Native Americans – calling out a lack of work both by and for them in this genre. He discusses at length a few examples which do not portray American Indians in a positive or accurate light. He explores how Native Americans have largely been “invisible” in general, missing from 20th century life, non-existent in pop culture, film, and literature. He laments how, when Natives did appear, “it was in books by non-native authors portraying Indians in broad, inaccurate strokes.” This is an article critical in stressing the importance of the American Indians’ voice being present in their own literature and their own stories.
Higgins, David M. "Survivance in Indigenous Science Fictions: Vizenor, Silko, Glancy, and the Rejection of Imperial Victimry." Extrapolation, no. 1-2, 2016, p. 51. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.452880073&site=eds-live.
David Higgins draws from the term “survivance,” coined by Native American author and critic in this insightful essay to discuss the themes of survival and resilience that are consistently found in Native American literature. Survivance is a theme which speaks out against the theme of “victimry,” a term also coined and used by Vizenor. To better illustrate his point, Higgins draws on parallels between Native American literature and science fiction and in fact asserts that much of Native American literature, using work by Leslie Marmon Silko, Gerald Vizenor, and Diane Glancy as examples, is its own science fiction. He maintains that, “…one of the most striking aspects of indigenous speculative fictions is a consistent refusal to sanctify victimry.” Higgins deeply examines the common themes of anti-imperialism and the universal fight against colonization in mainstream science fiction, showing examples of “a widespread tendency in contemporary science fiction: Empires proliferate and heroes liberate the oppressed from tyranny.” He discusses how, ironically, white men and sometimes women are usually the “hero,” and coincidentally the victims, because the two tend to go hand in hand, he asserts. Indigenous literature, however, explores heroism and victimization differently.
Oré, Christina E., et al. "American Indian and Alaska Native Resilience along the Life Course and across Generations: A Literature Review." American Indian & Alaska Native Mental Health Research: The Journal of the National Center, vol. 23, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 134-157. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=slh&AN=116811845&site=eds-live.
This is a periodical which cites several case studies done in the recent past regarding the collective resilience and coping mechanisms seen in American Indians of all ages. It discusses something called the “historical trauma theory,” which states that a collective history of trauma or extreme hardship shared by a group of people affects those people for many generations. These studies support evidence throughout my essay of how themes of resilience are also present in Native American literature, and how storytelling and poetry have become a way of moving forward and away from a painful and oppressive past that indigenous Americans have endured.
QUIGLEY, DAWN. "Silenced." American Indian Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 4, Fall2016, pp. 364-378. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=slh&AN=120423474&site=eds-live.
This article’s author describes herself as “an indigenous woman, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe in North Dakota, and an assistant professor in the education department at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN.” Her article “Silenced” is a passionate call-out of the prevalence of children’s and young adult’s books which portray Native Americans in negative, unrealistic ways. She discusses specific books that over the past century have been widely read by children and young adults all across the country, specifically in classrooms, including the “Little House on the Prairie” series and “Caddie Woodlawn,” among several others, citing specific examples in which the indigenous characters are represented as primitive, dumb, savage or scary, and, especially in the case of indigenous women, completely and deliberately silent. Quigley makes a resounding argument against such portrayals and against the availability of these books to children in classrooms, and discusses other more authentically written books that can better educate and celebrate Native American history and life.
Velie, Alan R. and A. Robert Lee. The Native American Renaissance : Literary Imagination and Achievement. Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, 2013., 2013. American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series: Volume 59. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00477a&AN=gast.2461411&site=eds-live.
This book explores the slow rise of Native American literature since the 18th century. The authors list and cite examples of the growth spurt that began in the 1960’s of literature written by American Indians, and describe the term “Native American Renaissance” as including more than just literature. They claim that although indigenous Americans certainly still face unparalleled poverty and oppression to this day, their situation began to improve drastically in the 1960’s, coinciding with the movements in art and literature which brought an influx of Native authors, poets, and artists to the forefront, and a resurgence of Native pride. The book specifically discusses Scott Momoday, one of the first American Indian authors to see success in 1968 with his novel “House Made of Dawn,” and whose work inspired authors like Leslie Marmon Silko and Gerald Vizenor.
Analyzed Sources
Kelsey, Penelope Myrtle. Tribal Theory in Native American Literature : Dakota and Haudenosaunee Writing and Indigenous Worldviews. University of Nebraska Press, 2008. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=219096&site=eds-live.
This book, drawing reference from Leslie Marmon Silko’s “The Almanac of the Dead” and Gerald Vizenor’s work, discusses the critical need for understanding of tribal theories, history, and culture when reading or analyzing Native American literature and how it contributes to understanding. The author expresses her intent to focus on the work done by Native American scholars in the book and “those whose work emphasizes tribal viewpoints as well as postcolonial critics and their relative failure to include Native American literature in academic discussions.”
Lundquist, Suzanne Evertsen. Native American Literatures : An Introduction. Continuum, 2004. Continuum Studies in Literary Genre. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=377941&site=eds-live.
This book is a general study of various examples of Native American literature. I plan to use the material in this book as a reference throughout my essay because it specifically cites several examples of Native American work while enforcing the importance of the distinctions between the many indigenous American cultures, and the many types of oral and written tradition prevalent through them all.
Madsen, Deborah L. and A. Robert Lee. Gerald Vizenor. [Electronic Resource] : Texts and Contexts. Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, 2010., 2010. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00477a&AN=gast.2894401&site=eds-live.
The authors of this book closely analyze and interpret the work of Gerald Vizenor, one of the most notable Native American authors. I plan to use this work throughout my essay to draw on Vizenor’s many in depth critiques and viewpoints, as much of his original work is included in the book, as well as the analysis of his work by the authors.
Murtaza, Ghulam and Shaheena Ayub Bhatti. "Sherman Alexie's Discursive Reconstruction of the Native American Subject." NUML Journal of Critical Inquiry, vol. 14, no. 1, June 2016, pp. 31-47. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=116338828&site=eds-live.
An analysis of the way Native American writer Sherman Alexie, through his poetry and stories, reconstructs the Native American discourse to counter “the white-washed essentializing misinterpretation of the Native American socio-cultural practices as primitive and uncultured.” This will be important to my essay because it shows examples from a specific author - which can tie in to the work of other authors as well - of how the process of rewriting the American Indian experience from its previously white-washed depictions has become a critical element in Native American literature and in the process of healing and moving forward from the mass inflicted trauma Native Americans have a people have endured.
Silko, Leslie Marmon. The Man to Send Rain Clouds. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Compact Edition. Sixth Edition. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. New Jersey: Pearson, 2015, 2012, and 2008.
This story, which draws on many examples and symbols of Native American history, conflict and tradition, will be referenced and discussed at the opening of the essay as a lead in to the exploration of Native American literature.