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Until recently, many Native Americans have never been able to record what has happened to them in the years past. ... When other people tell the stories of Native Americans, they add their own flavor and spice instead of telling the readers and society the plain untouched truth of what really happened. If we had the plain, unaltered truth, then maybe our views on Nave Americans would be different that what they are. ... Native Americans have been singled out for many years, and it is finally their turn to tell their story, so that we may understand them better as a culture. With each book, James Welch’s Killing Custer and Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water, we finally can put into perspective, their story and their life, with the help of these writers and many more writers like them, who want to express what really happened to the Native Americans and how it has affected them today.
King is critical of the fact that the native world view has taken a backseat to Judeo-Christian perspectives and of stereotypes perpetuated by Holly wood and Western literature, which still often portray noble savages, uninterested in or incapable of assimilating in white society. ... Besides trying to straighten out or by “fixing” these misconceptions, King is trying to help Native Americans recover their cultural identity. ...
In many Native American cultures, ceremonies of sacrifice and renewal are an annual activity used to promote community and individual well-being. ... An example of where people still view Native Americans as they did before would be “Thought you Indians had keen eyes” (184). This still shows how many Native Americans are still today viewed. ...
In coping with the fact that Native Americans will never be seen as anything, but the lesser of society, they have ways of trying to understand their culture. The Native American Sun Dance is a celebration where the sacrifice of past difficulties and misdirected ideals and/ore path may cause the participants to gain strength and understanding in their lives. ... Thomas King uses the characters Alberta and Lionel to show that when one is able to accept himself/herself and their own cultural heritage, a celebration such as the Native American Sun Dance may prepare an individual for a new life direction and /or acceptance in previously misdirected views.
Approximate Word count = 1705
Approximate Pages = 6.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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