Welcome to Day 2: April 17 CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN FILM AND FICTION Susan Power (born 1961) and Sherman Alexie (born 1966) Morning Session: Resources for Teaching Native American Studies

Part I: Resources for Teaching Native American Studies  Additional Handout Material Reservation areas (map) Tribal areas (map) Traditional Cultural Areas  Timelines  Legal Status of Native Americans

TIMELINE I THE PERIOD BEFORE COLUMBUS 40,000-13,000 B.C: ICE AGE The migration of peoples from Siberia to Alaska over a land bridge  13,000 B.C A.D. Native Americans establish communities in all of N & S America  1006 A.D. Vikings travel to ”Vinland”  By 1492 there were: Approx 1 million Natives in N America (several million in S) 21 language groups (200 separate languages) Several hundred different tribes

TIMELINE II THE PERIOD AFTER COLUMBUS  Spanish Conquest of S America  1600s European Colonization of N America  1700s  1754 French and Indian War  1763 Royal Proclamation Establishing ”Indian Territory”  : The American Revolution  1800s  1803 Lousiana Purchase  1830 Indian Removal Act (S East)  1862 Homestead Act (West and N West)  : The Indian Wars/ Plains Indians

TIMELINE III THE 20TH CENTURY  1924: Native Americans Become U.S. Citizens  Native American participation in WWI, WWII, Vietnam etc  From the 1960s: period of Native American political activism Blossoming of Contemporary Native American Literature  1961: Susan Power born  1966: Sherman Alexie born  1990: Census registered nearly 2 million Native Americans  2000: Census registered 4.1 million Native Americans the dramatic leap in demographic numbers has to do with registration methods, etc

Part II: Introduction to Susan Power and The Grass Dancer I. WAYS OF READING THE NOVEL:  As a postmodern novel: (consider topics we have previously discussed)  As a novel that incorporates elements of magic realism As a novel that incorporates elements of magic realism  As an indigenous/ Native American novel. II. Narrative techniques in The Grass Dancer  Power employs multiple narrative techniques in this novel; reasons for her choices may be connected to the –genesis of the novel (written as short stories) –world view in the novel (communal history and cyclical time more important than the individual character or linear time) –postmodern issues  Each chapter balances the narration between the chapter’s narrator (either first or third person), and various focalizers (characters whose point of view we follow) III. Characters/Generations

Susan Power’s The Grass Dancer Generations of Characters: Charlene’s Family

Susan Power’s The Grass Dancer Generations of Characters: Harley’s Family

Part III: Sherman Alexie and Smoke Signals OVERVIEW OF TOPICS  Introduction to Sherman Alexie Introduction to Sherman Alexie  The story collection: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993)  Resources on individual stories  Readings from individual stories (”Because My Father....” and ”This Is What it means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”)  The Film Smoke Signals

STUDY RESOURCES: “BECAUSE MY FATHER ALWAYS SAID HE WAS THE ONLY INDIAN TO SEE JIMI HENDRIX PLAY ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ AT WOODSTOCK” (PDF FILE) Introduction Author Biography Plot Summary Characters Themes Style Historical Context Critical Overview Criticism (Three Critical Essays) Media Adaptations Topics for Further Study Compare & Contrast What Do I Read Next? Further Reading Sources Copyright Information How to Cite the Story

Web links  usan.html (Susan Power) usan.html  (Sherman Alexie’s home page)  (online literary resources)  (pdf files, etc)  (Sandra’s office webpage)

Smoke Signals 1998  All Native-American Production  Intertextual Film Genres: –The Western (esp. John Wayne Movies) –Cowboy-and-Indian Movies –The Road Movie –The TV series “The Lone Ranger”

Bill from the TV Show

Smoke Signals readings from adapted stories  “BECAUSE MY FATHER ALWAYS SAID HE WAS THE ONLY INDIAN TO SEE JIMI HENDRIX PLAY ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ AT WOODSTOCK”  “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”  Main characters: two young men: the “cool” Victor and the “nerdy” Thomas Builds-the-Fire  Plot/themes: reservation life; the characters’ childhood and loss of parents; journey to Phoenix after the death of Victor’s father