Orange's decision to employ multiple narrators in There There provides a wide range of perspectives centered on the characters and their relationships to their Native heritage. The characters in There There range from young adults to the elderly, spanning multiple generations, and are often interconnected through family, work, and the Big Oakland Powwow. Through such diverse perspectives, Orange battles the narrow stereotype of Natives and instead presents the idea that there is no singular box that all Natives fit into but rather a spectrum of identities.
Several characters attempt to distance themselves from or make little attempts to form connections with their Native heritage. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield is first introduced as a young child in the 1970s, moving with her mother and half-sister to occupy Alcatraz Island. While her mother believes the occupation will be a way for the family to connect with their heritage, Opal leaves Alcatraz traumatized by her experiences. While caring for her three great-nephews, she does not teach them about their Native heritage with the rationale that the narrator explains, "It's to prepare them for a world made for Native people not to live but to die in, shrink, disappear. She needs to push them harder because it will take more for them to succeed than someone who is not Native" (Orange 165). Her experiences on Alcatraz and throughout her life have pushed Opal to resent her heritage and the world. Thus, she must distance herself and her great-nephews from their heritage to protect them and regain control of their lives. Other characters have little experience with their heritage, such as Calvin Johnson. Although Calvin is involved with the Big Oakland Powwow planning committee, his reason for participating is not to form a deeper connection with his heritage. In fact, during an interview with Dene, Calvin states, "I just don't feel right trying to say something that doesn't feel true. . . . I just don't think it's right for me to claim being Native if I don't know anything about it" (Orange 149). For Calvin, his lack of experience and knowledge of his Native heritage is itself a barrier to identifying as Native. Thus he is not motivated to learn more or attempt to understand his heritage, and more so feels "like [he's] from Oakland" (Orange 148).
Many of the characters in There There want to form deeper connections with their heritage and attempt to embrace their identities as Natives. Orvil Red Feather, the great-nephew of Opal, has an extreme interest in learning about his Cheyenne heritage and learning to dance at a Powwow. Although he faces obstacles, including his own insecurities and Opal's refusal to teach him and his brothers about their heritage, Orvil learns to dance and how to dress in Powwow regalia through online forums and YouTube videos. While looking at himself in the mirror while dressed in regalia, the narrator states, "He's waiting for something true to appear before him- about him. It's important that he dress like an Indian, dance like an Indian, . . . even if he feels like a fraud the whole time, because the only way to be Indian in this world is to look and act like an Indian" (Orange 122). For Orvil, his insecurities about not knowing his heritage motivate him to learn more about Native traditions, even if it is to fit the stereotype of "[dressing] like an Indian, [dancing] like an Indian" (Orange 122). Other characters connect with their heritage through different means. Dene Oxendene, a young independent filmmaker, attempts to carry on his uncle's work by making a documentary compiling the stories of Natives living in Oakland. While presenting his project to a funding board, he makes a statement that perhaps encapsulates the narrative of There There. Dene states, "What [my uncle] did, what I want to do, is to document Indian stories in Oakland. . . . I want to bring something new to the vision of the Native experience as it's seen on the screen. We haven't seen the Urban Indian story. What we've seen is full of the kinds of stereotypes that are the reason no one is interested in the Native story, it's too sad. . . it looks pathetic" (Orange 40). Dene's statement is perhaps Orange's thesis for the novel. Although strict stereotypes of Natives exist, there is no singular Native identity, and all people of Native heritage experience their culture and identities differently.
By providing the perspectives of numerous characters, ranging from young to old, engrossed in their heritage or barely having Native experiences, Orange argues that no person of Native heritage is identical to another. While stereotypes of past Native stories that Dene references still rule media and the Native narrative, it is not the reality, especially amongst Native people in the modern era. There There, at its purest, is a collection of Native people's stories and experiences, each uniquely individual and distinct from one another.
I agree that Orange incorporates multiple perspectives on purpose throughout There, There to break typical stereotypes about having a uniform identity. It is important to remember that he is trying to create the identity of Native Americans in a modern sense rather than a historical figure. The contrast between some characters being interested in their heritage and others trying to escape their identity is a part of this notion. I think it is important to highlight how the cycle of trauma influences different generations. In the case of Opal, she is rejecting her heritage, but the discouragement does not stop her grandsons from trying to connect with other Natives. While both of these perspectives remain valid within the Native identity, both situations deal with the stereotypes put upon Natives. Opal went through Alcatraz and felt the pain of poverty, while her grandsons saw the result of addiction that led to their adoption. This pain just influenced their perspective on Native heritage in different ways. Orange allowing the book to focus on each individual story allows the characters to each develop depth in different ways. This allows the readers to reach a full understanding of the individualized this book is. By doing so, he can reach his goal of forming the idea that all Natives are not the same, even if they are impacted by similar problems.
ReplyDeleteI think this was definitely one of Orange's main goals in writing the novel! Most of what we learn about Native Americans comes from early in school, when we are taught that they used to live here, but it's rare to hear much about modern Native Americans. I think the focus on diversity is an interesting parallel to Interior Chinatown as well - I wrote about this at length for my essay, but the basic idea was the same, exploring Asian-American diversity that often gets ignored, and the idea of "performing" a racial stereotype. The difference here is that Orange has to highlight the existence of modern Native Americans in the United States alongside their vast diversity in culture and experiences.
ReplyDeleteOrvil's interest in his culture and Opal trying to keep it away from him also seemed to run deeper than shown in the novel. After what Orange reveals about the Native American history of mistreatment from the government (that most of us had never heard of before reading this book), Opal's hesitation to teach her grandsons about their culture makes more sense. She may just have been trying to protect them from the discrimination and pain many other Natives have suffered over the years for participating in their culture. It was a good contrast to see a young Native man's journey in using the internet to connect with his culture as well. Hopefully one day everyone will feel safe enough to express their culture and share it with their communities.
I love reading this take on the many perspectives featured in There, There. However, I found Opal to be a character who reads as distant from her heritage on the surface but really just struggles to express her identity to her children out of fear. Opal is a heavily superstitious person. She frequently utilizes superstitions to guide her in her daily life, fearing the consequences of straying from fate or karma or whatever it is that Opal identifies with. Yet, she expresses fear when introducing her grandchildren to their heritage due to the trauma she experienced herself as a child. I would argue that Opal can be superstitious and allow her grandchildren to be open about their spirituality while still shying from exposing them to the traditional aspects of her Native identity. As we've seen, Native practices of spirituality are not set in stone. Some practice with peyote, some create alters, and some just maintain consistency with superstitions. Because of this, I think Opal is a character who is open to spirituality, yet fearful of traditional Native practices due to her experiences in Alcatraz. She never banishes her grandchildren from being spiritual or exploring their identity, she merely shelters them from it.
ReplyDelete