Each student will be assigned a section of the novel Green Grass Running Water (pages will be divided by the number of students). The task at hand is to first discover as many allusions as you can to historical references (people and events), literary references (characters and authors), mythical references (symbols and metaphors).
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The occupation of Wounded Knee was in its second month (55)
The reference to Wounded Knee alludes to two significant events that took place in the hamlet of Wounded Knee within the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, US. The first event is the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, where 300 members of the Sioux tribe were killed in a confrontation with American soldiers. The second event, which Lionel finds himself involved, is the Wounded Knee Incident in 1973, where many Indigenous people occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days in protest of the 371 treaties broken by the American government. The first event shapes the second event because the selection of Wounded Knee as the site of protest was due to its historic and symbolic value. The second event in particular highlights the conflict between state interests and tribal interests where the tribal president, Richard Wilson, seems to be working for the benefit of the government, the FBI, white settlers, and himself rather than for the best interests of the people he is suppose to represent. The tribal president’s shifting identity, no doubt, forces an examination of Lionel’s conflicting identity as employee of the Department of Indian Affairs and as a member of the reserve in Blossom. Has Lionel sold out the people that he is suppose to represent?
He was to give his talk on “The History of Cultural Pluralism in Canada’s Boarding Schools” (56)
This is a brilliant example of white-washing by Lionel, substantiating accusations from Norma that he thinks like a white man and does not defend his own culture. What we refer to today as “residential schools” are called instead “boarding school”, evoking a sense of culture of prestige and civility for something that was far from civilized. His use of the term “cultural pluralism” goes against the grain of the current conventional understanding about what actually happened in these schools, which the current government has finally decided to describe as cultural genocide.
Massasoit was the Indian who greeted the Europeans at Plymouth Rock (58)
Massasoit first encountered the pilgrims of the Mayflower in 1620. His diplomacy with the pilgrims secured peace between his tribe and the colonists for his entire life. He formed alliance with the pilgrims through treaties that ensured the safety of the pilgrims, while ensuring the support of the colonists in the case of warfare against enemy tribes. Perhaps the mention of his name invites the juxtaposition of his ideal leadership against that of Richard Wilson and Lionel. After hearing this name, Lionel reacts by saying that he is Canadian, which implies that he does not consider the first contact between the colonists and the Indigenous to be of any relevance to his personal narrative, and therefore, can excuse himself of the responsibility to engage with it.
American Indian Movement (59)
The American Indian Movement (AIM) is an advocacy group established since 1968 to bring public awareness to violations of Indigenous treaties by the US government through organized demonstrations. It is the AIM activists that make up a significant portion of the dissidents at Wounded Knee.
Battle of the Little Bighorn (61)
The Battle of the Little Bighorn took place in 1876, which witnessed the conflict between the Indigenous forces and the US Army. Contrary to the other conflicts mentioned above, the victors of this battle were the Indigenous people. By bringing this battle into the narrative, King brings about the irony of glorifying this event within a luxurious hotel predominated by affluent white visitors, as well as insuating its broader implication of how the Indigenous’ struggle for freedom may be trivialized, rather than aided, by its depiction within popular culture and within art.
“I’m Tom, and this is Gerry”/Chip and Dale (63)
The first pair of names are the main characters of the television show Tom and Jerry. The second pair of names are the main characters of the television show Chip and Dale. It should be noted that these humorous allusions are both examples of MGM shorts, among which there are often cartoon depictions of stereotypical Indigenous characters. Their popular portrayal informs the public perception of Indigenous identity and motivation, and perhaps also affect Lionel’s perception. By using these names to describe the two hotel staff, King is poking fun of Hollywood’s of giving exotic names to its Indigenous characters by giving his two characters names derived from animals.
Works Cited
“1973: Siege at Wounded Knee.” libcom.org. libcom.org group. 19 Sept 2006. Web. 12 June 2015. <https://libcom.org/history/1973-siege-at-wounded-knee>
Johnson, Caleb. “Massasoit Ousemequin.” MayflowerHistory.com. N.p. N.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://mayflowerhistory.com/massasoit/>
“Massacre At Wounded Knee, 1890.” EyeWitness to History, Ibis Communications, Inc. 1998. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm>
“MGM Shorts.” doctormarco.com. N.p. N.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.doctormacro.com/movie%20summaries/m/mgm%20shorts.htm>
“The Battle of the Little Bighorn.” EyeWitness to History, Ibis Communications, Inc. N.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/custer.htm>
“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Interim Report.” TRC. Truth and Reconcilliation Commission of Canada. 2 June 2015. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=580>
“The UK’s best boy’s and girl’s public school.” UK Boarding Schools. UK Boarding Schools Metroplis Business Publishing. N.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.ukboardingschools.com/>
Wittstock, Laura W., Elaine J. Salinas. “A Brief History of the American Indian Movement.” American Indian Movement. American Indian Movement. N.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.aimovement.org/ggc/history.html>
Hi Timothy, I thought this was a particularly charming section of the book, as it deals with grave issues is an artful and humorous way. The title of the paper Lionel was going to present always had me squinting but I wasn’t quite sure why. The story of Massasoit and 1973’s Wounded Knee is interesting as well. Great work!
Yes I found that this part of the story really opened up the character of Lionel to the reader. Using my own experience of living as a Chinese person within a western culture, I think it is easy for Lionel to confuse where he stands on issues, how that conflicts with what others think he SHOULD be positioning himself, and unconsciously thinking that his adopted culture is somehow superior.
Thanks for your blog post! I found your information on Wounded Knee particularly interesting – I’d heard the name before, but I didn’t remember the details, and I never knew that there were two separate significant events that took place there. The Tom/Gerry characters are also something I wouldn’t have known what to make of on my own.
Did you find that learning the detail behind these references changed your interpretation of the story at all?
My association of the Tom/Gerry characters with MGM was a rather bold claim, I admit, but as a lover of films from the Golden Age of Hollywood, there are certainly many eyebrow raising and politically incorrect moments in these shorts that make you wonder what kind of a relationship the audience had with Native culture. I think that this exercise encouraged me to seek deeper meaning in this novel that I would not have done so outside of this class; I would have simply read it through with little research and not find out more about the painful memories ingrained within Native history that is hidden but woven tightly into this narrative.
Hi!
This was a particularly rich section for analysis. You’ve done a great job de-coding King’s allusions.
What a travesty. I hadn’t been informed of Wounded Knee before reading the novel. Thanks for your detailed description of the tragic event.
In answer to your question, no. I don’t believe that Lionel has sold out his people. What I believe to be so telling of the hypocrisy of government is that in his attempt to stand up for his people, he loses his job with the department that is, supposedly, protecting Indian interests. How backwards is that?
Thanks,
Hannah
It is good that you pointed out how he lost his job because he stood up for his people, but is he really a heroic and altruistic martyr? I think he was not really an active agent in this whole process, and so we can’t give him credit for helping. This whole incident is regarded by Norma and himself as one of the biggest mistakes in his life, and his lack of empathy to his people clearly shines through when he tries to distance himself from the protest time after time. Perhaps you’re right; he doesn’t sell out the people but rather he relinquishes his power to act when it is apt to act upon the situation. He is like Pontius Pilate, I suppose.
Hi Timothy,
Great job explaining the allusions. I was trying to decrypt why Tom & Gerry, & Chip & Dale were used while reading through those pages. The explanation for the stereotypical portrayals that pop up in their show is a good one. I’d like to expand by perhaps thinking that Tom represents the colonial settlers, & Jerry represents the Aboriginals in the way they are depicted in Western films. Tom the Cat hunts down the mouse Jerry repeatedly, never managing to catch or get rid of him, while sometimes working together with him. Just from that image alone, I think it’s possible to uncover some similarities. Tom sees Jerry as a pest, but they both live in the same house. Jerry may very well have been in that house before Tom came into it. Jerry is very crafty and makes use of different tools and the environment to outwit Tom, who often uses weapons & traps. It’s a neat thought.
Wow, I didn’t think of that! If I remember correctly, it’s usually Jerry that comes out looking smarter than Tom. However, the conversation about Native culture today is one that focuses on the defeat of the Indigenous population and promotes a sort of victimhood that is at odds with the self-determination and and agency embodied in Jerry.