Latisha Encounters Tourists and Reflects on George

The first of the two selected chapters begins with a group of tourists entering Latisha’s Dead Dog Café. As Jane Flick’s GRRW reading notes makes known, the tourists are named after a group of actors who were known for their stereotypical portrayals of Natives in Canada. King plays with this by making this group all, to greater or lesser degrees, oblivious to what would be thought of as “manners.” Jeanette basically opens the conversation with a blunt “May we assume that you are Indian?” followed by Nelson’s equally callous, “Any fool can see that.” While perhaps not intentionally racist, the bluntness of it all makes the entire encounter awkward at best. This is made no better by Nelson’s attempt to grab Latisha’s hips and butt on two different occasions. Seemingly innocent but completely, and perhaps willfully, unaware of proper boundaries, Nelson is a perfect picture of the colonizer.

While dealing with these tourists, Latisha reflects on the beginnings of her relationship with George Morningstar. Flick’s notes point out the similarities between George and General Custer, from the reference to given name of “Son of the Morningstar” to later references to both George and Custer’s roots in Michigan and Ohio, king seems to be impressing upon the reader the comparison a great deal. I think the comparison goes even further, with both men seemingly fascinated and appreciative of Native culture, yet at the same time come to treat that culture with disrespect and violence. Another aspect of George’s character that stood out to me, especially as the book went on, is his relation to Satan/Lucifer. Besides Lucifer meaning “Morningstar,” there’s a certain shared character between the two that I found particularly interesting. Even in this passage we see George’s pride, with him thinking himself to be far more intelligent and cultured than he truly is. Flick points this out when he offers Latisha his copy of Gibran’s The Prophet, a pseudo-spiritual text as vapid and empty of real depth as George is himself. There’s also, I feel, a certain weakness to George as a man. Of course, a prerequisite for a man beating a woman is weakness, and even though this is best on display when George lashes out violently at Latisha we see traces of it in this passage. Latisha comments in several places on George’s vulnerability and insecurity, and though it’s not on full display yet we can see the seeds of his violent nature being sown in this and following passages.

 

 

Eli Speaks to Cliff and Remembers the Sun Dance Intrusion

The next chapter sees Eli Stands Alone talking with Cliff Sifton. Flick describes the historical Clifford Sifton as an “aggressive promoter of settlement in the West through the Prairie West movement, and a champion of the settlers who displaced the Native population.” In this regard, the name is fitting. Throughout the novel Sifton tries to get Eli to move on, to accept that he’s trying to defend a past that can’t be brought back. He speaks with high esteem for the dam, often calling it beautiful. He speaks disparagingly about Native treaty rights and special privileges, and accuses Eli on page 141 of not being a “real Indian.” He’s a picture of a certain type of person in today’s world, one that would, for lack of a better way of putting it, prefer indigenous populations to assimilate into the broader culture and leave their history behind, seeing no value in it. He says, again on page 141 and at other points in the novel, that Eli “can’t live in the past.” This conversation between them is essentially the same as all conversations between them, with all conversations being initiated by Sifton in his attempt to get Eli to move.

Like in Latisha’s chapter, during this conversation Eli is reflecting on an incident that took place at a past sun dance. A family intruded on the sun dance and the father attempted to take pictures. There are clear parallels between the father and Sifton, with both men holding little respect for indigenous practices and values, seeming to believe that the only rules are Canadian law. On the part of the father (and perhaps Sifton as well), he seems to believe to be entitled to the photos of the sun dance that he’s pretended not to take. This could symbolize the Canadian settler, settling on land and displacing indigenous people while believing they’re entitled to this because it’s in accordance with wider Canadian (or, at the time, British) law. It also foreshadows the climax with George towards the end of the novel.

 

 

Works Cited

Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water.” Canadian Literature 161-162. (1999). Web. April 04/2013.

Hall, David J. “Sir Clifford Sifton.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 22 Jan 2008, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sir-clifford-sifton. Accessed 17 Mar 2020.

King, Thomas. Green Grass Running Water. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1993. Print.

Turcotte, Yanick. “James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 3 July 2019, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-bay-and-northern-quebec-agreement. Accessed 17 Mar 2020.