My assigned section (pages 78-90 in my edition) was relatively sparsely sprinkled with allusions to popular culture or myth, and so most of what I’ve done here is simply look deeper into lines or words that interested me, or that I lacked knowledge of.

“School’s expensive. You got money saved up?”

“The band will probably help me out.” (King 80)

This refers to the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP). I’ve spoken with many who seem to think, Like Bill Bursum, that this is “free money,” as though a Native student can Waltz onto campus with no financial obligation to the institution. These are grants that must be applied for that may not cover all costs, as a certain amount of money is allocated to each band per year. As Lionel finds out, not all applicants are guaranteed this funding.

“whites don’t want to hire Indians unless the government makes them” (King 81)

I couldn’t find much on government subsidized benefits to employers who hired Native employees. It seems that the government only has a wage subsidy for an employer in the housing industry hiring Native youth.  Apparently, The Northwest Territories implemented an affirmative action policy around a decade ago, but have faced criticisms (and legal action) regarding the prioritization of “Indigenous Aboriginal Persons” (those who are from N.W.T.) over “Indigenous Non-Aboriginal Persons” (Status Natives who come from elsewhere in Canada). Of course, this policy only applied to applicants for government jobs and was relatively limited.  Certainly, the government is not making anybody hire anyone else, but it seems like they could be doing more in the way of encouragement.

“Smart move, John Wayne.” (King 83)

John Wayne runs through this novel as the emblem of white, male antagonism towards Natives. Film is never really discussed in a positive light here, and John Wayne (and later, Richard Widmark) is the poster boy for the subjugation of Natives on film. Flick mentions that Lionel’s desire to be John Wayne as a child “signals his denial of ‘Indianness'” (147). Depictions of Native peoples on film may have improved in the decades since Wayne stopped acting, but even after the pleas of some of cinema’s titans for more equitable treatment, Hollywood’s struggle for a more sensitive treatment of these issues continues. (Side Note: a movie that does a remarkable job in the portrayal of Native peoples is Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man (1995), which inverts the negative tropes perpetuated by old Hollywood, which King criticizes in GGRW).

Bill Bursum (85)- referred to here with the prefix “Buffalo.” Just as his namesake is”an exploiter of Indians for entertainments in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show” (Flick 148), Bursum is only interested in hiring Lionel for the prospective business he could bring in from the reserve. He even forgets Charlie’s last name (Bursum says “Looking Back” (King 80)) who had been his employee for a number of years.

Duplessis International Associates- Flick says “Duplessis invokes both duplicity and the political corruption of the Duplessis régime in Québec (1936-39; 1944-59)” (151). Beyond this, anything with a French name suggests a sort of nobility or high class distinction, and if anyone has class aspirations here, it’s Charlie. The irony here is Charlie warning Lionel about Bill’s exploitative behaviour. Bill is almost a caricature of a slimeball salesman, so the reader should expect this type of behaviour from him but when Charlie is fired by Duplessis after Eli’s court case is finished as they no longer need a token “Indian” on their side, the reader sees that this is a systemic issue, and it goes all the way to the top.

“Amos slid his pickup down the reserve roads” (King 87)

This is something the reader could pass by relatively easily and not give a second thought; King sure doesn’t spend much time talking about road conditions on the reserves but it is important to know that beyond Amos’ drunken motor skills, infrastructure (including things like road conditions) is generally seen to be substandard on Canadian reserves. This does not apply to every reservation, but it is a nationwide problem. You’ll notice that Amos knocks over the outhouse and this implies that they do not have indoor plumbing.

Works Cited

Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water.” Canadian Literature161/162 (Summer/Autumn 1990): 140-175. Web. 26 Jun. 2015.

“Housing Internship Initiative for First Nations and Inuit Youth.” Canada Business Network . Government of Canada. 24 Jun 2015. Web. 9 Jul. 2015.

King, Thomas. Green Grass Running Water. 1993. P. S. Toronto: HarperPerennial-HaperCollins, 2007. Print.

“N.W.T. sued over affirmative action policy.” CBC News North. CBC. 23 Jun. 2011. Web. 9 Jul. 2015.

“Native American actors quit Adam Sandler movie over Adam Sandler jokes.” The AV Club. Onion Inc. 23 Apr. 2-15. Web. 10 Jul 2015.

Oscars. “Marlon Brando’s Oscar Win for ‘The Godfather’.” Youtube. Youtube. 2 Oct 2008. Web. 10 Jul. 2015.

“Policy 14.03: Affirmative Action.” Northwest Territories. Northwest Territories. 28 Sept. 2006. Web. 9 Jul. 2015.

“Post Secondary Student Support Program.” Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Government of Canada. 28 May 2013. Web. 9 Jul. 2015.

“Shacks and slop pails: infrastructure crisis on native reserves.” CBC News Canada. CBC. 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 9 Jul. 2015.