Write a blog that hyper-links your research on the characters in GGRW using at least 10 pages of the text of your choice.
Pages 57-64, 68-72 of Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King
I find King’s use of naming and references in Green Grass, Running Water to be both enriching and a challenge for my reading experience. It’s almost like starting a movie from halfway through and constantly needing to pause ask the people around you what it all means. The effect of this is that we are not simply granted access to these other worlds King creates but invited to learn about them. We could choose to read the words on the page or we could choose to undergo a deep, complex, and confusing history lesson that challenges what we think we know. These histories, as King shows us, are not just events of the past but are ongoing and have an impact on the daily lives of Indigenous peoples. His interweaving of creation stories and more present-day stories that are loaded with references reveal the significant role that religion and colonization to this day.
Wooden Knee
Lionel goes to Salt Lake City to help out his supervisor, Duncan Scott, give a paper at a conference on Indian Education. When Lionel is in Salt Lake City, “The occupation of Wooden Knee was in its second month […]” (King 55). I assumed Wooden Knee was a reference to either a place or event, however, I did not know the details of it. I looked up “Wooden Knee” on google and learned that it is referring to the Wooden Knee Massacre of 1890 where 150-300 Native Americans were murdered by U.S. army troops in South Dakota. This massacre attempted to shut down organized resistance against assimilation and reservation life, however, in 1973, American Indian activists reoccupied the site. After reading about the Wooden Knee Massacre, I now understand King means American Indian activists have been reoccupying this site for two months. With this reference, King is asking us to recognize both the history of the massacre and the present-day resistance.
George Morningstar
The name George Morningstar comes up in a conversation between Lionel and Norma about Lionel finding work: “Look at your sister. She makes her own luck. What about George Morning Star? […] What about George Morningstar, he used to beat the hell out of her” (King 57). According to Jane Flick’s reading guide, this name refers to “Custer,” the “Son of Morning Star” or “Child of the Stars” that was “the name given to George Armstrong Custer by the Arikaras in Dakota territory” (146). Flick explains that King wants us to recognize the importance of this name, as “Latisha even liked his name. It sounded slightly Indian, though George was American. Best of all, he did not look like a cowboy or an Indian” (King 131-32). Still a bit unsure of the meaning of the name George Morningstar, I looked it up on google. I didn’t find anything besides various people’s obituaries. Once I looked up Son of Morning Star instead, I learned that this is the name of a television show based on Evan S Connell’s bestseller about events leading up to the battle of Little Bighorn. King’s references are thus not always straightforward but multilayered. He wants us to do the work of looking up multiple names and events and grasp a fuller understanding of history.
Dead Dog Cafe
Although I have never heard the stereotype that Indigenous peoples eat dogs, I was able to pick up on King’s reference to tourists’ desire to consume the exotic other. King plays with this stereotype by showing how Indigenous peoples can take advantage of it for financial gain. At the Dead Dog Cafe, Latisha “sells hamburger and tells everyone it’s dog meat” (King 57). Flick says that it “Also refers to starving Indians having to eat their dogs” and is “Possibly a play on Nietzsche’s assertion that “God is Dead” (149). When searching “Dead Dog Cafe” on google, I learned that this became a radio show that was “irreverent, political and sometimes breathtakingly politically incorrect. And funny. Very funny”. The show apparently had several segments, for instance, “Gracie’s Authentic Traditional Aboriginal Recipes, including puppy stew, fried bologna, and Kraft Dinners,” or “The Authentic Indian Name generator, featuring three wheels that could automatically create names like Stewart Coffee Armadillo or Rosemarie Clever Tuna”. It is interesting to see how King’s stories and names play out beyond the novel.
Apples and Fry Bread
King’s references to food are rich with stories and history. Apples, as we know, point to Genesis, while fry bread, according to Smithsonian magazine, “links generation with generation and also connects the present to the painful narrative of Native American history” (Miller). Frybread is made out of cheap ingredients given to Native Americans by the United States government when forced to walk 300 miles from Arizona to New Mexico. Today it is seen by some as a powerful symbol of “Native pride and unity” (Miller). In Green Grass, Running Water, First Woman says “there’s plenty of good stuff here. We can share it” (King 69). King is pointing to the significance of frybread in some Indigenous cultures and how it is a food that can represent sharing and unity.
I hope you all find this information helpful for your experience of reading Green Grass, Running Water, and I’m excited to learn from your posts!
Works Cited
“The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour.” Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, 2010, enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/950771.
“Home | Rewind with Michael Enright | CBC Radio.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, www.cbc.ca/radio/rewind/dead-dog-cafe-comedy-hour-1.2801276).
Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water.” Canadian Literature 161-162. (1999). Web. April 04/2013.
Hudson, Myles. “Wounded Knee Massacre.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 17 Jan. 2020, www.britannica.com/event/Wounded-Knee-Massacre.
Julius. “Dead Dog Cafe – Socialist Action – Canada.” Socialist Action – Canada, 30 Jan. 2014, socialistaction.ca/tag/dead-dog-cafe/.
King, Thomas. Green Grass Running Water. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1993. Print.
Miller, Jen. “Frybread.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 July 2008, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/frybread-79191/.
“Son of the Morning Star.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 3 Feb. 1991, www.imdb.com/title/tt0102962/.
Hi Jade,
Thank you for the great information!
One interesting point that I wanted to add was that “Morningstar” could also be a reference to Lucifer (“Morningstar”) from the bible. That was the name of the devil while he was an arch angel before he was cast out of heaven (https://www.christianity.com/theology/theological-faq/how-did-lucifer-fall-and-become-satan-11557519.html). Gabriel, Lucifer’s brother and fellow archangel also makes an appearance in the book during pages 269 – 272 (https://blogs.ubc.ca/ehomuth/2020/03/17/assignment-3-7-decoding-king/). I wonder if King meant to make that connection? Based on the number of references in his book I doubt that he would have done it accidentally! That being said, I’m not sure how well that reference fits with George Morningstar from Green Grass Running Water. I believe that Lucifer’s story is meant to show that good intentions do not necessarily lead to good outcomes nor do good intentions mean that you are making the correct choice. The reference to Lucifer Morningstar may fit with George Morningstar’s story because George believes that leaving Latisha and his kids for better work will benefit them all in the long run. Do you think the reference to Lucifer fits?
Thanks,
Emily
Work Cited:
Homuth, Emily. “Assignment 3.7 Decoding King” Oh Canada ENGL 372, 17 Mar. 2020, https://blogs.ubc.ca/ehomuth/2020/03/17/assignment-3-7-decoding-king/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2020.
Rhodes, Ron. “How Did Lucifer Fall and Become Satan?” Christianity, https://www.christianity.com/theology/theological-faq/how-did-lucifer-fall-and-become-satan-11557519.html. Accessed 19 Mar. 2020.
Hi Emily,
Thank you for your comments!
I am not too familiar with the Bible so I had no idea of this connection! That’s really interesting to think about the character of George Morningstar in regard to intentions and whether it matters if they are good or bad. I can definitely see how this connection with Lucifer would fit George Morningstar and at the same time, it could be a combination of many references to build this character.
Best,
Jade 🙂
Hi Jade,
I enjoyed your post, you made a great point that King forces us to look deeper and take a second read many times to fully understand his allusions.
I realize your research on George Morningstar was a bit challenging, but I’m wondering why you think this is the name King chose for this particular character? It makes sense he wants us to learn this history, but why do you think this the name for the ex-husband character?
Thanks!
Katarina
Hi Katarina,
Thank you for your comments.
There is no way for me to know exactly why King chose the name George Morningstar for the ex-husband character, but I do think there are negative implications to this name if he is someone who was abusive.
This is a difficult character for me to figure out.
Best, Jade 🙂
Hi Jade,
Thanks for your thoughts.
Hi Jade,
I really enjoyed reading your post! I definitely learned a few new things that I hadn’t noticed while reading the novel, for instance, the symbolism of frybread and how that points to unity and family.
In one of my previous posts, I talked about the name Geroge Morningstar and I too didn’t know what the correlation was with the character. One of the first things that came to mind, however, was that Lucifer/Satan is sometimes referred to as morning star. The name Lucifer also refers to light bringer and the planet Venus when it rises in the morning which can be interpreted as his fall from heaven. It’s a bit of a stretch, but maybe the use of Morningstar as George’s last name ties his abusive and deceptive personality to evil.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer
Hi Samantha,
Thank you for your comments.
I didn’t make that connection between the name George Morningstar and Lucifer thank you for telling me! I completely see how these names could be connected.
-Jade 🙂
Hi Jade! I was first sucked into your post after reading this quote from you: “It’s almost like starting a movie from halfway through and constantly needing to pause ask the people around you what it all means”. I completely feel the same way. We are asked to be patient and in a constant place of unknowing.
What I have tried before and assumed was just a part of Indigenous culture (another giant brush stroke that I am calling myself out on), is Frybread. I didn’t know it’s origins and it is such a large way great way to understand a culture and it’s history … through it’s food. Frybread to me now is a form of narrative decolonization. Before it was just tasty bread. Thank you for this education. When First Woman says “there’s plenty of good stuff here. We can share it” (King 69), it reminds me of manna bread from the bible, when the Israelite’s were fleeing Egypt for the promised land. This bread sustained them and now has cultural significance. Do you see a form of narrative decolonization in this? Found this link to the passage:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+16&version=NIV
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your comments.
King is definitely making a connection to how bread sustained the Israelites of Egypt and how frybread represents food that sustained many Indigenous communities.
I would say King’s use of frybread and the line “we can share it” is a form of narrative decolonization because King is reclaiming a creation story from an Indigenous perspective and is signifying the importance of sharing in Indigenous cultures. He wants us to see the difference between the way Christian creation stories see living beings on a hierarchy and how his creation stories see humans and animals and the land as equal and the need to share rather than own.
Best, Jade 🙂
Hi Jade,
I found your passage analysis to be very helpful. For instance much of what you discussed about the Dead Dog Cafe I had never heard before. In particular I like how you found both past and present locations. The point you made about how King combines mythology, pop culture and history was very interesting. I was wondering why you think King might have decided to use such a variety of different subjects from different time periods in his work? Additionally, what might the meaning behind the multiple time periods be?
Hi Sophie,
Great questions.
I think King is trying to make a point about how stories are not always linear but a combination of the past, present, and future. In addition, he is showing us how lived experiences and events, written history, and life today is impacted by a magnitude of complex factors.
Best, Jade 🙂
Hi Jade,
These allusions were very insightful, I really enjoyed the ties you made. You mention in your introduction that you find this book like pausing a movie and having to ask the people around you to clarify and I wonder if you personally enjoy diving deeper into those untold meanings or whether you rather to just read the stories in the most linear way one could read Green Grass Running Water. Did these deeper reading allow you to learn more and understand the book better or did it almost confuse you more? I have found this assignment challenging and am pondering this thought myself so would love to hear more about whether you enjoy these many allusions 🙂
Have a great week,
Grace
Hi Grace,
Though I struggle with the sheer amount of references and inability to understand most of what I am reading, I find the stories very unique and exciting to read.
It’s especially fun when there are references I understand, as it makes me feel like I am part of the joke. When I don’t understand, I’m encouraged to do more research. I can’t say I’m always in the mood for reading stories with this many references, however, when I am fully submerged in King’s world it is extremely educational and explorative.
Best, Jade 🙂
Hi Jade,
I enjoyed your comment on how readers can choose whether to simply absorb the words on the page or to dig deeper and deeper into King’s novel in an effort to better understand complex and troubling histories that shape our nation and ourselves.
I was particularly interested in your discussion of the Dead Dog Cafe. Do you think that perhaps Dead Dog Cafe could also be an allusion to John Stuart Mill’s concept of dead dogma? Mill argues that if beliefs, even if they are true, are not challenges and debated, they will become dead dogma. People will hold their beliefs as prejudices and not understand the rationale behind them. Dissent, even if it is false, keeps alive the truth against which it dissents.
Perhaps this could be related to an argument of King’s related to the importance of active dialogue and debate where both dominant and historically disempowered opinions and stories are given equal attention so that the truth may emerge in a democratic way.
I could be reading much to far into this, but I thought that the concept would be interesting to explore.
Thanks for your insightful blog post! I hope you have a lovely week.
Georgia
Hi Georgia,
Thank you for your insightful comments!
I am not familiar with Mill’s concept of dead dogma but there is a strong chance that King is familiar. If King is thinking about this concept with the name “The Dead Dog Cafe,” he is playing on both the meaning of dead dog and the fact that tourists stereotype Indigenous peoples. How you explain dead dogma makes sense for this metaphor because it is about people believing in false truths.
I now understand the Dead Dog Cafe in a completely different way, thank you!
Best,
Jade 🙂
Hi Jade! I really enjoyed your blog post this week and your hyperlinks.
I struggled with this assignment, and have still not fully completed it, but it seems like your hyperlinks are very well researched and picked out. Did you find that the deeper research helped you write this post and understand the characters more? Did you find it difficult to find these hyperlinks?
Thanks so much! Maya Sumel
Hi Maya,
Thank you for your comments.
My strategy was to look at a few different parts of the text and write down any names or phrases that were references. Next, I started researching these names. I narrowed it down to the ones listed in Jane Flick’s reading guide to give me a bit of background before I started googling them. Then I chose a few references from my list that I either found the most interesting or found good research on.
It was definitely most helpful to do some research before I started writing the post and then putting it together with what I found. The hardest part was going through the research and finding what resources were good hyperlinks that could be helpful for others.
I hope you find this helpful!
-Jade 🙂
Hi Jade!
Thank you for sharing your blog with us. I greatly enjoyed reading it, especially because the section that you chose is completely different than what I read and hyperlinked from.
I also had never heard the stereotype that Indigenous peoples eat dogs. King takes a very satire approach to the Dead Dog Cafe. Do you think that this radio station that was created was based off of King’s novel? I did some research of my own and found that the tourists who attended the Dead Dog Cafe were all named after writers who have incorporated Indian themes into their writing and not done so in the most appropriate way. Do you think that King did so in order to play off of their already apparent belief in stereotypes?
Best,
Alex 🙂