4) Identify and discuss two of King’s “acts of narrative decolonization.”Please read the following quote to assist you with your answer.The lives of King’s characters are entangled in and informed by both the colonial legacy in the Americas and the narratives that enact and enable colonial domination. King begins to extricate his characters’ lives from the domination of the invader’s discourses by weaving their stories into both Native American oral traditions and into revisions of some of the most damaging narratives of domination and conquest: European American origin stories and national myths, canonical literary texts, and popular culture texts such as John Wayne films. These revisions are acts of narrative decolonization. James Cox. “All This Water Imagery Must Mean Something.” Canadian Literature 161-162 (1999). Web April 04/2013
There are two very clear examples of narrative decolonization in Green Grass Running Water.
First are the four creation stories that get told by the four old Indians. In each of these stories the Native woman at its centre (First Woman, Changing Woman, Thought Woman and Old Woman) travels through her traditional creation story. However, along the way they each meet a figure from European or American literary tradition who gets in their way and tries to tell them what to do. The First Woman story recalls the Christian creation story in the Garden of Eden, but Ahdamn (Adam) and God are brutish and simple, and God tries to impose silly rules on First Woman that she doesn’t understand. The Changing Woman story is a retelling of the Noah’s Arc story, where Noah is misogynistic and tries to rape Changing Woman while spouting the need to follow Christian rules. The Thought Woman story doesn’t follow a known Christian parable, but it does confuse the Biblical moment of the Angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary with a Canadian border security guard in a very sporadic exchange where he also tries to impregnate her against her will. Finally, in the last story, Old Woman meets Jesus on the high seas where he is bossy and likes to take credit for other people’s achievements, and the violent hunter Nasty Bumppo who crudely and incorrectly explains the differences between Whites and Indians. In his representation of these well-known Euro/American characters as unlikable and unsavory, in contrast with each Native woman being opinionated and strong willed –not to be pushed around— King effectively transfers the power in these relationships from the European to the Native. However, it is important to note that though we see the women as being the stronger characters in these stories, they do not become violent or try to oppress the Europeans in return. This also enhances our understanding of how Natives value high moral integrity.
The second example of narrative decolonization is the episode in Bursam’s tv store on Lionel’s birthday. Lionel, Bursam, Charlie and Eli have all spontaneously gathered at the store, along with the four old Indians that no one can identify, and Coyote, when Bursam suggests they watch a Western movie. As it reaches the ending, a grand battle between cowboys and Indians, the American cavalry suddenly vanish off the screen, leaving American heroes John Wayne and Richard Widmark sorely outnumbered by the Indians. Bursam is baffled and very upset, but the four old Indians take credit for ‘fixing’ the story that had allowed the Natives to be portrayed in subservient and easily dominated light. In this way King, again, removes the power from the Americans in the story and transfers it to the Natives by allowing the Indians to win the battle they normally were massacred in.
Both of these revisions, as Cox points out in the quote above, take stories that exhibit Euro/American domination and rework them, interweaving traditional Native story and character to remove the feeling of colonial power. They also give the reader a better sense of their integrity and quiet power, often far stronger than the loud, bombastic power of a bully.
Hi Julia,
Thanks for your excellent reading of GGRW. I echo your thoughts on the creation stories. When I first read the story of Noah trying to rape Changing Woman I saw it as a jest, with the clowns being the Europeans. And then I realized the tragedy – the First Nation peoples and their land were indeed raped. Noah and his silly rules, and aggression. I know have a better understanding of what needed “fixing”: history and today. Deep, meaningful stories such as this one have the power to fix them.
– John
Hi John, thanks for your comment. I sort of agree with your reading of the rape scene as comic. The way King sets it up, where Changing Woman is completely not engaging with Noah or playing along with his rules, that it does read as slightly comic, but in a dark and creepy way. Like, as I was reading it I was thinking, ‘Oh God, is he actually trying to rape her? This took a turn for the violent.’
Hi Julia,
I really enjoyed your post! The examples of narrative decolonization you chose were very powerful moments in the novel. What I’m struggling with is what we as readers are supposed to do with these graphic examples of narrative decolonization? Do you think King intends that these moments will just shock us into realizing the fallacies within popular colonization stories? Or are we supposed to take away something more from these episodes?
I know its a bit of an abstract question but I’d be interested to know your thoughts!
Cam
Hey Cam,
That’s an interesting question that I hadn’t really thought about. Unless the blog question had drawn my attention to the fact that narrative decolonization was occurring in the novel, I don’t know if I would have picked up on it myself. Because of this, I do wonder what King is hoping the reader’s reaction will be. In relation to the four creation stories and the interactions between the Native woman and European men, my initial reaction is disgust and discomfort but then this does turn to realization of how this relates to real life. Who knows what King was hoping for, but I think this outcome is valuable. In regards to the scene with the video, this is an odd one that I found confusing when I first read it. Though it took the power away from the Europeans in those moments, it made the Natives appear more cruel and violent when they overran the cowboys. What would have been King’s reason for this? It gives the Natives power, but I don’t know if it makes them look better. What do you think?
Hi Julia, thanks for your post! I wasn’t exactly sure what narrative decolonization meant in the question, but I think I have a pretty good idea now from your post. It’s taking stories and turning them on their heads, to show the victories of the little guys or to give the power, as you point out, to the Natives instead of the Europeans.
My question is, do you think it works? Does narrative decolonization detract from European “superiority,” or is it just comical? For me, reading the stories where famed Europeans or sons of God were portrayed as stupid or brutish didn’t really change the narrative to me. Do you think narrative decolonization is an effective way to reverse the damage that has been done to the relationship between Europeans and Native Americans?
Mia
Hi Mia,
You’re right. As I was reading the novel for the first time, I didn’t pick up on these instances as being significant for reversing the effects of European colonization. It was only after I started tackling the question that I noticed it. So I guess that just speaks to where the reader is coming from and what they’re looking for in their reading, which will then influence whether King’s tactic is effective or not. As well, even if someone noticed King’s use of narrative decolonization, I wouldn’t say that it makes major strides in reversing the damage done to our Natives. More likely it is a way of pointing out some of the stories that Europeans have forgotten or have chosen not to listen to.
Hey Julia! I realise you wrote this a couple weeks ago, I am just taking some time to catch up on everyone’s blogs today. I enjoyed your recap of the four women’s creation stories. I thought King did a good job of pointing out some of the hypocrisies and less than moral approaches from traditional Christian creation stories. Most of the topics he highlighted are indeed based on unfortunate truths. I think King has a talent for telling the women’s creation stories as whimsical, while the reader slowly realizes the dark truths behind each story (Eg. Noah and the Changing Woman). I think this talent stems from oral storytelling traditions, humour is a very good technique for delivering a good story – it makes people pay attention and feel comfortable. I don’t have any questions for you! Just commentary.
Sanae
Hi Sanae,
You are probably not going to see this and enjoying the end of your summer. I apologize for the delay, but for some reason your comment didn’t appear on my dashboard until today. . .technology, right? Thank you for commenting and I hope you enjoyed the rest of the course.
Testing