Bearheart: The Heirship Chronicles 1

Bearheart: The Heirship Chronicles

     The subject matter of this novel and the culture being examined are both something of interest to me. To be specific, I am very interested in how they relate to each other. Native Americans are often discussed in the context of the wrongs that have been inflicted upon them in this country by European settlers, and the current perpetuation of harm and isolation being impressed upon them. Then there is the issue of fuel dependency, which is a growing global concern as we rapidly approach peak oil. It is interesting that Gerald Vizenor took on this issue way back in the seventies and, not unlike Orwell, has foreshadowed future events and dilemmas. The issue of fuel dependency reflects the rabid industrialization of the USA and the world as a whole, and the concept of industrialization is in stark contrast to the traditional values and philosophy of early Native Americans. For this reason I find it interesting that Vizenor chose to discuss these topics in the same context. Also, the decline of the country seems ironic, because the course of America then seems cyclical; originally hosting indigenous tribal people, then being overwhelmed by modern technology and industrialization, then back to the basics after the fuel is nearly gone. The topic Vizenor is  grappling with is very edgy.

Proude Cedarfair is a unique character, in that the author seems to use him to demonstrate some enormous differences between Native American culture and American culture. The peace described in Proude's tribe is of a kind that seems alien to most people today. I find this lamentable, because any culture that is overwhelmed and eventually reduced to insignificance is a great loss. Also, because Native American history is the history of every US citizen today, and we don't quite have a firm grip on our own history because ithe stories told are always about how this "great country" or "land of the free" came to be; stories wherein Native Americans are painted as victims, but in a larger sense, just collateral damage.

Song of Solomon 1

Of the things I have read in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, one of the most interesting is the Seven Days, and Guitar's involvement in it. The number seven sticks out immediately because it is a recognizable religious number and the title seems to make a clear reference to the seven days from the Bible. Seeing as Morrison makes several other references to the Bible, such as the names of the characters Pilate, Corinthians and Magdalene, this one does not seem out of place. The Biblical seven days and the idea of black retribution are two ideas that are being closely associated, and naturally I wanted to stop and reflect upon that relationship. When Milkman asks Guitar why he must kill white people, Guitar says "To keep the ratio the same." (Morrison, 155) The idea of mortal intervention in the business of sustaining the existence of an ethnic group can be related to God, in that one could make the argument that Guitar and his companions are trying to play God.

I think that Morrison is touching upon an issue that was much more prevalent in the time period in which this book is set, but remains an active attribute of black identity in modern culture. She is touching on the hostility that blacks are able to harbor against whites. The men of the Seven Days had one dose too many of injustice and therefore their sense of justice has been skewed. One could even say that, in that time, with the way that blacks were being treated, justice only existed as a concept and because that concept was not being put into action, but rather being defied, young men made the choice to implement their own form of justice; one that suited their racial group exclusively, not unlike the judicial system of their time. The actions of the Seven Days by my standards and the standards of our time seem to be blatantly wrong. However, in a time where justice is reserved for whites, the actions of the Seven Day seem inevitable and it seems there would require an inhuman amount of enlightenment to simply take the injustice lying down.