Settler colonists never went away, and their impact hasn't either. Orange incorporates many of the negative effects of settler colonialism into the lives and stories of his characters There There.
One of the main components of settler colonialism was the effort to take away Native land. Native people were forcibly removed from their homes, which is a theme that pops up in Orange's novel. For instance, Opal and Jackie have to leave their home to join their mother at the Native occupation of Alcatraz island. The mother, and maybe the girls themselves, are initially excited to go, yet the experience ultimately fails to live up to its promise. This reminded me of the way many Natives were historically promised to be relocated to suitable land, which ended up being almost impossible to farm.
Another aspect of settler colonialism that is present in There There is the idea of removing the "Indianness" from Native people. Some of the characters question what gives them the right to call themselves Native. Not having grown up with stories about his Native ancestry, Calvin is not sure he can identify as such. Other Native characters move to reclaim their "Indianness", however. Dene carries on his uncle's Native practice of storytelling with modern digital media. Another example is Tony, who is just as at home with the skyscrapers of Oakland as his ancestors once were with the area's natural landmarks.
When settler colonists forced Native people to separate from their tribes and received individual farms, it was an act of anti-collectivism or forced individualization. I don't think I have encountered any There There characters who live on such farms yet, but there are plenty of characters who embody isolation and loneliness. Edwin, who spent most of his days aimlessly scrolling on the internet, comes to mind.
Finally, settler colonialism is at its core a form of violence. And just as white settlers inflicted undeserved violence on unsuspecting Native people throughout history, I am worried that Octavio and his gang are going to do the same thing to the powwow attendees as the novel continues.
Hey Heather! I agree with the connections that you made between settler colonialism and the taking of the Native American land. Often times many promises were made to the natives that were ultimately broken by either the colonies or the United States. You definitely make a point that with all of the government efforts to force assimilation on the Native Americans, Natives aren't sure who exactly they are anymore because much of their culture and way of life had been taken away.
ReplyDeleteHi Heather! I didn't think about how Edwin has a sense of loneliness and how much he spends his time on the internet in connection to anti-collectivism/forced individualization. I think that settlers didn't want Natives to be together and potentially spread their culture and traditions. They wanted to erase any form of their culture and history, forcing Natives to assimilate to American lifestyles.
ReplyDeleteHey Heather, I appreciate your takes on this. I think you started your blog post with a strong, but important and true, statement: settler colonists are still here, as well as the impacts of their actions. I appreciate you sharing how you think Opal and Jackie's stories are impacted by this.
ReplyDeleteHey Heather! You do a really good job here making connections to some of the topics expressed in the microlecture and specific characters in the book! I liked how you focused specifically on relocation, because I think that is the most relevant topic and form of settler colonialism that is brought up in the novel.
ReplyDeleteHi Heather. I like the parallel you drew between the farms that Native Americans were moved to which were typically infertile and the jobs offered to them when they moved to the city, which offered little security or economic mobility if they materialized at all.
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DeleteI am also interested to see how Octavio's story arc proceeds. You pointed out that his future violence against Native Americans parallels white settler's violence, however to push back, it is important to recognize the financial and social situation that him and his accomplices are in. While they are making an undeniably poor and condemnable decision, they exist under difficult and oppressive conditions in the first place that were set in motion by the very violence we are comparing it too.
DeleteGreat point, Jake, and I think the novel is very careful to make these two perspectives share space with each other.
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