The history of the Native American is a tale both heart wrenching and hidden from view. The wretched treatment of Native Americans was widely concealed from the United States public and quickly forgotten in our modern times. The majority of Native American literature can be read through a post-colonial lens. The United States government swiftly extinguished Native American society by forcing Native Americans out of their homes, off of their land, and through the Trail of Tears. Their policy of assimilation and prevalent discrimination caused dramatic effects throughout Indian culture. We can see criticisms of this painful past within Louise Erdrich's novel, Love Medicine.
Living on reservations, the rich culture of the Native Americans was compartmentalized and reduced to fit into "white" America. For many decades Native Americans were viewed as a sub-culture to Caucasians. As we are informed, "Although official policy was to assimilate Indians into the dominant society, the government did not grant Indians citizenship until 1924" (Ruoff, 183). It was this policy of assimilation that was equally detrimental as removal and exclusion. Indian children were sent to boarding schools in different states in an attempt to "assimiliate". Community and heritage are two vital components of Native American tradition, and with their children shipped off to white schools, the family unti crumbled. History shows us, "...they were separated for years from their families and forbidden to speak their native languages or practice their tribal customs and religions. The isolation of Indian children eroded strong family bonds and ancient tribal religions." (Ruoff, 183). A century after Native Americans first experienced the manifest destiny of white men, Erdrich still reverberates in the echoes of these practices. As she writes in "The Tomahawk Factory", "They[the United States government] took your kids away and stuffed the English language in their mouth." (326).
Another important issue between the United States government and Native Americans was land ownership. The Native American perspective of land ownership-communal, shared, cooperative-is antithetical to the governments view of independence, individuality, and competition. We can see from their culture that "American Indians' desire for harmony is also reflected in their deep reverence for the land" (Ruoff 187). The Native Americans respect the land as an equal entity; they do not attempt to control or own the land. White men could not grasp this concept. The repossessed Indian land and sold it back to the Native Americans via the General Allotment Act of 1887. Almost all of the characters in Love Medicine live on allotted land. This land is of terrible quality and represents only a fraction of the true Native American landscape. Albertine states, "The policy of allotment was a joke. As I was driving toward the land, looking around, I saw as usual how much of the reservation was sold to whites and lost forever." (12). It is commonplace for these people to live on insubstantial pieces of land, neglected by the government. As Lyman tells us, "By the time i was done with the car it looked worse than any tpical Indian car that has been driven all its life in reservation roads, which they always say are like government promises-full of holes." (188).
It is obvious that the United States governement is a bitter and resentful topic for the Native Americans. Clearly, the plight of the Native American is a result of greedy government poilicies and purposeful disregard for their unique and valuable culture. Louise Erdrich is not exempt from these feelings of bitterness, and, consequently, these feelings have permeated throughout her work.
Works Cited
Ruoff, A. Lavonne Brown. "Introduction to American Indian Literatures." 180-98. Print.
Ruoff, A. Lavonne Brown. "Introduction to American Indian Literatures." 180-98. Print.
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