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EwelinaBańka
barsandghetos,havecreatedpan-Indianurbancommunitieswhichhave
becomesubstitutesforreservationlife.HealsoshowshowurbanIndians
haveadaptedtothenewconditionsbycombiningindigenoustraditions
andvalueswithelementsofAmericanculture(includingpopculture)to
performtheirown,twenty-first-centuryceremonieswhichhelpthemdefine
andmanifesttheircontemporarysenseofIndianness.Thisemergenceof
urbanIndiancommunitiestogetherwithhybridizationoftraditionthrough
theadoptionofelementsofthemainstreamculturearetheevidenceof
AmericanIndianpeople’sgradualandsuccessfulacclimatizationinmod-
ernurbanAmerica,callingforareassessmentoftheHNativeAmericanidea
ofurbannessthat[now,hascometo—E.B.]expresspositivechangeand
culturalvitality.”1
Thefirst-generationurbanIndianswereexposedtonumerousnegative
eflectsofrelocation.Notonlydidtheyhavetofightwithnegativewhite-
madestereotypesbutalsotoconfrontthecriticismofthereservationIndi-
answhowouldofentreatthemasHIfallen’ordiminishedIndians,Isell-outs’
whoabandonedtheirtribalhomelands.”2Alienated,rejectedandconfused,
manyofthemwouldslowlylosecontrolovertheirlives.Somesankinto
whiteAmericanculture,somewentbacktoreservations;yet,therealways
remainedarelativelynumerousgroupofthosewhodecidedtostrivefor
abeterIndianlifeinthecity.AlthoughforalongtimeurbanIndianswere
completelymarginalizedanddevoidofpublicvoice,theyhaveenduredby
creatingurbancommunitieswhichprovidedthemwithasenseofbelong-
ingtoanewHurbantribe.”
AlthoughcontemporaryurbanIndiansstillhavetofacemanyproblems
characteristicofcitylife,suchaspoverty,racism,andalienation,theyare
graduallybecomingavisibleandvocalurbangroup.Paradoxically,itisthis
previouslymarginalizedgroupthatisbecomingapublicvoicerepresenting
AmericanIndiancountry,primarilybecausetheyaretakingadvantageof
theirdirectaccesstourbanAmerica’sfacilities,especiallytothemassmedia
andtheWorldWideWeb.AsStuartHallclaims:
[M]arginalityhasbecomeapowerfulspace.Itisaspaceofweakpower,
butitisaspaceofpower,nonetheless.Anybodywhocaresforwhatis
creativelyemergentinthecontemporaryartswillfindthatithassome-
thingtodowiththelanguagesofthemargin,andthistrendisincreas-
ing.Newsubjects,newgenders,newethnicities,newregions,andnew
1CarolMiller,HTellingtheUrbanIndian:RepresentationsinAmericanIndianFiction,”
in:AmericanIndiansandtheUrbanExperience,eds.SusanLoboandKurtPeters(NewYork:
AltamiraPress,2001),p.30.
2TerryStraussandDebraValentino,HRetribalizationinUrbanIndianCommunities,”
in:AmericanIndiansandtheUrbanExperience,p.89.
