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EwelinaBańka
izedbyrelationshipsthatbondpeopletogetherandisthereforeoneofthe
waysthatidentityisestablished.”5AsLoboexplainsfurther,inurbanareas
fourfactorshavebecomecentralintheprocessofshapingIndianidentity
andprovidingindividualswithasenseofbelonging.Theseare:ancestry,
appearance,culturalknowledge,andcommunityparticipation.Therefore,
gatheringinHIndian-declaredplaces,”establishingIndianinstitutions,or-
ganizingpubliceventssuchaspowwows,whereIndianceremoniesare
performed,haveallbecomeimportantmanifestationsandcelebrationsof
IndiannessintheurbanIndiancountry.
Thispan-IndiancharacterofcontemporaryurbanIndiannesshasbeen
criticizedbysomeIndianactivistsasadilutingoftribaltraditions.Never-
theless,pan-IndianismmanifeststhesurvivalofurbanNativeAmericans,
whoforyearshaveresistedracism,oppression,theirownpeople’scriticism
andentrapmentinwhiteman’sstereotypes,buthavefinallycometotheir
owntocelebratetheirsovereigncommunitiesinthetwenty-first-century
urbanAmerica.InthewordsofDianeFraher:
Culturalsovereigntyisattheheartofidentity.Whatitmeanstobean
IndianmustnowbeportableascontemporaryIndianpeoplemove
seamlesslybetweenthetwoworldsofreservationandurbancommu-
nities.Indianpeopleareemergingfromtheinvisibilityofaromanti-
cizedpastandmythologicaltipiandcowboy-killercultureconfinedto
roamingtheshortgrassprairieanduteringecologicalandreligious
propheciesonly.Thevoicethatisemergingisarichculturalmosaicthat
invitesthelistenerinandsharesaprofoundlyinterestingandsurpris-
inglyuniversalstory.6
ThisHrichculturalmosaic”ofthecontemporaryIndianworldispor-
trayedinShermanAlexie’slatesttwoshort-storycollections:TheToughest
IndianintheWorld(2000)andTenLitleIndians(2003).Alexieprovidesthe
readerwithlifestoriesofawiderangeofurbancharacters,creatinginhis
booksaspecificurbanmultigenerationalIndiansaga.Bywritingofthelives
ofprosperousIndianpoliticiansandbusinessmen,middle-classblue-collar
workersandhomelessstreetbeggars,heletsthereaderobservehowur-
banizationshapesIndianexperienceindiflerentenvironmentsandhowit
aflectshischaracters’self-definingprocess.Theleitmotifinmanyofthese
storiesistheprocessofcomingtoanunderstandingofwhatIndiannessis
anddevelopingasenseofbelongingtotheIndianworld.
5Lobo,HIsUrbanaPersonoraPlace?,”p.70.
6DianeFraher,HAboutAmericanIndianArtists,Inc.,”in:GenocideoftheMind:New
AmericanWriting,ed.MariJoMoore(NewYork:ThunderMouthPress/NationBooks,2003),
pp.337—338.
