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EwelinaBańka
HoweverpitiableandsadthesehomelessurbanIndiansmayseemtobe,
inAlexie’sviewtheyarenotentirelyhomelessastheymanagetocreateon
thestreetsofSeatleHasetingthatisIlikehome’inthecity.”11Theybecome
anurbanfamilybecause,asJacksonsays:HIndiansliketobelong,soweall
preten[d]tobecousins.”12
AlthoughAlexiedevoteshisrecentfictionmainlytourbanIndianexpe-
rience,hedoesnotignoreNativeAmericantraditions,showinghowimpor-
tanttheyareintheprocessofself-defining.Yetheisalsoawareofthefact
thatIndiantraditionspracticedtodayintheurbancontextarerootednot
onlyinoldteachingsbutalsoincontemporaryAmericanculture.Bymodi-
fyingthetraditionalceremonies,contemporaryurbanIndiansfindwaysto
(re)createandperformnewonesandtherebytomanifesttheirIndianness
inthetwenty-firstcentury.
JacksonJackson’smissiontorecoverthestolenfancydancingregaliaends
witharitualmeanttobringhisgrandmother’sspiritbacktolife.Hestarts
hisquestformoneybelievingintheheroiccharacterofhismission,theun-
derstandingofwhichlinkshimwithhisancestors.Whenheeventuallygets
theregaliabackforfree,heperformshisownritualoffancydancinginhis
grandmother’sregalia,whichhebelievesreuniteshimwiththepastand,
atthesametime,bringsthepastintothepresent.Throughtheimaginary
dancewithhisgrandmother,Jacksonnotonlyhonourshisancestorsbut
alsocelebrateshispresentlifeandthelivesofallthegoodpeople,whiteor
Indian,whohelpedhimtoaccomplishhismission.
InHDoNotGoGentle,”theshorteststoryfromtheTenLitleIndianscol-
lection,AlexiejuxtaposestraditionalIndianwayswithmodernpopularcul-
tureandthewayinwhichtheyaflectIndianpeople.HDoNotGoGentle”
isastoryofahealingceremonyperformedatSeatleChildren’sHospitalby
ayoungIndiancoupletobringtheircomatosechildbacktolife.Theper-
formance,althoughverytraditionalinitsessentials,seemsirrationalinthe
modernhospitalenvironment.Itisalsolikelytostrikethereaderasunnec-
essarilyobscene,astheobjectusedtoperformthehealingritualoverlitle
BabyX,ashisparentscallhim,isHChocolateThunder”—avibratorbought
bythefatherwhoHfeelingreligiousabout[his—E.B.]mission”tosavehis
son,mistakenlywandersinasex-toystore.13Atfirst,Alexie’sstoryofthe
parentswavingthevibratoraroundthesickchild’sbed,castingspellswith
itshelp,andusingitasadrumsticktoaccompanythehealingsongs,may
bereadasridiculingindigenoustraditions.Yetinthissomewhatbizarre
wayAlexiearguesthatforurbanIndianpeopleAmericanpopularculture
canbeasspiritualasoldIndianways,andthatitplaysavitalroleinthe
11Lobo,HIsUrbanaPersonoraPlace?,”p.73.
12Alexie,TenLitleIndians,p.182.
13Alexie,TenLitleIndians,p.99.
