Reading is one of those simple pleasures I enjoy. I love the feel of crisp paper ruffling under my finger tips as I turn the page. The smell of creativity, opinion, and vocabulary all intertwined in the form of the written word just captivates me in a way few things can. I especially enjoy a piece that makes me think; that makes me question the very darkest crevices of my mind that I otherwise would leave unattended. There is a way that a well written piece of literate can transcend all conceptions of truth and shed light onto a deeper meaning.
Thus is the effect of
Ten Little Indians by
Sherman Alexie.
Ten Little Indians illustrates the dignity and value of simply being human, and calls for a reexamination of justice in society.
Ten Little Indians is a compilation of ten short stories about
Spokane Native Americans living in the Seattle area. Alexie, himself a member of the Spokane tribe, brings into focus the issues faced by modern day Native Americans. Alexie's simple, yet well-developed characters are the average person. They strip away the dignity found in mysticism most White people attribute to Native Americans, and restore a truer dignity found in the essence of being human. His characters do not live extraordinary lives. Indeed, they seem to be the Average Joe, Dick, and Harry, struggling with issues that modern day Native Americans face such as racism, mystical attribution, and White power. However, he also emphasizes the redemptive work in small acts of kindness, such as hearing someone's story, unconditional acceptance, and genuine compassion.
In my devotions today I read
Micah 6:8, "The Lord has shown you what is good: act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." I feel Alexie has captured the essence of this passage in his book
Ten Little Indians.
Acting justly has less to do with the court system then it does with how we treat people in everyday living. A mentor once described to me that "the only way to have a truly just difference is if everyone walked around we a blindfold. We would never see each other's differences, and therefore everyone would be treated the same." To truly live in justice, we must stop seeing people in the light of who we think they are, do to differences and generalities, and accept one another for who we really are. Alexie displays this by uncovering the mysticism White people generally associate with Native American people, and how damaging this can be to the intrinsic worth of a person. Instead of being viewed as a friend, the Native American becomes a guru, or source of spiritual guidance.
By definition, mercy is a lenient compassion. These acts of love and mercy are displayed by Alexie in a gift to a homeless Native American, sharing a meal and hearing the story of a stranger, giving love to an adulterous wife. These are all acts of mercy, which we can learn from. How hard is it to sit and actually listen to someone? So often in social situations we are so busy checking Facebook from our phone that we miss the really meat of life that is sitting right before us. We waste the opportunity to dive into real life with another human being. When we see a man on the street corner we assume the worst. We refuse to spare a dollar, afraid he will waste it. What happened to the belief in human goodness? Early in chapel this year, Jake Smith made the statement, "When we focus on our rights that leads to rebellion. When we focus on our responsibility it leads to relationship." If we focused on our responsibility to a relationship, rather than how the other person has fallen short, hurt us, and abuse our rights in the relationship, could it be possible there may be less separation and divorce rates in America. Maybe a lifelong friend wouldn't be so hard to find after all.
Finally, to walk humbly with God. In the Native American context, this would mean as much as White people to admit we were and still are wrong. We have committed a devastating crime against the Native American people. We walked into their grandmother's house, raped their sisters and daughters, locked them in the closet, and now feed them scraps from underneath the door. Is this what we call justice? Is this what we call mercy? What about an apology? I think that's the least that could be offered. Meanwhile we teach our children that Christopher Colombus was the first people to discover America. Hello!? As if NATIVE doesn't spell out that someone found before him. In American history classes we teach on that Native Americans took captive White people, scalping them, and eating their babies. Could someone please tell the truth about how the white people desecrated their sacred grounds, marched them miles upon miles from their homeland, and locked them in concentration camps. Minnesota has one of the worst cases I've ever seen. Fort Snelling, presently known to be a historic military base for the United States Army lies between Downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of America. This base is known to be a prominent piece of Civil War history. What they don't tell you about the fort is one of the worst genocides in U.S. history took place on this land. Want to know why they called it Fort
Snelling. During the great herding of Native Americans from their homeland, to an area away from "White Man's Territory" they locked a whole tribe away in this fort. During that winter, many Native Americans died. As you may or may not know, the burial of a deceased love one is a sacred ceremony in the Native American culture. However, due to the ground being frozen, they were unable to preform these ceremonies. They were forced to pile the bodies up where they froze for the rest of the winter. When Spring came, the bodies began to reek of death. Hence, the soldiers began to call it Fort Smelling, which eventually evolved into Fort Snelling. No propper burial was ever provided. Today we have birthday parties upon that ground. Birthday's on a mass grave.
WOULD IT BE TOO MUCH TO ASK TO TAKE THE FORT DOWN?
At least put up a Memorial. However, I guess if that's too much to ask them a simple I'm sorry may suffice for now. What if we really did take the time to say I'm sorry. What if we really did humble ourselves and admit that we have been wrong? Not only for the Native Americans, but for those around us who we wrong daily in our average, ordinary lives. Maybe that's too much to ask.
Sherman Alexie's Ten Little Indians is a fantastic advocacy tool for the cause of Native American and interpersonal justice. Ten Little Indians renders a picture of the beauty in mere humanity, and provokes a restructuring of justice in our day-to-day lives.
