On the Topic of Microlecture A...

While listening through the first microlecture, I was reminded of how extensive these tribes' and peoples' cultures were, which only made it all the more harrowing how little is known of the Confederated Villages of Lijisan and other Ohlone subcultures, which I discuss to some detail within the previous blog post. That being said, I was already decently familiar with the common misconceptions surrounding Native Americans, and how a lot of media--primarily just before the break of this century, but also bleeding into it--portray the Natives as savage, or misrepresent their culture. The most common example that people will know of on this subject is the Disney movie Pocahontas, which almost everybody understands is a gross portrayal of the massacre that took place; I first learned of its falsehood during the fourth grade, and expanded upon that information during both AP World and US History. That being said, I can understand that portraying Native conflicts in media is difficult and rife for criticism, as they were not helpless prey, but they were also manipulated, massacred in droves, and forced to assimilate culturally nonetheless.

All that being said, I think that approaching the colonization and subsequent inhumane treatment of natives through the perspective of contemporary Natives was a brilliant narrative decision by Tommy Orange. It really shows how Natives are torn between a search for culture that has long been tarnished and internal turmoil regarding whether or not it is even worthwhile to pursue such a thing when life is already hard enough as it is. Despite this schism depicted through the varying characters, all of the key players find their way to the powwow, indicating how the Native culture is intrinsic to them, regardless of whether or not they desire it to be. It can either be a stigma that archaic society uses to oppress, or it can become a source of strength and solidarity.