Sherman Alexie’s What
Sacagawea Means to Me is a magnificent piece. It opens by explaining history in the kind of
shocking, unbiased way lacking in most American History classes. Alexie tells the true tale of The Lewis and
Clark expedition. The one that includes
the strength of Sacagawea and the forty-five unnamed companions who joined the
journey. Alexie holds nothing back,
explaining that as a Native American he should hate this country. He should hate the white history that hides
truths to protect a fabricated image. He
should hate the kind of selfish culture that compares Sacagawea to Eve, a
symbol responsible for the creation of the very first misogynists. Yet, he remains honest and sees the contradiction
in every aspect of this world. There is
contradiction in our history, in our art, in our diseases, and in all people
who have lived here. Sacagawea was a
contradiction and so is Alexie. That, at
once, aligns him with his culture and separates him from it. Contradictions are inevitable. Contradictions are America.
This is my favorite piece in Short Takes, and Sherman Alexie is also one of my favorite writers. I would recommend reading Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie, as that book deals with selling out to America society, musical and culturally. Many of the same themes overlap this and R.B.
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing out the unbiased nature of this piece. I never really looked at it in that way until now. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. I do love how Alexie provides a more complete look at the expedition, giving credit and praise where it is due, especially to those that we never hear about in our history textbooks. Your ending is really strong here. I like that you describe Alexie as a contradiction, because like Sacagawea, he should despise this country that was built by the oppression of his people, and the people who oppressed them. The line where you say that "he should hate the white history that hides truths to protect a fabricated image" is exceptional. It does seem that the American culture is all about covering up and hiding just what was suffered by others to create the nation that we know today.
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