DubonRobinson

NiaDubonRobinson
Dr.MandySuhrSystma
ENG181002Project1Part2
16February2016
ResearchBehindtheDance
ThefirsttworesourcesthatIusedtobeginmychapterofFlightwereafewofthemain
referencematerialsthatwereprovidedforourclassthroughcoursereserves.ThesewereFirst
Peoples:ADocumentarySurveyofAmericanIndianHistoryandACompaniontoAmerican
IndianHistory.AfterrealizingthatIwantedtofocusonghostdanceswithinmychapter,Ichose
thesetwosourcestoreceivemybackgroundknowledgeregardingwhatghostdancesandits
affectsinNativeAmericanhistory.UsingFirstPeopleprovidedmewiththebasicintroduction
astowhatthesignificanceoftheghostdancesareandwhatconflictsarosefromthisreligious
practice.ThediscussionofmanydifferentprophetsamongdifferentNativeAmericantribes
fromtheNorthcoasttotheChristianinfluenceonsometribes,servedasastrongcomparisonto
thesignificantimpactthattheghostdancesmadeonspecificallytheLakotapeople(Calloway
355).Throughoutthetestin,ACompaniontoAmericanIndianHistory,ghostdanceswas
shorterthanFirstPeoplesitwentintomoredetailastophilosophicalaspectoftheghostdances.
Thereligiousrevitalizationsmovementsoverthecourseofhistoryhasservedsignificantlyinthe
ideainwhatghostdancesportrayed(Deloria131).Bothoftheseresourcesservedasagood
startingpointformetogetanideaastowhattheghostdancesareandthemultipledifferent
rolesitplayedthroughouthistory.

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Thenexttworeferences,thatIused,helpedmedevelopmychapterinFlightona
greaterdescriptiveandrealisticlevelindepictingtheghostdances.Bothresourcescovereda
morephilosophicalaspectoftheghostdances.ThejournalwrittenbyScottPratt,focusesonthe
MessiahoftheGreatSpiritwhoteacheshismessengers,likeKickingHorse,tospreadtheword
oftheGreatSpiritwhichtheneventuallyledtothepracticeofghostdancing(151).Becausethis
scholarlyjournalwassophilosophicalIhadtroublefullyputtingtogethertheaspectofaghost
dance.WiththelastreferencethatIwasabletofind,WageWorkintheSacredCircle:The
GhostDanceasModernReligion,providedmewithdescriptivedetailstorecreateanactual
NativeAmericanghostdanceforZitstoexperience.ItalsohelpedtellthestoryofPorcupine
whoImentionedinmychapterwasoneoftheleadersoftheLakotatribe.Thecircleceased
movingafteratime,andastheentrancedawoke,theyrelatedtheirvisionsofresurrectionand
renewalofjoyousreunionsamidstgreenhillsandtumblingstreams,ofcampsfilledwithlong
gonefamilyfeastingonfreshbuffalomeat,ofmeetingswiththeFatherandhissonand
ceremonialleadersproclaimedthesehappytidingstotheassembledcrowd(Warren142).This
passageexemplifiesthedescriptivedetailthatisfoundwithinthisjournalthatgavemethe
necessarydetailstomaketheghostdanceseemrealbutalsoanimportantfactorinNative
AmericanHistory.
IfeelasthoughmyadditionalchapterinFlightcontainedalotmoredescriptivecontent
thananyotherchapterofAlexiesthroughouthisnovel.Ichosethistonotonlydigressfromthe
actionpackedchaptersthatAlexieusestoentertainhisreadersbuttocultivatemoreofZitsand
histhouhgtsasacharacter.InoticedthatwithinAlexieswritingheusesalotofquestionswithin
hiswritingthatsometimesarerhetorical.Idecidedtoincorporatetheideaofthesequestions

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withinmywritingtoallowthereadertoreflectonwhattheanswerscouldpossiblybe,andalso
allowforZitsspersonalreflection.AnexampleofthisinFlightiswhenAlexiestates,But
whenhaveJesusandGodeverstoppedamanfromtakingrevenge?(92).Onpage2ofmy
chapterIstateHowcanapopulationsurviveundersuchbarrencircumstances?.Ithinkthat
bothquestions,thoughverydifferent,allowforthereadertoponderonthescenarioofthe
questionandalsoforZitstoselfreflect.
Mychapterfallsinbetweenchapters9and10ofFlight.Ichosethispartofthenovelto
incorporatemynovelspecificallybecauseZitsisalreadyfamiliarthathehasthecapabilityof
timetravel.IalsochosethischapterbecauseitisafterChapter9,thebattleoflittleBighornthat
Zitswitnessesinthebodyofalittleboy.TheSeventhCalvaryandGeorgeArmstrongCuster
wereimportantcomponentswhenitcametoseizingthepracticeofghostdancingwhichthenled
tothemassacreatWoundedKneeoftheLakotapeopleonthePineRidgereservation.ThoughI
donotspecificallystatethiswithinmychapter,Ithoughtthatitwouldmakethemostsenseto
puttheseeventswithincloserangeofeachother.Mychapteraddstothenovelasawhole
becauseIthinkitisfurtherdevelopingZitssideaonlifeanddeathandhowhopecomesinto
playwithbothofthoseconcepts.ThroughoutthenovelZitsisfacedwithdeathinmultiple
differentcasesduringhistimetravelingexperience.Theideaofbeinghopefulissomethingthat
Zitslearnsfromthemeaningoftheghostdances.Justicesinterpretationoftheghostdance
slightlyskewedwhatZitssideaofthepractice.Zitss,nowhavingwitnessedanactualghost
dance,herealizesitsmorethanthedesiretobringbacklovedonesbuttobringbacktradition
andprosperityforthenativepeople.

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