Brian Liang-There There 1

Layers of the Problematic Society

There are layers within culture. Some layers are parallel to each other and some intersect

to create new boundaries. With the different layers, complexity is formed. In the novel There There

by Tommy Orange, Orange uses different characters to create a complex native culture in an urban

setting. The perspectives are constantly changing to ensure the maximum presentation of emotions

and details of the events that happen. The individual stories all lead to the Powwow at the end

where everyone was involved which ties back to Native Americans are all connected. This essay

will examine the lives of Native Americans in the Urban setting and how these characters interact

with social problems, with a focus on the searching for culture in an urban area, the balance

between cultural values and personal values, and drug and alcohol addiction in native communities.

The urban setting further continued the process of assimilation. Blue, Jacquie Red

Feather's daughter, grew up in a white family that was very different from her native blood. "All

Mexican slurs, of course, since people where I grew up don't know Natives still exist" (Orange,

page 198). Blue was depicted and stereotyped as Mexican due to the ignorance of people knowing

that Native Americans still exist. In cities, it was difficult for people to believe they lived alongside

Native Americans, "they belonged in the fields and mountains," some might think. Blue works at

the Indian Center in Oakland where she feels connected in some way because of her involvement

in the Powwow. Blue is isolated from Native Culture until her adopted mom told her about her

native background. Her curiosity or her desire to find connections prompt her to move to Oklahoma,

where her mother, Jacquie Red Feather's tribe is located. The native culture is something that

buried deep inside Blue and now she finally has the chance to dig it up. The search for Native

culture is also seen in Orvil, Jacquie Red Feather's grandson, now taken care of by Opal. Orvil

would not stop asking Opal about Native culture to a point where it annoys Opal. Orvil discovers
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his interest in native dancing through programs on television. He puts on Opal's regalia and

participates in the dance competition at the Powwow. Blue and Orvil are both isolated from native

culture when they were little, Blue immerses herself in her white adopted family, and Orvil by the

intervention of Opal, but both Blue and Orvil are heavily attracted to native culture. Urbanization

is continuing to wipe out more and more of those native values, nevertheless, Blue and Orvil find

ways to reverse this process and go on a journey to recapture what is left. Furthermore, from a

panel discussion, I was able to find enthusiasm from the speakers in their efforts on the

preservation of native culture especially from the speaker who discusses about old native language

conservation. It was a part of history that is forgotten, and he decides to revive it and bring it to

more people. We rarely associate city and Indians together but in fact, these two have close

interactions daily. Huge populations of Native Americans can be found in the Bay Area, Seattle,

and other big cities. Not to be surprising, the land we are standing on today is what Native

Americans were standing on hundreds or maybe thousands of years ago.

The occupation of Alcatraz sparked from land problems and social issues. Native

Americans catching the flow of the Civil Rights Movement to demand better rights and to protest

the current conditions. Opal participates in this movement with her mom and her sister Jacquie

Red Feather. "You gotta know about the history of your people. How you got to be here, that's all

based on what people done to get you here" (Orange, page 51). The imaginary conversation Opal

has with her teddy bear Two Shoe alludes to the idea that one should know his/her history. Later

in the chapter's we see the resistance of Opal from delivering pieces of history to Orvil which

contradicts the conversation she had with Two Shoe. By only telling Orvil that "You're an Indian

because you're Indian because you're Indian" (Orange, page 119), Opal answers Orvil's question

vaguely but in a way is telling Orvil to view this title as a privilege. Opal tries to shield the boys
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from native culture, we can see that from her not granting permission for the boys to attend the

Powwow. Opal places her old-time values and expectations on the boys and often does not have a

valid explanation as to why certain things are the way they are. The clash between cultural values

and personal values creates a barrier that disables proper understanding between the generations.

Cultural values are being passed down but sometimes experience difficulties in the form of

resistance from an older generation because of the development of their values and experiences.

In the novel A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris, where it discusses the misconceptions

of three different generations from each other’s point of view, the problem of cross-generation

communication exemplifies. The characters Rayona, Christine, and Aunt Ida are daughter-mother-

grandmother relationship and each section is told from a distinct point of view. One might not

understand why the mother acts hostile towards the daughter until he or she begin to find clues in

the mother’s chapter. This novel shows misunderstanding between generations and how personal

values and experiences changed how people act throughout time. From the other side, the problem

could be boiled down to not having enough resources to celebrate the native cultures. Many of the

characters are unfamiliar with the native culture, there are hardly any culturally related activities

for them to take part in. Edwin Black, who is both native and white, although holding a M.A. in

Comparative Literature with a focus on Native American culture, is not able to find connections

to his native culture until a quest to reunite with his father at the Powwow. The Powwow is a place,

an event, of cultural reunion, which also in a sense shows the scarce amount of involvement of the

society in native culture. The characters in the novel present two main concerns- the conflict

involving cultural and personal values; and the number of attributes regarding cultural

engagement- in not only the native community but also in the overall society. Another big problem

that hovers around the native communities is drug and alcohol addiction.
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Alcohol tends to attract those who are poor because they are more vulnerable to changes.

These individuals turned to alcohol to seek some form of escape out from the present. "We drink

alcohol because it helps us feel like we can be ourselves and not to be afraid" (Orange, page 185).

The quote from Octavio's grandmother perfectly identifies the state of mind of people in the native

community who consume alcohol. People drink because they want to get out, they want to feel

stronger, and they did not want people to think of them as cowards. The native people are victims

of the society, they are being left out and are not given any opportunity. Alcohol is written into the

native culture, people with native ancestry are expected to be drug addicts and drunk all the time.

Many of the characters did not escape that cycle, drawn to the problems that drug and alcohol

creates and creating new ones on their own. Jacquie suffers from an alcohol problem where she

must attend a sober conference to deal with. Tony, because of his mom's drinking problem, is

equipped with alcohol syndromes that sprouted his low self-esteem. Dene's uncle Lucas died from

illness caused by alcohol and drug consumption. Alcoholism is a serious problem among the native

community, more people are turning their heads towards alcohol and drugs which can potentially

spark up uncontainable consequences. According to a study conducted by the Substance Abuse

and Mental Health Services Administration n 2012, "17.5 percent of American Indians or Alaska

Natives and 9.3 percent of persons from other racial/ethnic groups needed treatment for illicit drug

or alcohol use" (SAMHSA, page 1). Native Americans are almost twice as likely to need treatment.

Base on the data, Native Americans tend to be worse in dealing with drug or alcohol use, thus,

more supportive sober programs are needed to provide aid to those who fell in the trap of alcohol

and drugs. These programs should not be view as a job but as a duty to bring these individuals

back into society.

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The complexity of the Native American community is not only govern by their sacred

practices, but also with the values that the modern society places on them. Native Americans in

urban settings carries on problems that exist since colonial time and with the intimidating effects

of urbanization cities has imposed on them in forms of financial struggles, land ownerships, and

drug problems. Whether or not someone chooses to pass down their tradition and culture is their

own choice, but history already laid deep inside their blood. The cultural value and personal value

could be different from time to time, learning to accept these cultural values could help you modify

your value. The problem that exists in society is that there was not much engagement to be found

on native culture. Besides the Powwow, how many other traditions can one name that relates to

native culture? The characters in the novel are eager to learn about their culture, but all they have

is videos on television and old regalia from grandma. The excessive use of alcohol and drugs is

becoming a tag for native people. Although we see many characters in the novel suffer from some

degree of addictive problem, the root behind these practices sometimes is not on them, but rather

is on the pressures and expectations that society put on them. Many other topics are touch upon in

the novel, some of which are recent, and some could date back to colonial time. Tommy Orange

uses the characters to showcase different aspects of native culture and to bring to attention to the

social problems that exist today.