Grace Under Fire : Stereotypes and Resistance in Native American Poetry

Since the dawn of the colonial period in the history of the New World, indigenous people have faced a continuous pattern of stereotyping. "Indians," as they have often been called, have consistently ranked as savage, primitive people, as a curiosity to be gawked at. Indigenous writers have strived to offer an alternative voice on the matter - in short, standing up and demanding their dignity.

Poet Denise Sweet has been a consistent critic of the practice of stereotyping Native Americans. In her poem "Indian War," she reacts with indignation at the remarkably common practice of parading these stereotypes about as sporting mascots. As she says:

It's hard enough to make simple talk of this

Watching turkey feathers and greasepaint grins

Dance akimbo upon the TV screen,

The painted quarter horses carrying costumed

(b)raves, the rider screaming as though aflame.

I'm disgusted by what I would like to say -

The hurtful words I learned from punks -

None will fit neatly into the fatness of gratitude

You're expecting to hear from your Indians

The ones you honor at half-time.

It's an appalling spectacle, and one performed with no regard for the sensitivities of the native populace. Sweet points out how this kind of behavior would be unthinkable in regards to any other minority group in the country - as she says, "you know as well as I do / that the 'N' word will never show up / on a football jersey." This simple observation crystallizes the essence of the offense - it's not just insensitive, it's completely unfair. By pointing this out, Sweet gives those of us of a different heritage valuable food for thought.

Sweet has also been critical of the commercialization of indigenous culture, wherein the stereotype is not only reinforced, but packaged, branded, and sold to whites. In her poem "Red Dogs in the Heat," Sweet describes the openly disrespectful attitude of tourists visiting the Taos Pueblo:

A man in madras shorts stirs through

A tray of fetishes, carved coral, and

Pale turquoise from Pauite territory.

He raises a jukala necklace

Like a rattlesnake from its nest

Asking his wife, Do you think this is real?

Again, by simply describing the occasion, Sweet calls attention to what is, upon close inspection, an outrageous incident. The man is literally sifting through indigenous culture, choosing what to buy on the basis of pique, and even acts suspicious about the authenticity of the items. Ever defiant, Sweet continues the poem with a message of grace under such fire, concluding with the line: "We are still running." Native Americans are rightly incensed by such behavior, but they refuse to surrender to it.