Part II, “Reclaim,” brings with it additional narrative lines and a progression of some of the initial concepts that we encountered in the first part. As with the first discussion prompt, you certainly are welcome to comment on particular passages (or characters, etc.) that you find particularly compelling outside of what this prompt highlights–feel free to comment on passages and concepts that the following prompt does not address. However, to start, what I’d like to offer initially is a consideration of the way(s) that Part II returns repeatedly to the idea of stories and storytelling—and how these reflections on storytelling ultimately intertwine with conceptualizations of each individual’s identity and what it means to be Native. Dene Oxendene is developing an oral history, and the conversation he has with Calvin Johnson is quite compelling. On page 148 Calvin states that “My dad never talked about being Native and shit to the point that we don’t even know what tribe we are on his side. Our mom has Native blood on her Mexican side too, but she doesn’t know much about that either…So I don’t know, I feel bad sometimes even saying I’m Native. Mostly I just feel like I’m from Oakland.” Dene reflects upon Calvin’s thoughts and thinks, “Sometimes not having a story is the story” (148). Of course there is a lot more to Dene and Calvin’s discussion in the chapter, but this excerpt is one of several points in Part II where the idea of storytelling arises. In your reading of the text up to this point, what do you feel the narrative suggests about storytelling? What does it suggest about the relationship between storytelling and self-identification? About Native identity? Now that we’re halfway through the narrative, it’s an appropriate point to think carefully about what the text has conveyed to us–to consider the foundation that the second half of the text will either reinforce or complicate.
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Storytelling is a recurring theme throughout this work. Storytelling is signaled by the narrative as being very important to life, and especially American Indian life. The novel itself is a composition of miniature stories of people, in the present, and in their past. Prior to the Interlude, Orvil is putting on his mothers regalia and talks about how does not feel much like an Indian, how some people have even suggested he is just a “pretendian”. A pretendian is slang for someone who claims to be Indian due to a distant relation being Indian by blood, and them not being culturally immersed in it in any significant way. The reality though that this novel brings up is that sometimes, the only way to be really be connected the past you were never a part of, and the culture that you haven’t really experienced, is through stories. Stories help frame the identities of many people of American Indian heritage. It gives them something they can use to easily define themselves. They then are able to pass these stories down to their posterity to maintain their culture, and to help define the identity of future generations. Events like powwows are said to be important in the novel, because they give everyone a chance to connect and to experience Indian culture, in a very broad sense. Calvin, who himself admits he doesn’t even know what makes him Indian, is on the planning committee for a powwow. This shows their importance as it shows that are able to help provide definition to a part of peoples identities that may be missing. This can lead to stories being generated that be passed down to future generations to help define their identities.
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Throughout the novel up to this point, the action of storytelling is heavily linked to Native American culture. After all, what has tied it together is Dene’s project, focusing on the story’s of Oakland’s Native Americans, some of which have shown that their time in Oakland has made them feel disconnected from their heritage.They think that the stories they have deal more with being from Oakland than being Native American. However, having those stories provides them a direct link to their heritage, carrying on the tradition.The narrative shows the link between storytelling and self-identification really well. Calvin’s lack of a story, which “sometimes…is the story” (148) according to Dene, brings with it his lack of association with his own heritage. Calvin’s inability to tell a story carries him into discussing his own doubts about his self-identification. What I find interesting about this is that these doubts could actually be what define Calvin as Native American, more specifically as the “urban” Native American from Oakland which is so focused on in the story. Calvin’s own doubts are shared by Orvil and Edwin, who are also struggling in relating to their heritage in a world which they feel has subdued it. But this doubt provides a link between them, along with a story of doubt that can be shared and used to characterize the experiences of urbanized Native Americans. The possession and sharing of these stories provide the link to the culture which the storytellers believe they have lost hold of.
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Storytelling is a vital aspect to essentially every culture around the globe. Each culture has their own way of telling those stories, but usually the oldest and most persistent myths and stories were passed down as oral traditions. Native American cultures especially exhibit the idea of a passed down oral tradition. Dene’s project is an attempt at creating a physical version of these stories, though not necessarily traditional Native stories. The stories instead turn out to be how different Natives have experienced life in this modern world. “Sometimes not having a story is a story” is a quote which sums up the idea of cultural destruction quite well (Orange 148). Initially given in response to Calvin not knowing anything about his Native heritage, other than that there was some Native heritage, ultimately this allows us to see that persistent prejudice has made the Native American culture substantially weaker. Many families throughout the book do not talk about their heritage almost as if it is a badge of shame forced upon them at birth. The pervasive attitudes about race are unfortunately very convincing leading to the eventual abandonment of one’s past. We can see that the individuals who come from families who don’t share the stories of their past often question their person. Standard beliefs among them are that they don’t feel right calling themselves Native and that Oakland is really the only place they identify with. Yet occasionally, this lack of consistently being told one’s past can lead to increased curiosity. Orvil’s story sees him intensely studying Native American culture, especially dance, on the internet in an attempt to ease the curiosity about his past. He even intends to compete at the powwow based solely on internet learning which requires an intense dedication to ones identity.
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As we observed in Sherman Alexie’s “In What You Pawn I Will Redeem”, stories and storytelling are central components in Native American culture. The characters in There There all have their own, unique stories, with varying degrees of influence from their Native ancestry. They range from having had family teach them of their heritage to never having met their Native family at all. All seems to struggle, in one way or another, with how they come into this ancestry in an authentic way. I thought it was interesting how Dene is so careful to not influence what his subjects say in his interviews. I believe what Tommy Orange was trying to convey here is that all of these stories are Native American stories, regardless of how much the traditional Native culture played an influence. Many of the characters feel like, because of their lack of immersion in the Native culture, that they are somehow frauds. Identity confusion was a common thread throughout the novel. What the characters don’t see is that, through their struggles and individual stories, they represent the modern Native culture. Despite not having what they perceive to be as a ‘standard’ Native experience, they carry on what it means to be a Native American. Dene highlights this in his belief that “not having a story is the story” (148). I believe the novel as a whole conveys the importance of individual experiences and the pitfalls that come with not believing your own story is valid enough to tie you to others.
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The Native American representation and self-identification have been attacked through a monolithic version of what people think it means to be Native American. When you think of Native Americans in America, you think of the stereotypical Indian the media portrays in the media with a feather on its head. In the book, there is a dialog between the characters Dene Oxendene and Calvin Johnson. Through this dialogue, it is evident that the majority of the Native American population, especially the younger generations, do not have a sense of concrete belonging to Native Americans. Therefore, storytelling is very difficult to do for the younger generation of Native Americans because their parents do not have concrete information of their family ties to pass along to their children, “My dad never talked about being Native and s**t to the point that we don’t even know what tribe we are on his side. Our mom has Native blood on her Mexican side too, but she doesn’t know much about that either…So I don’t know, I feel bad sometimes even saying I’m Native. Mostly I just feel like I’m from Oakland” (Calvin, 148). The Native American heritage will dwindle if there is a lack of adequate storytelling and continuing the Native American heritage.
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The narrative suggests that storytelling is what keeps culture and people remembered and connected. The author, Tommy Orange, wanted to write this book because of the stories that he heard from the natives in Oakland. This work of fiction is partly based on stories that Orange heard. He wants to keep the native community alive and remembered. He wants them to not feel so isolated on land that was once theirs and connected to the people that feel the same way as them. By understanding the background of the author, the novel’s take on storytelling is clear. In addition, by listening to the stories of others, people can learn about their identity through others. For example, if the only thing someone knows about their heritage is that they were Native from the Cheyanne tribe, they can listen to stories that others tell about that tribe to gather an understanding about who they truly are. By telling one’s own story, they might be able to come to the realization of who they really are. They could tell their story to someone who is willing to listen, and by hearing it out loud, they can piece together who they have become. In the Native community, storytelling is how they pass on traditions. Many of their ancestry comes from oral traditions and without passing it to the next generations through storytelling, their entire past is lost. Although fiction, this novel takes the stories of others and passes them on to the next generation. Rather than relying on storytelling orally by the urban Natives, Orange captures their stories and preserves them.
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The narrative supports Dene’s view of storytelling in that it relays a modern history. At this point, it appears to be using Dene as a vessel to lead the narrative in the direction of positive storytelling without directly presenting the ideal. Native identity is removed from the context of a purified bloodline and more strongly associated with the experiences they have. For Orvil, his mother explains it as a spirit that flows down to them that cannot be taken away. This did not assuage his doubts though, especially as he researched the subject online. This doubt is shared by other characters like Dene, who thinks another native is doubtful of him in part 1. The theme of self-doubt over heritage, especially among those with less traditional features, battles with the storytelling that connects them with their heritage. By connecting in that way, Dene through his project and Orvil by researching on his own, they are validating their identity within the Urban Indian community in their own minds. And in something as conceptual as the shared bond between Urban Indians, that self-identity is enough to be welcomed in the group. A particularly strong moment of storytelling on behalf of the narrator is the path of the bullets used by Tony Loneman. The story could have been very brief, but there was a deliberate choice made to use it to foreshadow the future of the bullets and the consequences of them being used. By challenging the modernity of a native as they died in the grass wearing traditional regalia, the narrator shows the same self-doubt that is held by some of the characters. This bullet story comes from outside any of the other characters but its location and details hint that the event will be the thing that connects the characters.
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Part I of this novel laid the groundwork for the rest of the novel, as I read through part II, I was noticing little details that related to stories from the previous section. For example, the section narrated by Bill Davis, speaks about Karen and her son with Harvey and the difficulties each character faces. It is as if each section is a continuation of the previous story but just told from a different perspective but a different person. Another example of this is in Calvin’s first section of part II; at the end of this section, he talks about him, Charles, and Carlos leaving Octavio’s’ house, all three of which are drunk when they see a deformed-looking boy on his bike outside. This corresponds to Tony Loneman’s section, where we learn that Tony suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and is deformed. This is also where we follow Tony on a journey to Octavio’s house that results in him dropping bullets off at a Powwow that Charles, Carlos, and Octavio discuss in Calvin’s section. I understand that that may be hard to follow, but I am trying to stress the connectedness of each story; how, when looked at as one complete story and now a multitude of short stories, a picture of life in Oakland is painted. Subsequently, this depicts the Native identity because Native American culture prides itself on stories of Indian history. Each tribe believes that they have a unique story that only applies to them, just as each narrator believes his story his uniquely his. However, when looking in from the outside, we see that they are more similar than different, which shows the self-identification present in storytelling. People from similar backgrounds who experienced the same things are going to have similar stories just as those in the novel do. Furthermore, I believe that this trend will continue through Tommy Orange’s There There, only introducing more and more perspectives of fundamentally the same experience, being Native American in Oakland.
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Throughout the novel, Tommy Orange makes it extremely clear the relevance between story telling and Native Americans. The idea of story telling and story telling itself pops up many different times throughout the book. Over the long history of Native Americans, it has been part of their culture to pass down stories, myths, and other things through oral history. We see portrayed a lot within the novel. Oakland on the other hand, has prevented a lot of Native Americans from being immersed in their own culture. As a matter of fact, many people don’t even know what tribe they belong to because they are so disconnected from their own history. Take Calvin Johnson as an example. He has native blood from both his mom and dad, yet he still has no clue what tribe/tribes he belongs too. This in itself make him feel ashamed and disconnected from his roots. He doesn’t feel like he has the right to call himself indian because he doesn’t even know his roots. How is he supposed to embrace a culture that he doesn’t know much about? Dene understands that even though he may feel like he doesn’t have a story, that is a story within itself. Calvin doesn’t feel his story because he hasn’t connected with it yet. Once Calvin starts to understand his roots and culture, he can develop his own story after he can understand the stories of the people who came before him and the people who share the time with him. Overall, Oakland has distanced many people from their culture, both physically and metaphorically.
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The idea of storytelling is a pervasive theme throughout Part I and II of “There, There.” It is also one of the main themes over the course of the entire book. The structure of the novel is even representative of its focus on storytelling. While the narration of the story remains in the third person, the identity of each chapter’s main character changes rapidly, and is even represented by each chapter’s title. This appears to be a commentary on the significant narrative power of storytelling by focusing on an individual character in order to elucidate their self-identity. In part two we are introduced to Bill, Calvin, and Orvil for the first time. Each of these characters’ introductory chapters explains how their self-identity relates to their Native-American identity. Bill and Calvin have both experienced rough times, and it plays into this identity. Orvil longs to identify more with his Native-American heritage, but he is afraid he would be ingenuine if he was overt in his expression of his heritage, that he would be a “pretendian.” The book’s theme regarding the importance of storytelling is also more directly addressed in Dene’s interview with Orvil. In the opening of the interview he shares with Orvil his belief, “When you hear stories from people like you [Orvil], you feel less alone. When you feel less alone, and like you have a community of people behind you, alongside you, I believe you can live a better life.” In my interpretation of the novel, this quote serves as direct explanation of one of the main themes of the entire book: that “There, There” is a collection of stories, designed to put into words what it means to be Native American in a modern world. The organization of “There, There” as a collection of stories and variety of characters is significant to this quote in that they are not alone…they share the same space within the novel, and their lives all eventually connect back to each other. I believe that this structure of “There, There” was deliberate. In my interpretation of the book, I believe that the author, Tommy Orange, wrote it with Native-Americans who may read his novel in mind…he wrote it with the intention of helping them feel like they are not so alone in their adversities.
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I like the idea that everyone has a story. Even if they think they do not have a story, that loss for a story is their story. The narrative has taken a dark turn to this point. It suggest that everyone has a story. However, many stories in this work are the bad kind.
I think that stories can be very powerful. For example, when Orvil tell his story to Dene, he was sad during the telling, but was still happy that he did so. This gives us an example of the relationship between storytelling and Self-identification because these stories that they all have unites them to one another. The idea of Native identity can sometimes be tricky sometimes because Native people can consider themselves Natives”, but yet, they don’t always know what tribes they belong to. It gives them an identity of being a Native but not the true identity of a Native.
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The idea of storytelling is used throughout the world in every culture and nation to preserve the history and culture of their own people. This is no different than what the narrator suggests about storytelling. With Calvin, we see how his parents did not continue the traditions of storytelling, so they seemed to have lost their touch with their native culture and heritage. They were unable to preserve their history because they never talked about it. We see how this is a story because Calvin’s inability to find the stories of his past allows him to create a story of either searching for those stories and reconnecting with his heritage and culture, or a story of adapting and creating a new story for himself. Through the idea of storytelling in the story we see how the narrator suggests that stories carry power and long standing history. Through stories you can reaffirm your culture and strengthen your self identity. Story telling can provide you with context our your ancestors so you can use that to create your identity, without it you can feel lost. Storytelling was the main way Native people maintained their identity and culture. Through Calvin’s father we see a loss of their stories, and with it comes a loss of this native identity. He recognizes they are native, but without the stories of his tribe, he is unable to recognize which tribe he comes from only that he is native, which leaves the question if “he is truly native?” because besides his ethnicity, he does not have anything else to prove he is native like stories.
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I think it is clear the narrative places high importance on storytelling. Not only is storytelling an effective way of communicating ideas and expressing emotions and truth, but it in this narrative it is inseparable from heritage and cultural value. As has been the case throughout this novel, storytelling has been the primary means by which we, the reader, have learned about Native American culture—and what the modern Native Americans know about their culture. As is the case with Calvin, he does not know even know where he came from. His heritage is unknown to him, and this is directly linked with his inability to craft a story around it. As is the case with Calvin and other Native Americans who do not have such stories to tell—and have not been told such stories—he finds he associates much more with Oakland, California than any possible Native American heritage. For indeed, his life in Oakland is all he knows. The question remains how such Native Americans will pass on whatever is left of their heritage to the next generation. Since storytelling is a hallmark in this culture, is it shameful to have no story to tell? Dene answers this question with the profound statement that not having a story, “is the story” (148). In other words, the lack of knowledge of one’s heritage—the lack of a story to pass on—is in itself a story that bears great truth, the truth of the history of discrimination clawing away the fabric that once was their great Native American heritage. And with this new kind of story, one kind still find meaning in that they are not alone in feeling disconnected with their past.
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In There There, storytelling plays an important role in what I believe to be the main idea of the book and that is the effect Urbanization has had on Natives and the only identity connection they have to their past is through storytelling. But the new generation is finding out that they truly know little about their heritage and the story’s that they know about are mostly their parents fulfilling the modern stereotypes against Natives. An interesting excerpt I found in my reading is on page 122-123 when Orvil says, “when you hear stories from people like you, you feeless alone,” which connects all the main character together because they all have stories that are somewhat similar in that they know very little about their Indian side and their parents have fell victim to the stereotypes. I believe that this new age Native’s only link they have to their native self-identification is through storytelling, because with the whites stealing their land and urbanization, none of these Indians alive have truly experiences their heritage at its roots. By that, I mean the heritage to its roots is the story’s told about the days when they were free, and the modern age connect their identity and their roots to these stories. With everything that has been taken from the Native peoples the only connection they have left, the only self-identification, is in the stories that they pass on through generations. Calvin not having at story and that being the story is interpreted in that the connection with the youth and past generations is lost because of urbanization and the parents falling victim to alcohol. Slowly and slowly these real Native stories will disappear and there will be nothing left of Native Americans. Assimilation will be complete.
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Story telling is very important in Native American culture, and part II of the narrative shows this. When Calvin sits down to tell his story he says that he does not know anything about his Native American heritage and because of this he feels like his Native American side is not true. He considers himself just a person from Oakland. Calvin admits this is because his parents never told him stories about his ancestors and heritage. He also says many people he knows who are Native American do not know anything about their heritage either. This proves how important story telling is in keeping a legacy and even a whole culture alive. Since Calvin did not learn about his Native American roots, he will not tell his children about them and they will not tell their children about them. Calvin is unsure of his identity as a Native American, because he has nothing to base it off of. He knows he is Native American, but this does not mean much to him as he has never had a real connection to the culture. Calvin and others in his shoes feel lonely because they feel like they are not the same as other Native Americans who are in touch with their Native American roots. They do not have a sense of belonging in White American culture or in Native American culture. This part of the narrative reinforces the idea we saw in part I of the importance of protecting Native American culture.
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Evident throughout the prologue and the first part of There There, author Tommy Orange consistently formats the narrative through a storytelling lens. In the prologue, an unnamed narrator tells the troubled history of Native Americans, while in Part I, characters narrate and delve into telling their own stories. In Part II, Orange offers a deeper, more technical side of storytelling. To emphasize this, he uses the character of Dene as a way to frame the topic itself, storytelling. In his interview with the culturally disconnected Calvin, he adds “Sometimes not having a story is the story” (148). Here, Orange makes the point that not every story contains one’s background and history. Further, the art of storytelling, which is a pillar of Native culture, has grown weaker as modernity has taken over. With the example of Calvin, he demonstrates this as well as the story of how storytelling has grown weaker throughout generations. Although Calvin does not have much knowledge of his culture, this in itself is a story. As we know, Calvin has felt out of touch with his Native American identity, and the fact that he does not know the details of his own heritage tells the story of Native Americans and their struggle to stay in touch with their own culture. Evidently, as shown in the novel, this loss of cultural awareness makes it easier for others to exhibit self destructive nature such as the plotted robbery at the powwow. Thus, Orange places a particular emphasis on storytelling and its direct relationship to one’s cultural awareness.
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The stories of any culture, ethnicity, and/or nation represent their identity. These stories are used, whether orally or written, for cultures to teach the younger generation to identify with and adhere to certain morals, principles, and beliefs. Moreover, stories are also used in cultures to explain certain events, such as the creation story. Many Native American cultures have strong oral storytelling traditions. They would use these stories to teach the younger generations about the way of their tribe and people. Often these stories would be allegories to impart some wisdom on the young ones or relate to their religion/spirituality. Since these stories were orally passed down, many were lost due to war, disease, and genocide. Calvin Johnson epitomizes this concept when he says, “My dad never talked about being Native and shit to the point that we don’t even know what tribe we are on his side. Our mom has Native blood on her Mexican side too, but she doesn’t know much about that either…So I don’t know, I feel bad sometimes even saying I’m Native. Calvin Johnson was never able to identify with his Native heritage as he never learned about his own tribe. This new generation of “Urban Indians,” who have no memory of their own heritage, will have to identify and create their own. This idea provides the foundation for, “There There” and will thicken the plot as we move into the latter half of the text. It will be interesting to see how the many characters and relationships in this novel come together to form the new identity of the “Urban Indian.”
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I feel that the narrative suggests that storytelling is an important part of Native American identity. Since most of Native American history has been passed down orally for centuries, I feel that the Native Americans in this story feel like if they cannot tell a story, they feel less Native American. Calvin struggles with his identity in the novel. Calvin feels less Native American because he cannot tell a story about his heritage, so he feels like he is just a person from Oakland rather than a Native American. Dene’s character arc is focused on him learning about the many stories of the Native Americans – and this can be related to how he tags the word “lens” all over Oakland. He is a lens to record the stories (and lack of stories) of Native Americans in Oakland.
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Starting in the first pages and up through part two of the novel, stories and storytelling have been described as an important part of the Native American culture. The prologue illustrated how the Native Americans were pushed off their reservations and moved to urban areas, specifically Oakland. It is clear that urbanization and younger generations having to building lives away from the actual land where their ancestors and cultures were so rich might cause them to feel in a sense that their identity is lost. This storytelling that the novel discusses is ultimately what allows those of Native American culture to feel connected to their culture even though they live their lives in cities and much differently than their ancestors did. In Calvin Johnson’s case, he explains that because he doesn’t know his tribe on neither his mom nor dad’s side, he feels “bad sometimes even saying [he’s] native” (Orange 148). Because of his uncertainty of where exactly he comes from, he struggles with his identity. This is where storytelling and self-identification are so important. Dene’s purpose is to create an oral story from the Oakland natives, and he says that, “sometimes not having a story is the story” (Orange 148). In order to create a sense of self identity for the urban Natives who have seemingly lost it, he is encouraging the idea that not knowing the exact story of where one is from or their heritage is the story. This idea gives those who are struggling with identity a connection to their heritage but more importantly it is empowering. I think that the foundation of the novel this far will both reinforce and complicate the second half of the text at the same time.
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The story at this point is beginning to feel like the oral history that Dene is trying to collect. As the character’s tell their stories more in depth, we begin to see the connections and differences behind the Native Americans that come from all paths and ways of life. For instance, we know of the differences between Calvin and Dene based on their narrations. They both live completely different lives, with very different thoughts and experiences. However, they are connected by the Powwow, and in the excerpt of the book mentioned in the prompt for this discussion post, it seems that they both feel a disconnect from their native identity. Despite the drastic differences in their lives, the way they interpret their native identity seems to be the same, with sadness, uncertainty, and obligation. This theme, of confusion with identity, is one that every character in There There has experienced so far. From the young teenagers that are amazed by a “real Indian” to the overweight man who is ecstatic to find out his real tribe, all of the characters seem to struggle with the fact that they are native. Dene struggles with wondering whether how he looks effects his Indian nature, while Opal seems reluctant to embrace the identity she was taught so much about. It seems to me that at this point in the story, Tommy Orange is trying to demonstrate the complex nature of being a Native American. The characters are all connected through the very traditional powwow, and yet despite this obvious connection that the reader observes, they all feel separated from their native identities. To us, the connection is obvious, but to them, the unification that their background gives them seems nonexistent.
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Up to this point of the novel, storytelling is a recurring theme. From the narratives of each character to the stories of their past. Dene’s project is an overarching umbrella capturing little bits of each character at their different ages. Through Native American culture, families have different experiences and different ways of telling stories. For example, Opal never told many stories of the Cheyanne tribe to her grandsons Orvil, Loother, and Lony. The same goes for Calvin, his dad “never talked about being Native and sh*t to the point that we don’t even know what tribe we are on his side” (148). Rather than saying Native Americans don’t have a story to tell, I think it’s the idea that they don’t think its story worthy. Just like Dene highlights in his conversation with Calvin, “not having a story is the story” (148). The parents of the newer generation Natives were so ashamed of their heritage, they didn’t even want to pass it on. They didn’t share the stories like their parents did. However, they can look it up on the internet. Whether what they look up is accurate or not, that’s what they will believe because that all the information they can get about their heritage. This is how the Natives end up being the stereotype the rest of the world sees them as and not what they really are.
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Part II serves to adapt, develop, and connect the seemingly unrelated narratives introduced in Part I. Orange paints a complicated picture of the world by introducing a lot of individual stories right at the beginning of the novel. This technique serves as a set up for him to modify that image of the world as the novel continues. In Part II, the characters become more connected. The narratives begin to intertwine and Orange writes about how everyone is interacting with and being shaped by the other members of the immediate community. By doing this, Orange produces a commentary that suggests individual identities are defined by interactions with the community.
Nevertheless, each individual maintains their own style of storytelling. This represents the way that the characters are unique despite sourcing their identity from a common heritage and community. It is fitting that particularly towards the end of Part II the plot return to focus on the Powwow. This ties the relationship between individual and communal identity which Orange is discussing back to the author’s underlying factor which is the experiences of Native American’s specifically. The Powwow seems to be an important event for the upcoming part of the novel. It is a point of convergence. The different characters up to this point all seem to have different interactions with their community in Oakland and many characters are approaching the Powwow with different reason why the event is significant to them. This could potentially set up an opportunity for Orange to further his commentary on the impact of community and heritage on identity by depicting the Powwow as a turning point that brings further division or unification among the Native American population.
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The novel There There is a story telling of stories. Tommy Orange’s telling of stories through the telling of stories shows just how important storytelling is. The narrative shows that story telling has proved to be an integral part of Native American culture and provides an opportunity to immerse oneself in the culture that came before. In a modern world, stories provide an opportunity for Native Americans to identify with the past. The fact that “sometimes not having a story is the story” (148) shows how anything can help one identify with what suits them. Stories are a part of an identity one has, even more appreciated by the Native culture as seen in this novel. Stories are what keep them coming back together. The pow wow is their opportunity to connect and share stories—the stories that keep them connected to each other and to their past. However, one begins to question whether Orange will go against this idea later in the novel. A realistic mind recognizes that stories can not save you from everything. Some characters do not even remember what tribe they are a part of. Many experience a social disconnect from those around them. Will a story really save Tony from a birth defect? Or fix Dene’s loneliness? One must find their own identity before they try to identify with others through stories that are not even theirs to begin with. Once the characters are able to grasp their own internal struggles can they become a community again.
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Orange’s use of various story telling techniques perpetuate the importance of stories in Native American culture. As the novel progresses, the reader begins to see the intertwining lives of each character. Bill is the stepfather of Edwin, Calvin becomes involved with Octavio, Jacquie reappears as on older woman now the distant grandmother of Orvil. As planning for the powwow ensues, the interlude further connects these characters lives at the center. This multiple-narrator style, as the connections are further developed, deepens the unifying nature of one’s culture and the stories that come with shared heritage. They long to carry out their traditional culture so that they are not lost in the grey blur of American society. If they do not tell their stories, no one will. When Orvil puts on his native clothing and practices his dance, his brothers make fun of him. However, if he doesn’t remind them of where they come from, they lose the thing that makes them feel less lost. Though each character tells a different story (or lack thereof), they are stories of the same conflict and value. Jacquie’s longing to drown her pain in liquor is no different from Edwin’s tendency to submerge himself in food and virtual reality. As much as humans like to individuate, our similarities make such differences thinly surface level. Every character in the novel really shares the same story. However, I don’t think that Tommy Orange is only voicing unity in the Native American people and their joint lineages; he digs deeper in preaching that the human story is the same. His various excerpts from famous writers of different nationalities show that all of humanity has felt this way before: lost, scared, alone. Though this is not to diminish the plight of the Native American population, I do believe he is calling for more compassion from humans in result of one group’s trauma because it is all of our traumas.
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In writing the novel There There, Tommy Orange restored an aspect of storytelling that had been lost among the urban Indian population. Native American groups and tribes are cultures known to have a strong oral tradition through storytelling. Their entertainment, history, and explanation of natural processes lies in the spoken words passed through generations. Through the course of history as Native Americans were forced into restricted areas, many began losing touch with their culture as they assimilated into the new American way of life. Calvin’s grievances reflect the situation faced by many urban Indians. He says that they have lost touch with their culture to the point where he doesn’t feel completely comfortable being part of the native community. He doesn’t know what tribe he is a part of or any of the traditions associated with this identity. This phenomenon is a barrier to urban Indians across the United States. In a way, Tommy Orange’s novel opposes this by showing examples of Urban Indians connecting with their culture and applying it to their own lives. The author of this book grew up that way, and seeks to spread this message to others. He keeps the tradition of native storytelling alive by explaining his culture in a way that is more relatable to a larger audience.
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The narrative suggests that storytelling drives the relationship of self-identification. On many occasions throughout the story, the story behind what is going on relates to how the character reacts in the future to a similar event, or it begins to define who the character is. There stories are often mixed with defining points that create a character that is unique and independent. It gives them something to drive onto. As for Native identity, the relationship suggests that it is a link to their culture that they may not have experienced before. Orange mentions in his book that not many Native Americans have experienced the full culture of their people, yet they all relate to it, and they know that they do, even if they do not necessarily know what it is to them. Orvil, for example, spends a lot of time preparing for the powwow and learning the dances associated with it. The powwow is the link to him, but he knows he is connected to it through history. For him, it is the link he has to his past. Ultimately, I feel that the story ties together different representations of Native Americans across society. It reveals how society views the Natives, as well as how many of them view themselves. In some cases, they know that they have Native blood in them, but they do not feel that they identify with it. In cases like these, I feel that the storytelling aspect truly helps to connect the individual with the Native culture. They believe in all the stories that they have been told about it but they do not know the connection they have, all they have are stories that they circulate to help affirm their identity.
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There There reinforces the idea that storytelling is a key element of defining one’s culture and identity, however, it also suggests that modern stories are just as valuable as older ancestral stories. This equal value of modern stories in comparison to ancestral stories is stressed by Orange in the way he has every single character tell their own stories as a way of identifying who they are to the reader. Orange also emphasizes the value of these modern Native American stories in the way that Dene chooses to catalog them in the form of an oral history. Oral storytelling is a major part of Native American culture, so the value of these modern Native Americans having the opportunity to orally tell their own stories should not go unnoticed to the reader. Although their stories are vastly different than those of the stories told by their predecessors, it comes back to the idea that of the “there” in Oakland that is a different “there” than the there of their ancestors. Ultimately their “there” is their stories and their identity which can be pulled from their story. To elaborate this even further, their story and identity doesn’t have to be defined, just their existence and even their seemingly lack of a story or lack of knowledge of their Native American culture is a story and a “there” of itself. For example Calvin’s lack of a story could be understood as a new story of loss of culture, a change, his modernization. Ultimately although their stories are different than the traditional stories, they still determine their identity and culture. Storytelling in There There is important because it identifies the “there” of all the characters in the novel no matter how different it may seem from the “there” that Stein recalls from her childhood.
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Tommy Orange starts to dig really deep through his book and the characters. Similar to a movie in which there are a lot of different characters who eventually come together the same goes for the book. The characters have a piece of their past- they are Native. They all struggle with feeling lost. Not knowing where they come from makes them feel as if they do not know who they are without that. They are also angry and want their past to be respected because it didn’t only happen to their relatives, but they are now facing the cost as well. This cost is not knowing their past and the stories that were past orally down as a result of the separation and mass murders of tribes in war. This leads the characters to be curious on their past, but because they feel lost they try to fill a void. This is shown in Jacquies’s drinking and Edwin’s food and technology. This connects with humans because more often than not humans will try to fill a void of being alone or “lost” by relationships and sex. They think it’ll fix the problem. The characters face this same internal struggle without realizing that connecting with your past isn’t going to fix that void rather than finding their own identity. The fact the characters don’t have a story is there story based upon the mistreatment that made their story slowly dissipate.
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Storytelling is a common theme amongst people who have the same shared experiences. It brings them together an makes them feel important to each other because they are able to relate to the different situations that each one was put in at some point, or they can feel the same excitement that the other person has had. In There There, the entire story is filled with small stories from each of the different character and all of them have their own unique experiences. Calvin talks about how he does not really feel his Native Americans culture inside of him when Dene is interviewing him, which is why Dean states “Sometimes not having a story is the story” (148). The storytelling is a strong part of the Native culture, especially in a town like Oakland where gentrification is on the rise. The storytelling keeps the culture alive and allows the individuals to continue to pass down their heritage to their own kids in the future and make sure that no one forgets where they come from. For Calvin to be on the committee for the Powwow, this is a way of understanding exactly who he is. He can use that opportunity to learn about his past, as the Powwow is a great common ground for the Native American culture in that area. Just because he does not know exactly about his own personal Native American heritage does not make him much less of a Native American. Here he will be able to identify with people who are in the same situation as him, and are willing to learn about who they actually are.
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Orange continues the themes that he established in part one in part two. He shows the plight of the Native Americans by showing the struggles that they face as they try to carve out an existence in a world that has fundamentally damaged their culture. The theme of alcoholism is continued but it is heavily expanded upon and Orange begins to show that many of the struggles of the native Americans are purely symptomatic of larger problems. The chapter on Jacquie Red Feather focusses heavily on the themes of alcoholism and suicide but they are just the visible symptoms of her struggles. She doesn’t struggle with alcoholism because she is Indian, she struggles with alcoholism as a coping mechanism for the trauma that she has endured, and she cannot truly overcome her addiction until she faces her past and comes to terms with it. However, instead of facing her past, she ran away from it. She refuses to care for her grandchildren and runs out of the conference room when she gets overwhelmed by the speaker’s account of suicide within the native American population and she is resistant to addressing her trauma with Harvey. She will have to face her past and stop running away from it in order to truly overcome her alcoholism and not just be sober for a couple weeks before a relapse. Like her, the Native American community needs to be fundamentally changed and their problems need to be addressed in a way that is not just the treatment of symptoms. They don’t need to be lectured on why they shouldn’t jump out of the burning building, the fires that haunt them must be put out.
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Despite it being common knowledge that Native Americans are people that are descended from the indigenous tribes of the Americas- exactly as their title implies, it is easy for the average American to forget that their people are from here. I think that the whole term “Native American” often comes with the connotation of being “exotic” or “foreign” and these stereotypes have come to be intertwined in the Native American culture. These stereotypes have come to make Native Americans feel like outsiders in society. I think Tommy Orange captures this feeling on the other side very well. When Calvin says “My dad never talked about being Native and shit to the point that we don’t even know what tribe we are on his side. Our mom has Native blood on her Mexican side too, but she doesn’t know much about that either…So I don’t know, I feel bad sometimes even saying I’m Native. Mostly I just feel like I’m from Oakland.” what he is really conveying is that Native Americans are fully American… their ancestors are not from some faraway land, they are from American soil (Orange 148). Simply saying he feels like he is from Oakland shows that Calvin really just feels something as fundamental as being from America. Orange is able to show that the “us vs them” mentality in the United Stated about Natives has been harmful. Past generations that were ashamed of being Native American tried to erase their heritage and have left current generations of Native Americans rebuilding their culture from scratch.
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The narrative puts a lot of emphasis into the idea of storytelling, as many of the characters’ narratives are converging together through Dene’s development of an oral history documentary. Additionally, each character has a story explaining how they ended up in their current situation, which is generally a rough situation for all the characters. These stories that are narrated to the reader ultimately characterize each character. This is suggesting that storytelling of one’s past is directly related to one’s self-identification. These characters tell their story when they first are introduced, which makes their storytelling their personal introduction. In other words, they identify as their story. SO far, the text has shown several different narratives of people of Native American descent, and all their paths appear to be converging at the Powwow. I believe the text is conveying that even though these people are all strangers and have completely different stories, that they are unified by one overarching story of their native American ancestors. The message is that they are all connected through the story of their ancestors, which lays the foundation for the second half of the book as we see all their paths beginning to converge.
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When looking at this narrative, the idea of family, culture, an ancestry are displayed heavily. The relationship between storytelling and the Native American culture is apparent. Sherman Alexie’s short story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem ,” integrates the idea of storytelling as a Native American symbol, similar to how There There does. In the short story, a Native man goes on a quest to come up with money for a regalia, displaying the virtues of the Native American culture. The idea of a quest is similar in There There as the adventure with the Powwow is an adventure to discover more about the culture. Going back to Alexie’s story, the main character talks about how Native Americans are great storytellers and liars and mythmakers,” and how to it part of their culture. This idea of a story is apparent in There There as Dene states “Sometimes not having a story is the story” (148). Obviously, there is a connection between stories and Native Americans. Both stories see the exploration into the Native culture, however in There There, the characters are more distant from the culture. Calvin does not feel comfortable saying he is Native, as his ancestry is unknown. Calvin, Edwin, and Thomas are all biracial and Blue is raised by a white family. All of these characters are going on an adventure to find this culture. The aspiration for connectivity towards ancestry is apparent through the characters in this novel. When looking at another short story, the theme of connection is clear though the symbolism of storytelling.
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In part two of There There, a lot stood out to me that revolved around the theme of identity. A lot of stories came to fruition and developed enough to make conclusions not possible in part one. Calvin’s section and his story telling session with Dene was the most direct connection to the theme of identity, with Calvin being unsure if he had the right to claim being Indian or even tell Native American stories. I found this very interesting because it is like every other character so far introduced by Tommy Orange. Some characters know what tribe they are from, but no one has a very clear picture of their ancestry. Orange sums this theme up in Calvin’s session with Dene very well in saying, “sometimes not having a story is the story” (244). The phrase makes sense, but it almost leaves a positive connotation, where I have seen the lack of stories as a bad thing that has led to loss of identity. My favorite stories in part two have been from the perspective of the three brothers-Orvil, Loother, and Lony. I think these brother’s epitomize the lack of cultural identity- living two generations after Jacquie who was already struggling with identity. This is not helped by Opal, who has tried to shield them from being “Indian” their whole lives. My favorite metaphor from Orvil’s perspective came from Opal’s Regalia not fitting properly. It leads Orvil to the thought that, “Being Indian didn’t fit either” (200). I think that his participation in the Powwow will help him to establish a clearer identity. The last detail I would like to expand on comes from the purpose of a Powwow. I found it funny when Loother asks what a powwow is and his brothers laugh at him without providing a clear answer. I think the answer might have been too complicated for them to answer at the time because it involves sharing and expanding Native American culture and identity. Whenever I went to powwows as a kid I never questioned what they were because they were just fun. I don’t think I understood their value. I am not trying to say that I can relate to the Native American boys in the book, just that meaningfulness can be difficult to explain. (Sorry if I am late, I wanted to finish the reading)
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In “there there” by Tommy Orange the theme of storytelling is present throughout Part I and especially Part II. During conversation between Dene Oxendene and Calvin Johnson we can learn that there is story behind everyone. However, we don’t always remember about that or even not recognize it. Calvin describes his heritage and how his parents are not paying attention to their origin. Then he reveals that he was raised in a way that he is not feeling Native. “So, I don’t know, I feel bad sometimes even saying I’m Native. Mostly I just feel like I’m from Oakland.” (Orange 148) Storytelling is emphasized in American Native culture. Traditional Native Americans learn their code of conduct from stories. However, in “there there” we are witnessing the diminishment of traditional Native culture, which is symbolized by the city of Oakland itself. Old stories means nothing to younger generation, which Tommy Orange is trying to highlight by this conversation between Calvin and Dene.
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Looking at the halfway point of the book, the author most definitely connects storytelling and self-identification in which story telling presents the lifeblood of both understanding and continuation of certain identities. The book itself emphasizes the impact of storytelling especially on the continuation of cultures that may not have large followings (such as Native American Tribes) or a larger physical presence in the world that the people inhabit. This importance I would argue is crucial for it to then convey the relationship between identity and storytelling as in that way it connects the dots and brings the reader to understand that Tommy Orange sees storytelling as a method to reestablish Native American identities in the face of the constant isolation of the modern world. Calvin for example within the book, struggles with his loss of connect of Native customs, in part catalyzed by his parent’s decision to not tell the traditional stories and participate in the native culture. It is from this inability to connect with his ancestor’s culture that eventually spurs him to investigate what he understands to be Native American, without knowing his tribe and the values that they placed importance on, he is detached from a pillar of culture that could provide a source of stability particularly in the very isolated world of the modern age. The quote “Sometimes not having a story is the story” (148) is particularly important in the regard about the detachment of Calvin, as this unfortunate circumstance is his personal struggle that will influence his development as a person and even future generations of his family as he comes to both understand and overcome his dilemma with his forgotten culture.
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The second part of There There continues to emphasize the importance of storytelling, not only for the structure of the novel itself, but for the development of the characters as well. Storytelling is a very important part of the Native American culture, and it stays strong from generation to generation as the stories are passed along. The problem with this is that many of the modern Native Americans, like the characters in the book, do not know the stories of their ancestors and do not feel like true Natives because of it. The quote given in the prompt reminds me of a term that is used in the book “ambiguously non-white.” Many characters like Dene Oxendene feel like this describes them and see it as a disadvantage. Calvin also struggles with this concept greatly, seeing as he does not know much about his heritage at all, including what tribe he belongs to. Because the storytelling tradition was not carried on from his parents, Calvin is stuck questioning a lot about himself and must learn to create his own story. This idea of creating your own story ties back to the quote, “Sometimes not having a story is the story”(148). Although these characters may not have had the most traditional Native upbringing, they must become their own story tellers and embrace their own identities and what it truly means to be a modern day Native American. I think that as the stories progress, the author will start to reinforce even more the importance of creating your own identity while still having connections to your culture.
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Storytelling is vital to the Native American culture as they use it to pass down their culture and tell stories of their ancestors. Usually stories help people feel more connected to their culture and it inspires them to own their heritage and be proud of who they are. Oakland prevents people from adopting their culture and passing down traditions, causing later generations to lose their sense of identity. In the novel, Calvin Johnson struggles to identify with a tribe and feels ashamed and disconnected from everyone else because he doesn’t know where he belongs. He doesn’t know what culture to embrace, and how would he because storytelling is lost when people lose their identity and feel threatened by their culture and beliefs. Calvin’s own doubts are shared by Orvil and Edwin, who are also struggling in relating to their culture in a world which has caused them to lose their self-identity. It is at this point in the story where people realize how detrimental it is to not have an identity and how it causes people to question themselves and feel negative about themselves. However, with many Native Americans feeling the same way, they can join together in hopes of remembering and embracing the culture and beliefs of their ancestors.
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The narrative up to this point in the book suggests that storytelling is one of the main ways that Natives can connect with their past. There are multiple examples of connecting through storytelling that we see in characters such as Orvil Red Feather and, of course, Calvin Johnson’s interview with Dene Oxendene. Orvil Red Feather’s point of view has an interesting take on storytelling, not because he tells stories, but because he hasn’t heard them, so he doesn’t know about his native history. Orvil is shielded from his native past because Opal doesn’t want him to be forced into it. Therefore, Opal doesn’t tell stories of their native past, and Orvil is left to find out his past for himself.
Up to this point, we constantly see the reoccurrence of Dene Oxendene and his influence with other characters. When looking at Johnson’s interview with Dene, Johnson has mixed feelings about his past. Johnson apparently has a problem with identifying as a Native because he does not feel it. When he is telling his story to Dene, it isn’t a story that was ancient or had deep meaning, he was just speaking about his experiences with his native culture. When Dene says, “Sometimes not having a story is the story,” he means that there isn’t always story with deep meaning and connection. Sometimes the story to be told is just not having one and speaking about what’s currently happing. Another point to mention is how Johnson says he doesn’t feel as if he is connected by blood. Blood connection is something that the author mentions can be traced back for multiple generations. This aspect is specifically mentioned in the interlude, which gives explanation for some of the topics discussed throughout part I and II.
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Part II continues to talk of the deep rooted traditions that affect daily life in different ways for Natives from a diverse set of backgrounds. The development of several characters such as the Red Feathers whose family though steeped with deep tradition is at ends with how they are able to carry themselves because of their circumstances. Orvil in one instance is standing in full Native regalia in his great-aunt Opal’s room in front of a large dressing mirror but timidly as he knows if Opal sees him he surely will be punished. Opal regards to him that what she calls indianing is dangerous for young Native boys and leads to paths of mischievous behavior. Orvil on many occasions asks for his aunt to recount Cheyenne history and traditions but Opal tells him only that it is a privilege to learn of one’s family heritage and it is one that you can not afford being the unwanted child of a Heroin addict. This is an overall play on the disparaging amount of poverty within Native American reservations and the effects it has on those who grow up there. Drinking, drugs, and even disease in some cases due to lack of advanced medical services being unavailable. To get by some resort to crime and violence which hurts communities and presents even a worse reputation for those that come from those said reservations. But despite this the narrator in the interlude of Part II goes into how Natives still make efforts to maintain their dying traditions. He talks of the large communal powwows that bring together people in order to recite stories of old and to build stories of new. People would travel across the country to be a part of these gatherings as it was seen as a duty to not only yourself but to your people and even your community.
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The relationship between storytelling and self-identification is extremely reflective of one another. Storytelling can serve as a person’s first perception of the life they came from. The ones that tell the stories perceive themselves and others as one way and share these ideals with their young. The content is not the only part of storytelling that shapes one’s identity, but the way it is delivered plays a role as well. In some cases, storytelling is less frequent, but there is a reason for that as well. Not hearing of stories paints a different picture and self-identity as well. I believe the narrative suggests that storytelling is commonly associated with native Americans, but nothing applies to everyone. This idea is referenced through Calvin. I also believe that although not everyone endures each story it becomes a part of their story because they are connecting through family and self-identify by it. Overall, I think the novel recognizes the importance storytelling has on the Native American culture as Dene is searching to highlight the stories of other Natives. While the novel also addresses that every person’s story is unique and is actively being created. This idea is portrayed when Dene critics that the stories about the reservation are outdated (Orange 149). I think There There suggests that storytelling helps drive culture on for future generations and prevents important events from being lost while also creating new traditions and customs. That the past, present, and future are all stringed together by the people and the stories that come from them.
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Storytelling is a central theme in this novel. Every character tells their own story, with characters like Jacquie having terrible life stories and character like Dene who relish in the Native stories. Regardless, the point behind Orange’s use of storytelling is that regardless of what the story actually means, they are still Native American stories. Stories of substance abuse, rape, and suicide are all Native stories, right alongside the stories of prosperity and success. He uses storytelling to highlight the good and bad of Native life in a modern USA. By connecting each of the characters introduced in Part I, it shows how the modern Natives connect to their culture as well as each other. It shows how lost in their culture some are and how at home others are. Perhaps the largest point that Orange makes in Part II is how rampant poverty and substance abuse is in the Native community, regardless of tribe affiliation. This part also leads to some characters trying to figure out who they are. They may be trying to “Reclaim” their identity through storytelling and expression of culture.
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