Here are some of the characteristics of the Native-American genre:

The use of "black humour"
The trickster
Treaties
The quest for cultural identity

Explain these characteristics and find examples of two of these characteristics in the book. Give quotes and page numbers.
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The use of black comedy

The use of black comedy is generally used to talk about heavier subjects in a lighter manner. Subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to talk about. It makes it easier to talk about themes such as death and violence.

A quoted example from the book:

“At school today, I went dressed as a homeless dude. It was a pretty easy costume for me. There’s not much difference between my good and bad clothes, so I pretty much look half-homeless anyway.”

(11- Halloween)

 

The trickster

A trickster is someone who shows a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge, and uses it to play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules.

Many native traditions held clowns and tricksters as essential to any contact with the sacred. People could not pray until they had laughed, because laughter opens and frees from rigid preconception. Humans had to have tricksters within the most sacred ceremonies for fear that they forget the sacred comes through upset, reversal, surprise. The trickster in most native traditions is essential to creation, to birth.

 

 

Treaties

A treaty is a contract, a legal agreement, shared by two or more sovereign nations.

From 1774 to about 1832 there were treaties arranged between separate sovereign American Indian and the United States, to create borders and direct conditions of conduct between the parties.

The arrangement concluded in a reciprocally signed pact.

It confirms each nation’s rights and privileges. The Indian treaties have the same power now, as on the day they were signed.

 

The quest for cultural identity

Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group.

Cultural identity is not just determined by an ethnic group or culture with which you identify, it is much more, as you realize while reading the book.

 

A quoted example from the book:

’’I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe.  

But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. And to the tribe

of basketball players. And to the tribe of bookworms.

And the tribe of cartoonists.

And the tribe of chronic masturbators.

And the tribe of teenage boys.

And the tribe of small-town kids.

And the tribe of Pacific North-westerners.

And the tribe of tortilla chips-and-salsa lovers.

And the tribe of poverty.

And the tribe of funeral-goers.

And the tribe of beloved sons.

And the tribe of boys who really missed their best friends.’’

(29- remembering)