"There, There" blog post #1
1. Discuss the development of the "Urban Indian" identity and ownership of that label. How does it relate to the push for assimilation by the United States government? How do the characters in There There navigate this modern form of identity alongside their ancestral roots? "There, There" is one of the few novels that give the "Urban Indian" identity a platform in literature. Tommy Orange begins the novel by discussing the significance of the lack of Indian representation, because there exists a single, radical perception of Native Americans as wild people who practice an exotic religion and live isolated within tribes. The "Urban Indian" identity is not explored because it does not have the shock-value and contrast than the primitive Indian does with European/Western culture. The Urban Indian, instead, has the potential to blend or live normally within city society, and yet are connected as a group by their underlying shared heritage and cu...