1. by Thomas King Exploring Cultural Concepts
Truth and Bright Water
by Thomas King
Exploring Cultural Concepts

2. Tecumseh
Shawnee warrior and political leader ( ) who led a confederacy of American Indians from various midwest tribes, defending their land and ways of life.

3. The Blackfeet Tribe
The fictional communities of Truth and Bright Water are on either side of the US Canada border, so it makes sense that Tecumseh would be Blackfeet.
What do we know about the Blackfeet, a real tribal nation in Montana?
Link to information about the Blackfeet
Link to the interactive learning activity Where are the Montana tribes?

4. Painting Away the Church
Monroe Swimmer paints the old Methodist church in such a way that it disappears into the landscape. He has an old boarding school in mind for his next project.
United States Federal Government Assimilation Period:
The first wave of non-Indian settlers moved across the West.
The federal government, desiring to free up treaty-protected Indian lands for successive waves of settlers, pursued a policy of dispossession and assimilation.
The massive loss of Indian lands and resources impoverished tribes and impeded the development of reservation economies.
U.S. policy during this period was to relocate Indian children to government-run or religious boarding schools.
In boarding schools, Native children were forbidden to speak their language or practice their religions or cultures so that they could be assimilated to the dominant culture.
In 1978, Congress finally passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, guaranteeing the “freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites”.

5. excerpt from the novel: pages 43-44
Consider the author’s purpose in creating the character of Monroe Swimmer and having him paint away the church.
excerpt from the novel: pages 43-44
How does this element of the novel compare or contrast to the poem “Missions” by Heather Cahoon?
page 16 in Birthright?

6. “Agnes said that many who believed the fathers’ teachings allowed
their minds to become numb and they act
as if someone has stolen their tongues”
“Missions” by Heather Cahoon, lines 21-24
Agnes Vanderburg, Salish elder

7. “Maybe they believed too much, because
like Samson, when their hair was cut off
they lost their strength”
“Missions” by heather Cahoon, lines 25-27

8. Bringing Back the Buffalo
To understand the context of Monroe Swimmer creating the installation of buffalo, consider the history and cultural significance of these creatures to Plains Indian tribes.
Link to the documentary
Buffalo Returns
especially time count 2:45 - 6:00

9. Just as Monroe Swimmer brings back buffalo through his art, Montana tribes are reintroducing herds for cultural and economic reasons.
Link to an article in Indian Country Today.

10. Bringing Home Bones
Why does Monroe Swimmer bring home bones when he returns to Bright Water after working in museums around the world? The United States has a history of taking, studying, displaying and keeping the remains of American Indian people without their permission.
Excerpt from the novel - pages
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
Federal law passed in 1990
provides a process for museums and Federal agencies to return certain Native American cultural items - human remains, sacred objects
penalties for noncompliance and illegal trafficking

11. Read and Share Articles
Bones of Indians Slain in an Escape Go Home, New York Times
In 1993, the bones of Northern Cheyennes killed during the 1879 Fort Robinson Outbreak were finally repatriated from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC to Busby, Montana.
The Excruciating Legacy of NAGPRA, Indian Country Today
Tribal leaders and cultural custodians express joy at the return of human remains and sacred objects, but also confusion and contention as some remains were inaccurately labelled and protocols and taboos must be carefully negotiated.

12. Excerpt from the novel: pages 209 - 211
Cultural Appropriation a term used to describe the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. It is in general used to describe Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, and carries connotations of exploitation and dominance.
Source Oxford Concise Dictionary
Commodification is the sale of something that cannot be owned, or something that everyone has a right to, as if it were a product to be bought and sold
Source Merriam-Webster
Excerpt from the novel: pages

13. Cultural Appropriation?
Where is the line between sharing culture and appropriating culture?
Are the German tourists at Indian days appropriating culture? ?
Article on The Dos and Don’ts of Cultural Appropriation

14. Are tribal members commodifying culture at Indian Days, or simply being realistic in the modern economy?