Indigenous Science Fiction

       Walking the Clouds, An Anthology of indigenous science fiction features selections of Native science fiction texts categorized into sections. Indigenous science fiction as Dillon states offers a unique perspective using Native perspectives in a format which is “associated almost exclusively with ‘the increasing significance of the future to Western techno-cultural consciousness’” (2). This contrast of a genre typically associated to a large degree with Western ontology (science, technology, individualism, objectivism, colonialism) but used to develop indigenous themes (land value, community, nature centric, spiritual, traditional) offers an important perspective on survivance. Envisioning possible outcomes, as Dillon states is not new to indigenous communities, and science fiction is an open tool for exploring outcomes.

        The excerpt from Flight, by Sherman Alexie, uses themes of time slippage and alternative futures in the story of an orphaned 15 year old named Zits who traces his life from the loss of his parents to sexual abuse by his Aunt’s boyfriend leading to his life in foster homes, and finally the streets. The body shifting that happens to him leads him to abandon a planned mass shooting in a bank. As Dillon states Alexie’s use of slippages allows him to “move beyond the self-loathing of internal colonialization Alexie might argue typifies reservation youth today (precisely his target audience) and toward a more holistic sense of self and place” (53). Alexie’s disruption of the trajectory of abandonment, abuse and homelessness by Zits, who closes the excerpt by revealing that his real name is Michael, offers perspective on the experiences of others battling these challenges.

       Sanders, When the World Is All on Fire, on the other hand uses the experience of Sargeant Davis Blackbear to illustrate a Native perspective on apocalypse. Despite the broad scale of this theme, Sanders’s work focuses on Blackbear’s encounter with a family squatting in the reservation. Blackbear becomes charmed by the singing of the daughter of the squatters and later helps her avoid arrest in town for stealing a pendant. By helping her and offering her a ride to her home, he ends up in a confrontation with her father who refuses the assistance that Blackbear offered her. As a result he is reprimanded by his supervisor and told not to go into town. Not long after this incident a wildfire flares up destroying much of the reservation. After a multiday response Blackbear finds out that the wildfire was caused by arson and likely set by the girl’s father. Sanders’s piece, although it does not explain the causes of the apocalyptic conditions that made the family homeless, offers glimpses of the apocalyptic world outside the reservation. His work touches on themes of colonialization, and racism inherent in experiences of Indians on reservations.

       On of the contributors, Gerry William states “The grand gestures of people in critical leadership positions can be juxtaposed with the ordinary soldiers, farmers, bureaucrats etc. that make up the world being described. In my own small way I try to honor this type of writing. One is indebted to the society one grows up in, and one also owes it to that society to follow the traditions established. Constantly challenging those traditions brings on an instability that if carried too far can destroy the good parts of a culture just as much as the parts being questioned. There is a responsibility here that is true to the tribal traditions I grew up in—respect for one’s family, tribe and elders is just as important as finding one’s own way”. (79) Williams very nuanced yet succinct summary of the complexities inherent in the political world. His statement offers reflection on the conflicts between generations, between those who do for a living and those who are in charge, between academia and the greater workforce etc. His statement does raise many questions about where that line between respect and adaptation is. Are there inherent dangers in attempting to draw a line?