“When you came home to your Indian mother you had to remember that it was a different world”
Archilde harbors the identity crisis that individuals with two different ethnic backgrounds suffer from. Moreover, the internal struggles Native Americans face in maintaining their culture and heritage in the modern society that forces assimilation. Archilde is caught between both these issues particularly on his return from Portland to his native Flathead Indian Reservation. Therefore, he has to prove to himself that his identity is Salish by reconnecting with his Native community. Other than that he has to prove to his people that he is not an embodiment of the danger that the Native reservations dread, assimilation. His mother Catharine is among those critical, as she has dedicated herself to connecting with her heritage and ancestors.
“You gorged yourself on meat until you felt sick, and a lot old people told tiresome stories.”
Accustomed to the mainstream Western culture while living and working in Portland, Archilde drifts farther away from his culture. The Native communities have faced a decline in their culture as their children have integrated into the white culture in search of greener pastures. These inescapable forces that bring forth the brokenness in the communities place the many in a predicament. Through Archilde this difficulty to reintegrate is observed in trivial things that show this disconnect that is fostered by assimilation. The statement highlights the cultural aspects of Native Americans that seem to now to sever connections between the young and old.
“When he spoke…the old lady would pretend that she did not hear, because it made her feel sad to be told that the past was evil”
Archilde’s mother Catharine is among the older Natives who saw the initial stages of their declining heritage. She is a victim of assimilation through Christian religion that imparted the notion that their culture is evil and should get ‘saved’. She later denounces Christianity by going back and embracing her Salish culture and work towards keeping the culture alive. She stresses the significance of preserving and protecting their culture from the uncontrollable forces in modern society. Therefore she represents the resentment the Native communities have towards the Christian religion that forcibly condemned their beliefs and traditions.
