Here is a story of several people, each of whom has private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life together after his uncle's death and has come to work at the powwow to honour his uncle's memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil Red Feather, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. There will be glorious communion, and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry. And there will be sacrifice, and heroism, and unspeakable loss
Tommy Orange Books
January 19, 1982
Tommy Orange is an author whose works delve deeply into the complex themes of Indigenous identity and history. Through his writing, he explores the clash between tradition and modernity, often focusing on narratives that have been overlooked in mainstream accounts. His distinctive style and incisive perspective offer readers an immersive and thought-provoking experience that illuminates the enduring impact of the past on the present.
"Wandering Stars" explores the lasting impacts of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Industrial School for Indians, culminating in the traumatic events following Orvil Redfeather's shooting in "There There."
In "There There" verknüpft Tommy Orange die Geschichten von Orvil Red Feather, der mit Schmerzmittelabhängigkeit kämpft, und seinem Vorfahren Jude Star, der 1864 gegen die Vernichtung seiner Kultur ankämpft. Das Buch beleuchtet die anhaltenden Folgen von Kolonialgeschichte und die Herausforderungen der indigenen Identität in Amerika.