Sciences Participating with Arts & Culture in Education

The Many Faces of Identity

Illustrated by Stella Avolio

Medicine River by Thomas King provides us with a different and unique take on the

concept of native identity and the struggles faced by the indigenous community. Medicine River

deviates from the frequently treaded themes of native plight and suffering, and instead seeks to

present members of the indigenous community as regular people who experience many of the

same obstacles and everyday ills as white people, but without forgetting the uniqueness of native

identity.

Black Elk Speaks presents us with a story on an epic scale, chronicling the Lakota at the

height of their power while they are embroiled in a war with the American military leading to the

delimitation of their culture as they are forced into reserves. Medicine River instead presents us

with another side of indigenous identity, one not forged in the fires of war but by fundamental

human emotions and the struggles of everyday life. This leaves us with a unique take on native

life that deviates from what we are typically presented with. However this is not to say that

Medicine River neglects the struggles unique to the native community, they are constantly yet

subtly presented. When juxtaposing Medicine River with The Rez Sisters, we can see that

Medicine River provides us with a far more hopeful look at native identity than The Rez Sisters,

which instead provides us with a bleak view of reserve life with little chance at escape. Medicine

River straddles a specific territory, one that strives to show us the normality of native life while

still keeping undertones of hardship. Medicine River tackles the concepts of Native identity

through protagonist Will’s background, the different issues and vices that different characters

suffer from, and the presence of certain monuments and locations that the residents of Medicine

River still consider to be important.

Ancestry plays a central role in Medicine River. From the onset of the novel, Will’s

heritage is explored. It is quickly revealed that he is of mixed race ancestry, part white and part

native. Will’s father left his family when he was quite young, something which he still struggles

with. Will’s mother, Rose is also troubled by his father’s absence, replacing his name in stories

she used to tell her two sons and hiding away letters he sent to her (King, 6). We can

immediately see that Will’s identity as a native man is troubled. Rose’s hiding of all things

concerning her husband has not only left Will with an unclear sense of who his father was, it also

metaphorically serves as a veil shielding his white ancestry. Whenever Will goes out into the

world he goes out as a native man, but a significant portion of him remains divided. This tenuous

sense of identity means that Will knows he is part white, but that part of him has been locked

away with the erasing of his father from his life, yet as a native he will always be only a fraction,

this leading to his fragmented identity. This is made most clear when Will’s family is moving, his

cousins tells him “that [Will and James] have to live in a town cause [they’re] not Indian

anymore” (King, 9). This blatant statement is reflective of Will’s identity; while he will always

be part white, he will also never be completely native. This is extremely different than what is

portrayed in Black Elk Speaks, where native identity and ancestry is portrayed as black and

white. Even being associated with whites such as being “Hangs-Around-The-Fort […] and

standing up for the Wasichus” (Neihardt, 49)”is shunned and looked down upon as a rejection of

native identity. This exemplifies both books’ very different views on identity, and Medicine

River’s comparatively more nuanced view.

Many of the secondary characters in Medicine River grapple with a variety of different

personal issues. Harlen Bigbear used to be an alcoholic and has a troubled relationship with his

brother, Clyde Whitman is frequently in and out of jail, with heavy drinking often a pastime, and

Jake Pretty Weasel beats his wife January. Most of these issues are just accepted as facts of life in

Medicine River. In addition, most of these issues are presented as having no identifiable cause

and as just “happening”. When attempting to justify why Clyde Whitman is an ex-convict, it is

said that it is “just bad luck” (King, 98). Clyde himself says that he “just can't seem to change

things, no matter how hard [he] tries” (King, 101). When attempting to explain why Jake Pretty

Weasel beat his wife and ultimately killed himself, his story ends up getting normalized and the

beatings he gave his wife were justified as just “a fellow [putting] a woman in her place” (King,

42) . These problems are presented as just being part of everyday life because in modern times

they are deeply rooted and widespread issues in native communities that have become

synonymous with native identity and life,. When examining The Rez Sisters, similar problems

are displayed as described in the following examples. All of the women are in dire straits, and it

is directly stated that “none of [them] has any money” (Highway, 59). Veronique St. Pierre states

that her husband “never has any money. [because] he drinks it all up” (Highway, 26). When an

argument arises between the women it almost degrades into a physical fight. An additional

example describes how Zhaboonigan was raped with a screw driver without anyone batting an

eye. Much like Medicine River, these problems are presented as just everyday occurrences and

are somewhat normalized. It is as if the hardships are part of the characters’ identities. As such,

both The Rez Sisters and Medicine River have similar views on how vices and social issues

affect native identity.

Land has always played an integral part of native identity, and this can be seen in both

Medicine River and Black Elk Speaks, while the topic is largely absent from The Rez Sisters.

Much like the other themes of identity in Medicine River, the concept of sacred locations is less

blatant than how it is presented in Black Elk Speaks. Harlen states that when “[they] can see

[Ninastiko they] know they're home” (King, 75). When Will and Harlen later attempt to visit

Custer’s monument late at night, they find that it is closed and are incensed that they are being

denied entry despite their native heritage. This is a stark departure from Will’s typically calm and

reserved demeanour. Wounded Knee is also a significant location, as the character of David

Plume’s entire persona is based on it. While these locations are still important to the characters of

Medicine River, they have become more like backdrops. On the other hand, the Black Hills in

Black Elk Speaks are referred to as being explicitly sacred, so much so that a war is ignited to

attempt to keep them (Neihardt, 51). This signifies a difference in the native identity being

presented in both books. Whereas the Lakota in Black Elk Speaks are entirely one with their

heritage, the characters in Medicine River have integrated to a far greater degree into modern

society.

Medicine River is unique in its presentation of native identity. It provides a raw look at

the day to day happenings of native life, its problems, its quirks and through Will’s eyes what it

means to be native. The themes of ancestry, social issues and land are explored and viewed under

a different light. The novel offers a more contemporary look at native identity than Black Elk

Speaks and one that is more optimistic than the reality of a reserve in The Rez Sisters. The theme

of native identity in Medicine River can be described as contemporary, yet still in touch with

tradition and Thomas King strives to address it with a personable and relatable tone.

Works Cited

King, Thomas. Medicine River. Penguin Random House Canada, 2017.

Elk, Black, and John Gneisenau Neihardt. Black Elk Speaks Being the Life Story of a Holy Man

of the Oglala Sioux. Univ. of Nebraska Pr., 1992.

Highway, Tomson. The Rez Sisters a Play in Two Acts. Fifth House, 1988.