Page 47 - Shahrvand BC No. 1219
P. 47
English Section
47 Louise Erdrich’s New Novel Is a Gripping Mystery and
a Powerful Indictment of the Tribal Justice System
STEPHANIE WOODARD people—for whom these are daily
realities—react?
-- Indian Country Today Media Network I have had heartbreaking and inspiring
December 23, 2012 responses. One was a letter from a tribal
judge, who wrote that she has worked
1391 ید8 جمعه- 1219 شماره/ سال متسیب Louise Erdrich’s latest novel, The Round all her life on issues of sovereignty that
House (HarperCollins), is a fast-paced result in desperately unfair, unworkable,
In touch with Iranian diversity mystery that readers will have a hard time protections for Native women in the is. “Everything we [tribal judges] do, no unlivable outcomes for victims of sexual
putting down until they’ve finished it. In Violence Against Women Act. matter how trivial, must be crafted keenly. violence—the women and their families.
the book, the winner of this year’s National One day, Joe asks his father, a tribal judge, We are trying to build a solid base here for She said she was astounded to read about
Book Award for fiction, she takes readers how he can stand doing his job day after our sovereignty.” this in a novel, and it meant a great deal to
back to the fictional reservation world she day under such legal restrictions. His There are numinous moments throughout her to be understood in that manner. I felt
has created in several novels over the years. dad explains how important the work the book. One night, a crane flaps by Joe’s the same way about what she said.
In the beginning of this new novel, window. “That evening it cast the image Boys and young men are so vivid and
Erdrich’s 14th, we learn that a mother not of itself but of an angel on my wall. touching in your novels. Do you enjoy
has been raped. She returns home dazed, I watched this shadow. Through some creating these characters? How do you
beaten and bloody, her clothes soaked refraction of brilliance the wings arched up discover and express their oft-hidden
in gasoline. The book’s narrator is her from the slender body. Then the feathers inner lives?
13-year-old son, Joe, who tries to figure took fire so the creature was consumed by Thank you. For quite a while, I was accused
out who is responsible for the crime. Once light.” of writing strong women and pathetic men,
his life meant riding bikes with friends and Erdrich recently agreed to talk to Indian so this [question] makes me laugh. I don’t
watching episodes of Star Trek: The Next Country Today Media Network about choose my characters; they come to me.
Generation, known by its fans as simply the book, and the honor bestowed upon Joe started talking to me, telling this story.
TNG. “Naturally, we all wanted to be her in November by the National Book Of course, I went crazy with frustration
Worf,” Joe tells us in the narrative. “We all Foundation. for year or so—gathering information,
wanted to be Klingons. Worf ’s solution to How did you react when you heard that studying, writing throwaway stuff, waiting
any problem was to attack.” you’d won? for Joe to talk more. The secret to writing
Now Joe goes on the attack, finding At the awards dinner in New York City, is to make it look easy. It isn’t. Or maybe
and sometimes mistakenly destroying I can remember hearing the words, “The the secret for this book was becoming a
evidence, while learning firsthand about Round House,” then I blanked out. For TNG geek.
the jurisdictional tangle that makes justice a while, I jumped around like a child As I report articles in Indian country,
elusive on reservations, turns them into and hugged people. Somehow I got up I occasionally hear Native converts
crime magnets, and traps good people to the stage. I was too superstitious to to Christianity refer to traditional
in horrific situations. The Round House have written an acceptance speech, but spirituality as “devil worship”—just a
is timely and provides a perspective— I did have one phrase I wanted to use— few weeks ago, in fact. Will indigenous
fictionalized, but based in fact—on the something about the grace and endurance people recover from the long-term
Congressional debate about including of Native women, because this award is for assault on their spirituality that you
my mother, my grandmothers, my sisters, describe in The Round House?
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ aunts and daughters. Fundamentalism in any religion misses
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ the point of communicating with the
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ unknowable power that creates and
604 - 980 - 8571 destroys. We small humans have only two
great things about us—not our weapons,
Vol. 20 / No. 1219 - Friday, Dec. 28, 2012 ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ not our puny rituals, not our awesome
ability to emit CO2—but our abilities to
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ think toward wisdom and to express love.
The American Indian Religious Freedom
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ Act of 1978 has been in effect for more
than 30 years, and there has been a powerful
resurgence of traditional religious life in
Indian country. I imagine these beautiful
redemptive actions could threaten some
people, but I don’t understand how. Native
religion will continue, and it will strengthen.
It is about the bonds of healing between
people, and nobody can stop that now.
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer Did you do anything special to We learn in the book that Joe grows
celebrate? up, gets married and becomes a tribal
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- After I returned to Minneapolis, my judge, like his dad. How should readers
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- husband and friends gave me a surprise imagine his journey from the sadness
party at my bookstore, Birchbark Books, and harm experienced in The Round
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- and I was surprised and very moved. House to that empowered place?
Again, I jumped around, hugging people. Generations of Native people have done
I am so glad this was the book that was everything possible to heal, and it would be
recognized. unworthy of them not to acknowledge that
this is the main necessity. But as a writer
who is bound to the truth, I also write
NORTH SHORE LAW47 For non-Native people, the injustice about those who do not heal. Not everyone
LLP and jurisdictional tangles described can. But those like Joe, who heal and come
in The Round House will come as back to tell their stories, heal others.
6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. astonishing news. How do Native
klotfali@northshorelaw.com
47 Louise Erdrich’s New Novel Is a Gripping Mystery and
a Powerful Indictment of the Tribal Justice System
STEPHANIE WOODARD people—for whom these are daily
realities—react?
-- Indian Country Today Media Network I have had heartbreaking and inspiring
December 23, 2012 responses. One was a letter from a tribal
judge, who wrote that she has worked
1391 ید8 جمعه- 1219 شماره/ سال متسیب Louise Erdrich’s latest novel, The Round all her life on issues of sovereignty that
House (HarperCollins), is a fast-paced result in desperately unfair, unworkable,
In touch with Iranian diversity mystery that readers will have a hard time protections for Native women in the is. “Everything we [tribal judges] do, no unlivable outcomes for victims of sexual
putting down until they’ve finished it. In Violence Against Women Act. matter how trivial, must be crafted keenly. violence—the women and their families.
the book, the winner of this year’s National One day, Joe asks his father, a tribal judge, We are trying to build a solid base here for She said she was astounded to read about
Book Award for fiction, she takes readers how he can stand doing his job day after our sovereignty.” this in a novel, and it meant a great deal to
back to the fictional reservation world she day under such legal restrictions. His There are numinous moments throughout her to be understood in that manner. I felt
has created in several novels over the years. dad explains how important the work the book. One night, a crane flaps by Joe’s the same way about what she said.
In the beginning of this new novel, window. “That evening it cast the image Boys and young men are so vivid and
Erdrich’s 14th, we learn that a mother not of itself but of an angel on my wall. touching in your novels. Do you enjoy
has been raped. She returns home dazed, I watched this shadow. Through some creating these characters? How do you
beaten and bloody, her clothes soaked refraction of brilliance the wings arched up discover and express their oft-hidden
in gasoline. The book’s narrator is her from the slender body. Then the feathers inner lives?
13-year-old son, Joe, who tries to figure took fire so the creature was consumed by Thank you. For quite a while, I was accused
out who is responsible for the crime. Once light.” of writing strong women and pathetic men,
his life meant riding bikes with friends and Erdrich recently agreed to talk to Indian so this [question] makes me laugh. I don’t
watching episodes of Star Trek: The Next Country Today Media Network about choose my characters; they come to me.
Generation, known by its fans as simply the book, and the honor bestowed upon Joe started talking to me, telling this story.
TNG. “Naturally, we all wanted to be her in November by the National Book Of course, I went crazy with frustration
Worf,” Joe tells us in the narrative. “We all Foundation. for year or so—gathering information,
wanted to be Klingons. Worf ’s solution to How did you react when you heard that studying, writing throwaway stuff, waiting
any problem was to attack.” you’d won? for Joe to talk more. The secret to writing
Now Joe goes on the attack, finding At the awards dinner in New York City, is to make it look easy. It isn’t. Or maybe
and sometimes mistakenly destroying I can remember hearing the words, “The the secret for this book was becoming a
evidence, while learning firsthand about Round House,” then I blanked out. For TNG geek.
the jurisdictional tangle that makes justice a while, I jumped around like a child As I report articles in Indian country,
elusive on reservations, turns them into and hugged people. Somehow I got up I occasionally hear Native converts
crime magnets, and traps good people to the stage. I was too superstitious to to Christianity refer to traditional
in horrific situations. The Round House have written an acceptance speech, but spirituality as “devil worship”—just a
is timely and provides a perspective— I did have one phrase I wanted to use— few weeks ago, in fact. Will indigenous
fictionalized, but based in fact—on the something about the grace and endurance people recover from the long-term
Congressional debate about including of Native women, because this award is for assault on their spirituality that you
my mother, my grandmothers, my sisters, describe in The Round House?
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ aunts and daughters. Fundamentalism in any religion misses
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ the point of communicating with the
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ unknowable power that creates and
604 - 980 - 8571 destroys. We small humans have only two
great things about us—not our weapons,
Vol. 20 / No. 1219 - Friday, Dec. 28, 2012 ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ not our puny rituals, not our awesome
ability to emit CO2—but our abilities to
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ think toward wisdom and to express love.
The American Indian Religious Freedom
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ Act of 1978 has been in effect for more
than 30 years, and there has been a powerful
resurgence of traditional religious life in
Indian country. I imagine these beautiful
redemptive actions could threaten some
people, but I don’t understand how. Native
religion will continue, and it will strengthen.
It is about the bonds of healing between
people, and nobody can stop that now.
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer Did you do anything special to We learn in the book that Joe grows
celebrate? up, gets married and becomes a tribal
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- After I returned to Minneapolis, my judge, like his dad. How should readers
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- husband and friends gave me a surprise imagine his journey from the sadness
party at my bookstore, Birchbark Books, and harm experienced in The Round
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- and I was surprised and very moved. House to that empowered place?
Again, I jumped around, hugging people. Generations of Native people have done
I am so glad this was the book that was everything possible to heal, and it would be
recognized. unworthy of them not to acknowledge that
this is the main necessity. But as a writer
who is bound to the truth, I also write
NORTH SHORE LAW47 For non-Native people, the injustice about those who do not heal. Not everyone
LLP and jurisdictional tangles described can. But those like Joe, who heal and come
in The Round House will come as back to tell their stories, heal others.
6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. astonishing news. How do Native
klotfali@northshorelaw.com
