Research Proposal

My research will be about how the characters in There, There by Tommy Orange portray, the survival and American Dream of Urban Natives. This topic is important because There, There shows a representation of Natives who reside in cities like Oakland, California. Many Natives reside in urban areas around the United States, hinting at a history of government policy, displacement, and the pursuit of the American Dream. The history and experiences of urban Natives are important because they bridge the gap between Native American history and modern-day America, and show how Indigenous values and lives can fit in it and the American Dream. 

The experiences of urban Natives and urban relocation are complex, with many different experiences as the result of the Termination and Relocation policy in 1953. I grew up on the KCA reservation in Southwest Oklahoma, and have strong ties to the land I resided in, especially after moving to an urban area like Norman for education. I used to have a hard time understanding why one would leave their hometown and feel hurt by the people who left town. Within reservations and the Native community, there is a stigma towards urban Natives about their connectedness to their traditional culture and knowledge. This may be extremely invalidating toward the identities of urban Natives, whether it may be true or not within their individual experiences. After moving away, I quickly realized that leaving my hometown is not an easy sacrifice to make, and many others have done this to pursue other opportunities they could not find at home. I also realized how easily one can forget about their traditional values, and get lost within a culture that is not one’s own. This can lead to narrow-mindedness and isolation. I often sympathize with the dream to find more, much like the one that many Indigenous families had during the 1950s when moving to urban areas for the American Dream. I have ancestors in my family who have taken the opportunity for the American Dream during the Relocation policy. I have been told stories about their experience, and their need to come back to the reservation after a few years of pursuit and hardship. The relocation policy and experiences of the urbanization of Natives are important because it is a history that may preceded many negative and positive experiences in Native families. I aim to research their experiences while analyzing and comparing the experiences of the fictional characters of There, There

The extent of my knowledge of urban Natives goes as far as the Termination and Relocation Policy of 1953 and the fictional (but realistic) experiences of There, There characters. As a whole, many There, There characters experience a disconnection from their Cheyenne culture and it may be the result of further displacement of Native American communities during the Relocation program, which sought to separate Native families from their tribal reservation. The policy was enacted to systematically disband the tribes and sell the land they resided on. Many natives, almost a million migrated to urban cities in hopes of achieving the American Dream. Many sacrificed their ties to their cultures, while many stayed with their culture. 

A course reading that provoked my interest in this topic is Killers of the Flower Moon, a book documenting the conspiracy and multiple murders of the Osage people, for White families to gain head rights. The reading helped me to understand the times that preceded the Relocation policy, the climate of Native-nonnative relations, and the beginnings of the urbanization of the Osage people after reservations were established. 

I have narrowed my research to the American Dream, urbanization of Natives, Relocation policy, and other topics to get a better understanding of the situation in urban Native experiences. To narrow my research further, I believe I will need to add Tommy Orange and There, There analyses to my search key terms and questions. 

To finish my annotating bibliography, I will continue to data mine, and make sure that the sources I gathered have the information necessary to research my topic. Additionally, I will reread There, There to find any quotations or descriptions of the characters’ experience and survival as an urban Native.

Here is the link to the trailer for my research topic.

Speaking the Dream

A few years ago in 2022, I spoke about my experiences with being poor, having low wages, and food insecurity at the March on Washington Poor People’s Campaign in DC with my mother. This is the transcribed version of my speech. I wanted to include it in this blog because it is a time I felt empowered to use my voice about my experience growing up in a poor household. The way I grew up influences how I look at the American government, the American Dream, the American government, and its involvement in welfare. 

My Transcript

Hatso, I am Kateri Daffron from Oklahoma. I’ve experienced and lived in an impoverished community all my life. I grew up in Anadarko, Oklahoma where there are jobs that lack the guarantee of living wages. This caused my family to experience food insecurity, job instability, and poverty. In one of the most successful countries in the world, we are barely getting by. Although I have moved away, I am still in poverty. I can’t leave poverty. I am 17, a child, and yet the country has already failed me. This is wrong. I a child, shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not my family is going to be able to pay the rent this month. I shouldn’t have to worry about whether the SNAP benefits will be enough to feed me and my family. I am not old enough to vote, yet I am one of the many teenagers experiencing this justice. I shouldn’t be the one to have to carry this burden. How do you expect me to contribute to your American Dream when I don’t even know if I will have a home next week? I don’t want handouts. I want a fair and equal shot and until then, we won’t be silenced anymore. 

Although I felt vulnerable delivering this speech in front of thousands of strangers, I felt empowered and heard on that stage, because I knew many people could relate to my experience. At this point, I had not had many public speaking experiences outside of clubs and school. I believed that the American Dream was a collective dream, a standard of how average Americans are expected to live. Additionally, I wanted to use my voice about poverty to call for economic equity. My experiences shapes how I think about the American Dream, that not everyone achieves the American Dream due to systemic equality and history of oppression of groups of people. I intend to keep using my voice about economic inequality and the importance of equity and justice as the solution by learning about the American Dream and how others fit into it.

Looking at “Richard Cory”

“Richard Cory,” a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson in 1897, is about a local, wealthy man in New England who is idolized by many. He carried himself well, which attracted many people around him, as well as his quiet and modest charm. People idolized him because of his wealth, and people around him strived to get into his position of wealth. However, Cory ended his life one night, which is a surprise to readers, as it seems he had everything– money, education, and confidence. Let’s break down all four stanzas of this poem and the importance of this story connecting to the American Dream.

In the first stanza, Cory is introduced as receiving attention when he walks in town because he has the composure of a gentleman “from sole to crown.” (457). Although he is not introduced as a king, he is equated to being one, with the speaker of the poem using the word “crown” in place of “head”. This is the way fellow townsfolk see him, and it is safe to say that there was an economic disparity between local townspeople and Cory, which is addressed in the fourth stanza.

The second stanza of “Richard Cory” uses repetition when describing Cory with the phrase “he was always” in lines 5 and 6. This shows that Cory’s character is true, having consistency in the way he acts around others. This may be used as a moment to look back to after finishing the poem, as it contributes to the surprise of his death, as evidence of suicidal thoughts was not mentioned in the description of his character. Another description that contrasts his death is where the stanza ends, stating that Cory  “glittered when he walked” (457). This indicates either the confidence in his step or the way he lit up the place with his elegant presence. Cory is shown as a modest and kind character; however, this is the perception of the town around him, and we do not get a glimpse into his personal life.

Robinson starts the third stanza with Cory being richer than a king. This could mean he has old money or inherited wealth from past generations of his family. He was also described as “admirably schooled in every grace” (10), which could be seen as a privilege in this period. It would mean that Cory had the means and social background to learn these types of manners and behavior. 

Cory appears, on the surface, to have everything he needs to achieve the American Dream, and this is especially believed by the local community. Robinson uses “we” as the collective townsfolk persona, as he writes “In fine, we thought he was everything / To make us wish that we were in his place” (11-12). It is important to note that Robinson uses “we thought”, admitting that the townsfolk did not know the context of his life, and solely uses his appearance and actions as fact. Although this is still an effective way of gauging one’s personality, it should not be the only basis for understanding a person. 

Drawing inspiration from their assumptions of Cory, the townsfolk strive to achieve wealth like him. Robinson starts the last stanza with the phrase “On we worked, and waited for the light / and went without the meat, and cursed the bread” (13-14). This is evidence of the economic disparity between Cory and the townsfolk, as many worked hard and waited for opportunities to climb the social ladder while going without food. This contrasts with the last line in the first stanza, describing Cory as “imperially slim” (457). This means he has enough food to sustain himself, yet he chooses to maintain a slim physique, which is also a privilege in this period. In the last two lines, Robinson ends the poem with “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night / Went home and put a bullet through his head” (15-16). The speaker of the poem says this abruptly, leaving the reader with a speechless response, much like how the local community would potentially feel after hearing this news. Furthermore, it is a strong example of situational irony in that the expectations that the reader has about Cory’s success are abruptly ended by the poet. 

Overall, this poem is exemplary of American society and how its ideas of the American Dream can be misleading. In the poem, Richard Cory has wealth, good looks, charisma, and education. However, readers can potentially miss something when looking at the townsfolks’ perspective of Cory and can only assume what happened to Cory to make him end his life. Many people will idolize others without even knowing the cost of their success or the intentions of the idol. One example is former President Trump, who is now paying tens of millions of dollars for legal bills. He places his success on the false perception of power, which can be quickly destroyed without a deeper foundation of values. Thus, after the death of Cory,  the community experiences a feeling of loss and confusion not only about his life but also about the trajectory of their own. If one has everything and still does not make it in life, what does that say for the people trying to make it? Therefore, this poem is a lesson not to base the American Dream on assumptions about someone’s appearance, as it is not enough to follow blindly a dream that is not one’s own. 

Works Cited

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. “Richard Cory.” Discovering Poetry. Hans P. Guth and  Gabriele L. Rico, ed. Blair Press, 1993. 457.

There, There, The American Dream is Not for Us

There, There by Tommy Orange, is a book about the stories of multiple Cheyenne characters residing in Oakland, Oklahoma: Opal, Dene, Tony, Jacquie, Edwin, Calvin, Orvil, Octavio, and Daniel. These characters’ stories, unbeknownst to them, are all interconnected by the upcoming Oakland powwow they all prepare to attend. However, it is important to note that many characters are just learning about their culture and traditional dance styles while others have yet to learn about their traditional ways.

These characters have a disconnection from their Cheyenne culture and the earth itself as a result of the displacement of many Indigenous communities across the United States. The displacement highlighted in this book is a by-product of removal, assimilation, and the relocation program for the American Dream. To further understand removal and relocation, let’s look at the Cheyenne tribe and their ancestral homelands, where they were removed, and the location of many modern Cheyenne people.

As Tommy Orange mentions, the Cheyenne people are historically a part of the Algonquian language family and are closely related to the Arapaho tribe, hence the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes becoming a united tribal government. The Cheyenne originally resided in the lands known as present-day Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. After enduring one of the most significant atrocities, the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864, the Cheyenne and Arapaho people were forced to move to present-day Oklahoma by 1869, and now their tribal government headquarters reside in Concho, Oklahoma.

If the Cheyenne and Arapaho people were moved to Oklahoma, why do these characters reside in Oakland, California? This is the result of the “termination” federal policy enacted in 1953, where Indigenous tribes would be disbanded and their land would be sold. The BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs, launched a program called the Urban Relocation Program to move Natives off of their reservations and into Urban cities, with the intent to break down tribal ties. 

According to an article about Native American relocation, an estimated 750,000 natives migrated to urban cities between 1950 and the 80s in hopes of achieving self-determination and success of the American Dream (American Indian Displacement and Relocation). However, when most Indigenous communities arrived at urban cities, the program did not follow up on the development of their new lives. Additionally, American society and Government officials wanted the Indigenous populations to give up their culture and assimilate for the American Dream. Subsequently, many could not realize the American Dream, resulting in either coming back to the reservations or living in poverty in these urban cities. This is the case for many Cheyenne people in Oakland, California.

The result of the Termination and Relocation Program is the lives of these characters in There, There. None of these characters live out the expectation of the American Dream, and almost all are in identity crises and living in poverty, which contributes to the criminal activity that goes on in the book. In the end, it is a sad but realistic side of the lives of many modern Indigenous communities especially in Urban populations as a result of the false sense of the American Dream.

I highly recommend this book if you are interested in modern Indigenous stories of the American Dream, Urbanized life, and the disconnect of their culture. There should be some at the local or OU library, at bookstores, or online.

Works Cited

“American Indian Displacement and Relocation – Health Is a Human Right.” Health Is a Human Right, exhibits.library.gsu.edu/health-is-a-human-right/displacement/american-indian-displacement-and-relocation/#:~:text=In%201953%2C%20Congress%20passed%20a%20resolution%20to%20begin. Accessed 13 Mar. 2024.

Nex Benedict’s Dream

Say Their Name.

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old Oklahoman was murdered, from a beating they endured in a girls’ bathroom at Owasso, Oklahoma. Nex Benedict identified as non-binary, using the pronouns They/Them/Theirs and He/Him/His. This act of murder is a result of Anti-2SLGBTQIA+ legislation, enacted by many state government legislators and school board members. This has nurtured homophobia, transphobia, and hatred towards many students within the public school system.

This murder has sparked many demonstrations and protests nationally, as 2SLGBTQIA+ and Indigenous Rights advocates were touched by Nex’s story. According to Nex’s family members, they had many dreams for the future. They excelled in school and enjoyed art and reading. They found companionship in their cat named Zeus, and entertainment in video games, like Ark and Minecraft. They were a strong individual who learned how to stand up for themselves, especially after becoming a target for bullying.

This bright and beautiful individual did not expect their dreams to be taken away from them on February 7, 2024. They and another friend were harassed by three older girls, and when Nex and their friend started to stand up for themselves, they were attacked and brutally beaten. The next day, Nex died from the extensive injuries they endured. The girls who murdered Nex, the medical providers dismissing the injuries as the cause of their deaths, and elected officials who encourage this hate rhetoric should all be held accountable for this tragedy. Nex was an American whose dreams should have been protected by the schools and this country. Instead, they will never get to live out their dreams. They will never get to learn about their beautiful, Choctaw culture. They will never get to flourish in their identities.

I write Nex’s story to remember their dreams and all they stood for. I urge that you take a look at your American dream. Dream to make a safe space for everyone, especially those like Nex, who are targeted and in need of love, acceptance, and protection. Dream to make change in this world, for justice, love, and equity. Dream for Nex, and for all those whose dreams were also taken from them.

Hatso

Hatso, Kateri Daffron Au Kaun.

Hello, My name is Kateri Daffron.

I am of Kiowa, Comanche, and Wichita nations, from Anadarko, Oklahoma and Norman, Oklahoma. I am majoring in Psychology and Pre-medicine.

These blogs will be about various literature and stories of the American Dream, whether it be from an Indigenous perspective or those from different communities.