Native American Literature

Since coming fruition in the 60's during the Native American Renaissance, Native American literature has developed a rich tradition with many great works by Native American authors such as N Scott Momaday and Leslie Marmon Silko. Most of this literature is strongly influenced by the oral traditions the authors grew up with, and while some authors' writings are throwbacks to the past and the traditions of their ancestors, much of modern Native American literature deals with life for contemporary Native Americans on the reservations. These novels often make a strong connection between the past and modern Native American life. They tend to focus on the effects of colonization, the dispossession felt by American Indians, the loss of cultural identity, and the struggle to overcome stereotypes that Native Americans face every day. In portraying these struggles, many Native American authors show their Indian characters in very human terms, helping non-Native American readers to relate to them and overcome misconceptions about what it means to be an Indian.

The dispossession and loss of cultural identity is a strong theme throughout much of contemporary Native American literature. Books like Silko's Ceremony show the effects that such cultural loss can have on the people. In Silko's case, the main character's Post Traumatic Stress disorder is exacerbated by a loss of cultural connections, nearly destroying him. Novels tend to focus on the emptiness and inability to live a complete life when such loss is felt, and som authors use alcoholism - an issue dealt with by many Native Americans - to help demonstrate the effects of this dispossession.

Though Native American literature only came into its own quite recently, it has many fine works in its body. Many novelists and poets such as Sherman Alexie have written great works that deal with many issues that concern the Native American people as a whole.