“”We have to pretend to be””
“Tommy the Orange debut novel ”Pow wow” is about ursprungsamerikanernas situation in the U.S.”
“This is a kulturartikel which is a part of Aftonbladet’s opinionsjournalistik.”
“On Drottninggatan in Stockholm used it before, stand for three men dressed as indians. The feathers and the makeup, they sang and played on oil drums that I thought sounded beautiful. I write up, because so much of Tommy Oranges acclaimed first novel, the Pow wow is all about the feeling to be a scam how to than do it. Identity and history as a mask to wear, no matter if you are trying to hide it or make it as colorful as possible. “
“”Performing indianness” call Tommy Orange it when we meet in a bookstore in the Old town. To exercise indianhet, approximately. The men on Drottninggatan sold cds through to spark thoughts on how indians have been produced, and after a while you know less than what is genuine anymore. Search ”pow wow” on Youtube. There are movies that could also be interpreted as caricatures. The difference is well located partly in who is the audience, a pow wow is ursprungsamerikaner, for ursprungsamerikaner. “
“Orange describes it as an opportunity for the tribes to gather. Everyone has their own reason to visit a pow wow, and the book depicts a number of such ows. It is a chorus of voices, which in the end arrived to the event where their stories are woven together. “
“the Novel has attracted the attention tremendously in the united states, highlighted that, in principle, alone in its kind. In Sweden, the response has so far been modest, more pending reviews, which perhaps says the most about the american climate in which the Pow wow detonated.”
“His own tribe, the Cheyenne, is printed on the book’s back cover. It is important to be open with it, that you are correctly enrolled. Orange speaks a lot about such technical aspects, different amounts with the certified blood, and I sit as a question mark while he outlines advanced system that for him is a matter of course. “
“– Many non-native speakers respond with compassion in the book. People have said that they get feelings of guilt. But the native has the reaction been embracing, people feel represented.”
“Tommy Orange talk calmly, with a dark voice. Later in the evening, he’ll talk at the house, the day before he was in Uppsala, sweden. He don’t thrive in the public eye, and has learned to fend off the questions in which he is expected to answer for all ursprungsamerikaner. I ask if there was a concern in writing to create stereotypes – most of the characters in the Pow wow is vulnerable in different ways. Poverty, drugs and alcohol, crime and general unhappiness. “
“– It was difficult. But I have downloaded a lot from my own life. My dad is a sober alcoholic, my sister has fought with it and is bipolar.”
“He lowers his voice when a customer comes into the otherwise deserted bookstore. “
“– And I have had my own struggles. We have to pretend to be, the only way to be accepted as a ursprungsamerikan is to go with the dance. I know people who let their hair grow out and have the jewelry to be more visible. My mom is white and dad is native, and I have misstagits for almost everything.”
“– If I had long hair maybe it would be different. People do not know that we look different. The way we have been made in the movies are like an old wise man with the headband, probably wrinkled. It is something we need to compare ourselves with.”
“”Pow wow” is written in a concrete present, with his hometown of Oakland as a hub. Orange says that he was born in medborgarrättsrörelsens repercussions, and writes with the entrance. The book is a sad but sometimes humorous depiction. The same sort of duality can probably also be visible in him. It is not noticeable, at least when we continue to talk about the present. “
“– Trump has zero respect and his attitude is that the united states should never apologize for what we are and what we did. The country’s state makes me skeptical, it feels like he will get four more years. “
“And if you think longer than four years, what do you think then?”
“– That there will be a shift, but that this situation must be played out for a while. I don’t think this is the beginning of a major deterioration. I hope that this is dödsryckningarna for this kind of toxic old white man-energy that has destroyed our country for a long time. In the year 2042, white people will be minority in the united states, and it will change the power structure. The civil rights movement addressed the problems, and in a moment it was like that the rights were conquered, and everyone sang Kumbaya. Then slid it away.”
“– Trump, perhaps, is necessary in order to deal with all the buried problems. He revealed an ugliness that is still out there.”
“Occupation: Writer and teacher.”
“Family: Wife and 7-year-old son.”
“Live: Outside of the Oakland, California, USA.”
“Background: born and raised in Oakland, California. Artistic master’s degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts and has worked as a teacher and led berättarseminiarer for the young. ”Pow wow” is his debut novel, which was released in the united states last year. It has just been awarded with the nice ”First Novel Prize from the center for Fiction.””
“up to Date with: the Novel ”Pow wow” (Polaris), which is now in English.”