Abstract
The contemporary Native American poet Sherman Alexie (1966-) links White American sports with the policy of forced assimilationism. He strongly believes that Native sports can offer sites of resistance to this colonial policy. Therefore, his poetry focuses on the practice of sports (such as football, basketball, or baseball) to achieve significant self-esteem as well as to assert Native identity, history, and the persistence of the Native culture, pride, and community. This paper highlights the significance of the social, cultural, and political role of sports in the lives and experiences of Native Americans living on the Reservations as shown in Alexie’s three poems “Defending Walt Whitman”, Victory”, and “ Indian Education”.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Sporting Cultures and Identities
KEYWORDS
SHERMAN ALEXIE, SPORTS, NATIVE AMERICANS, RESERVATIONS
