Towards A Tribal Identity: An Ethnic And Ecological Study Of Louise Erdrich’s North Dakota Quartet

Identity remains a central and tricky issue in the study of American Indian literature. In thecase of Louise Erdrich, the debate over this issue is even more intense due to her unique positionas a hybrid and her popularity with both Indian and mainstream society. Using her North Dakotaquartet as a model for analysis, I propose in my study a tribal identity which, in its embodiment ofa shared world view of Indian tribes, constitutes the core of a multi-structured American Indianidentity. Contrasting sharply with the traditional Western world view, this shared tribal world viewby American Indian peoples serves to bridge the internal differences within the tribes andconstruct a common identity that distinguishes Indians from those who are not. In this context, atribal identity is also a pan-tribal one. In its holistic view of interconnectedness, reciprocalrelationships and dynamic equilibrium, the tribal world view of American Indians is ecological byessence. Land, community and myth constitute the three major aspects of this tribal world viewand define a tribal identity with its geographical, communal and mythic dimensions.The thesis examines the above mentioned three dimensions of Indian tribal identity as well ashow they are articulated in narrative. Chapter one explores the importance of land in theconstruction of a tribal identity. Through a comparative study of American Indian tribal view andtraditional Western view of land, the chapter gives a careful explanation of the Indian tribal landethic while at the same time clarifies some important yet often confusing ecological terms, such as“land” and “nature”. The chapter further compares this tribal land ethic with the land ethic of AldoLeopold, the pioneering Western ecological ethicist, contending that the two are similar yet notwithout differences. Based on the above analysis, the present thesis gives a thorough investigationinto the evolvement of landscape in the quartet to elucidate how the changes of landscape affecttribal people’s sense of identity.The following chapter centers on the communal dimension of tribal identity. Arguing againstthe popular view of Erdrich’s North Dakota quartet as a family saga, the chapter calls for attention tothe fundamental differences between American Indian and Western community through acomparative study of the concepts of “self”,“family” and “community” in both American Indian and Western culture. It argues for an ecological understanding of Indian community as a web ofinterconnections based more upon spiritual kinship and clan membership than on biologicalbloodlines and for a tribal identity that defies the traditional Western notion by being essentiallycommunal rather than individual. Starting from here, the chapter analyzes in detail the developmentof community in the quartet, from historical loss to regeneration with a focus on the phenomena like“ghosting” of Indians,“unresolved grief” and “internalized oppression”, as well as gender issueswithin the community. It further examines the significance of the reconstruction of history andtraditional masculinity and femininity as strategies for the survival of Indian community. Thechapter concludes that the ecological world view of American Indians provides the Indiancommunity with an inherent ability to adapt to changes, which is the raw power that enables thecommunity to survive and to prosper despite what it has been through.Chapter three devotes itself to the study of myths as another identity-conferring agency inAmerican Indian culture. Looking into the essence of myths within the context of Indian culture, thethesis challenges the traditional Western notion of myths by asserting that American Indian myths,as a vehicle of Indian civilization and culture, convey a high form of truth in its reflection of aholistic epistemology and defy the dichotomy between “real” and “unreal” that dominates thetraditional Western mind. The chapter discusses several major tribal myths in the quartet,specifically the myth of Misshepeshu, bear and Fleur, as well as the myth of trickster to reveal thespiritual origins of a tribal identity.The final chapter discusses the way the three dimensions of tribal identity are articulated in thenarrative by a careful exploration into the language, the narrative voice and the recurrent images thatform the narrative circle. It points out that the land-based language, the communal voice and thecardinal mythic elements together with the related images give powerful expressions to a tribalidentity and constitute an ecosystem of narrative.The thesis then concludes that Erdrich’s writing confers a tribal identity which is built uponintrinsic connections with land, community and myths and is hence transpersonal as opposed tothe traditional Western conception of identity. The fortitude of tribal identity is shown in its abilityto adapt to changes and to maintain a dynamic balance out of chaos, which is decided by its innateecological world view. Thus tribal identity remains an open process and is subject to constantredefinition. The tribal identity as constructed by Erdrich in her fictional works testifies to the Indianness of her writing and explains how a hybrid writer like Louise Erdrich remains first andforemost Indian in her writing.The approach used here is a combination of ethnic and ecological study with the emphasis onthe American Indian tribal context, the differences between Western and Indian culturalconceptions and ecological awareness of connections, interrelatedness and dynamic equilibrium inthe construction of a tribal identity.The thesis distinguishes itself by applying a holistic and ecological perspective as well as aninside-culture angle of view to the study of the multi-dimensioned tribal identity as presented inErdrich’s fiction. In its emphasis on the ecological essence of the core Indian identity, the thesisexpands the boundary of ethnic study meanwhile contributes to the development of a moreinclusive and more multicultural ecocriticism by introducing traditional ecological thought ofAmerican Indians into the mainstream theories of ecocriticism.