The Strong Affinity With Indian Identity

Gardens in the Dunes is a novel written by an American Indian woman writer Leslie Marmon Silko; it is also considered another work about American Indians’ seeking identity after her Ceremony. Ever since this novel was published in1999, it has aroused the attention of many American readers, scholars, newspapers and magazines. However, little research has been done on it in China except for Dr Ye Rulan’s reference to this novel in her doctoral dissertation. This thesis attempts to approach the novel from the perspective of Cultural Identity to examine Indigo’s identity seeking process.According to Cultural Identity theory,“racial identity” is the premise of “cultural identity”. Only identified with the group a person belongs to, can he further recognize the culture he belongs to.“Religious identity” is a very important part of “cultural identity”. Indians’unique religious belief accounts for a large part of “cultural identity”and almost all of the Indian cultures are related to its religious belief.“Indigenous culture” is the foundation of Indian “cultural identity”, which can be returned with the identity of native culture. In the novel, the protagonist Indigo suffers great inner pain when she loses her “racial identity”,“religious identity” and “indigenous culture” because of the American white mainstream culture shock. Her painful experiences reveal the important role Indians’“cultural identity” plays in her life. When Indigo is passively involved in the white mainstream cultural and Indian cultures, she chooses her Indian culture, and then regains her “racial identity” at last.The thesis consists of three parts in addition to the introduction and conclusion.The Introduction makes a sketch of Silko’s life, her literary achievements and the novel Gardens in the Dunes. It also reviews the domestic as well as overseas research relevant to the author and the novel.Chapter One gives an account of Cultural Identity theory. Cultural Identity theory is a part of postcolonial theory and also the product of its sustainable development.“Racial identity”,“religious identity” and “indigenous culture” are the three inseparable and interactional parts of Cultural Identity theory.“Racial identity” is the premise of “cultural identity”;“religious identity” is a very important part of “cultural identity”;“indigenous culture” is the foundation of Indian “cultural identity”Chapter Two discusses Indigo’s “identity crisis”. With homeland threatened by the white people, Indigo and her family have to leave their old gardens and make a living in other places. Her ceremony is prohibited by the white government and religious activity is destroyed by the white government men. Her native culture is eroded by the white mainstream culture. All of these throw Indigo into identity crisis and lead her to lose her Indian identity:After Indigo and her family leave their homeland; they are forced to live apart from one another. By accident, she lives with a white couple and loses her racial identity. As the tracks of Messiah are lost, the "Ghost Dancing" ceremony can not be held, therefore, Indigo loses her religious identity. Living among the white people and learning the white people’s language and culture, Indigo loses her own culture.Chapter Three focuses on Indigo’s attempt to regain her indigenous culture. With strong affinity with the Indian feeling, Indigo chooses her Indian culture against the temptation of the white mainstream culture. She makes great effort to look for her relatives so as to return to their old gardens and pursue her racial identity. She searches for the tracks of Messiah and recollects the scene of the "Ghost Dancing" ceremony many times for pursuing her religion. She keeps her American Indian life-style and inherits the Indian culture in pursuit of her indigenous culture. So with Indigo’s unremitting effort, she regains her identity at last. Indigo, her sister, her sister’s baby, the monkey and the parrot, all return to the homeland, their long-cherished old gardens in the dunes and finally realize the return of the racial identity. She finds the tracks of Messiah and participates in the" Ghost Dancing" ceremony with her clansmen once again and her religious identity comes back. After returning to the homeland, she restores her life-style to the previous mode and continues to carry on the native culture, thus she realizes the return of the indigenous culture. Finally Indigo realizes the return of identity, which means Indian culture, is hopeful of salvation. The birth of Indigo’s sister’s baby indicates that the Indian culture will continue to be inherited down. The final part summarizes what has been discussed in the previous chapters and comes to a conclusion:Indigo’s strong affinity with Indian identity helps her realize the return of identity. It is very difficult for an Indian child like her, living among white mainstream culture to choose her own culture at last. For her, the completion of her identity seeking journey means the Indian culture is hopeful of salvation. Studying Indigo’s seeking identity journey may help the development of “identity consciousness” in modern society.