Thursday, 20 September: American Indian Minority vs. the immigrant narrative. Leslie Marmon Silko, “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” (IA 205-209); Louise Erdrich, "American Horse" (IA 210-220); Mei Mei Evans, “Gussuk” (IA 237-251)

·         Dominant culture moment: Ashley Webb

Objective 4

To identify the “dominant culture” sometimes referred to as a “core culture” to which immigrants assimilate to, particularly in terms of class, ethnicity, gender or family life, and religion. Answer the question “What kind of culture do immigrants assimilate to?”

The story “Gussuk” shows that the identity of the dominant culture depends on where the story takes place. While this story takes place in America, Alaska seems almost like a different country. The culture to assimilate to is not the white, middle class culture of the other stories.

Lucy must overcome “culture shock” when she enters this part of America and tries to fit in with the dominant culture of Alaska.

·        The language isn’t English, but Yup’ik. Lucy must get the children to translate for her when she visits families who do not speak English.

·        The particular town Lucy moves to is lower class: “most of the [houses] were government issued: pre-fabricated wooden boxes on poorly constructed foundations. The village looked shabby to her.” (p 238)

·        The women in the Eskimo culture are expected to marry young. Mercy calls Lucy an “old maid” because she was 23 and unmarried.

·        Different foods and customs. “Mercy…proceeded to pick several dead mosquitoes out of the oil with her fingers…She showed Lucy how to eat the fish, by first breaking off a portion, sucking on it to soften it, dipping it into the oil, and then biting off the oily part.”  (p 141)

·        “It didn’t much matter to Lucy that Mercy had a strange sense of humor, that the seal oil was a little bit rancid, or that the dried fish had gotten caught between her teeth. The point was that she was sitting in an Eskimo house, eating real Eskimo food.”

 Lucy, unlike the previous nurse, realized the importance of trying to assimilate to the dominant culture if she wants to be successful and enjoy her job.

Questions or Comments?