“A Myth to Be Alive”: James Welch’s Fools Crow

摘要: "Let glory go the way of all sad things./ Children need a myth that tells them be alive," pleads speaker James Welch's poem "Blackfeet, Blood, and Piegan Hunters" (Riding Earthboy 40 36). In his historical novel Fools Crow, Welch creates myth. Although text includes events leading to massacre band Blackfeet by United States Cavalry on January 23, 1870,' this history, for most part, from point view. This perspective both admirably conveys social cultural lives Pikuni tribe Blackfeet2 and, given visionary nature Plains Indian culture, allows create survival within genre. Indeed, develops as prose epic when he presents hero who must survive people, retells extends traditional myths, connects these myths events.3 Significantly, development serves emphasize importance it redefines Native American heroism in spiritual psychological terms. The Crow adheres Claude Levi-Strauss's dictum "on one hand, always refers alleged have taken place long ago. But what gives an operational value is specific pattern described timeless; explains past well future" (Structural Anthropology 205). Within nineteenthcentury time frame novel, evokes retelling ancient describes present implicitly paralleling Crow's life contemporaries certain extent culture predicts future explicitly connecting extension Feather Womanthe Woman-who-married-the-star. timeless even now Americans are called upon embody courage not unlike achieve survival. shows parallels heroes bring back sacred ceremonies supernatural beings.4 For example, says "Scarface like us" there some significant Scarface