There There highlights the struggles of the modern Indigenous person. As we see multiple perspectives from people from the Cheyenne tribe, it shows how previous political actions against Indigenous people negatively impact people even today, even if those actions were over a hundred years ago. Although there are many characters within There There, Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield and Edwin Black are examples of the effect of the erasure of Indigenous Culture caused by the political and social attacks by the United States government.
Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield is a victim of the eraser of Indigenous culture. She comes from an unstable family; her mother, Vicky, has often been in bad relationships, which makes Opal’s life even more unstable. As they run away from Vicky’s partner, Opal asks her mother why her name is so different. Her mother claims that before white men had come, Indigenous communities had their own culture and way of naming themselves. As the culture changed and the naming structure changed, the usage of dad names (surnames) was spread around “to keep the power of the dads” (Orange 46). Although it is not clearly stated, her mother hints that the Cheyenne community was once matriarchal and men had less power to hurt women. This erasure of Indigenous culture has put women and children at higher risk of violence and continues to damage Opal as a child.
Although Edwin Black is a male Cheyenne, he is also negatively impacted by the erasure of his own culture. Edwin is half Cheyenne and half White. His father, Harvey, has been a deadbeat, and his mother, Karen, berates her son, furthering his depression. He is conflicted due to his mixed background and not feeling “Native Enough.” As a graduate of grad school in Native American Literature, he knows that the colonialists used blood quantum to justify racism towards his people and to erase the indigenous bloodline eventually. Although he knows the racist origins of blood quantum, he replies, “The inevitable influence of blood quantum policies on modern Native Identity” (Orange 71).
In conclusion, the erasure of Indigenous Culture caused by the political and social attacks by the United States government harms Indigenous people even today. Both characters face the consequences of the erasure of their culture in very different ways, but they both endure the struggle.