Sherman Alexie

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What Tribe Are You?

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What Tribe Are You?

essay

Sherman Alexie
Sep 1, 2022
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What Tribe Are You?

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Space Needle tower at night
Photo by Andrea Leopardi on Unsplash

This last Saturday night, I had a brief interaction with a homeless Native man.

He approached and asked if I had any spare change. He was very dark. So I didn't think he belonged to any of the Coastal Salish tribes. He was small though. So maybe Alaska Native. Maybe Pueblo.

He told me his tribe and I thought, yeah, he looks it.

I told him that I was Spokane Indian and grew up in Wellpinit, on the Spokane Indian Reservation—on the rez.

He said he'd grown up on his rez, too, and had been in Seattle for about eight years. He said he used to have drinking buddies from up in Wellpinit.

He laughed. I laughed. Everybody has a drinking buddy from Wellpinit.

He told me his name. I told him mine.

I gave him five bucks. He thanked me and went for a handshake. Among Indians, there are two kinds of handshakes. I let him lead the way and so we softly gripped each other's forearms and shook. It's a warrior handshake, yes, but it's not aggressive. It's not a test of strength. It's respectful.

He walked into the night and I walked back to my car.

And I remembered an encounter more than twenty-five years ago at a book festival in Denver.

After my reading, I was signing books and greeting fans. And I was shaking hands. And so I ended up shaking the hands of ten or twelve Indians in a row. And we shook hands in that other Indian style: with loose fingertips. A very gentle greeting. Indian men, women, and children all shake hands this way when we greet one another, especially in ceremonial settings.

But then, at that book signing, I shook hands with a white man. After so many handshakes with Indians, I forgot to code-switch when I took that white man's hand. He gave me one of those typical muscular strong grips. And I gave him my loose Indian fingers.

And he slightly sprained my pinky finger.

I'm sure some other folks might call this an act of white micro-aggression. Or even just aggression. Others might even call it a racist act.

But it wasn't that. Plenty of Indian men will give a macho handshake. And other non-white men will also go overtly masculine when they take your hand.

And I'm not blaming myself for my failure to code-switch in that moment.

I just want to point out the beauty of my encounter with that homeless Indian man. He and I are living in vastly different circumstances as urban Native men who grew up on reservations. But on a warm Saturday night in Seattle, he and I shared a moment of Indian solidarity.

We reached out to each other with tenderness.

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What Tribe Are You?

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Sharron Bassano
Writes LEAVES
Feb 26Liked by Sherman Alexie

This is absolutely stunning. I am so glad I found it. I have several people to share this compassionate story with - not only for its specific details, but for its larger application. Thank you!

Sherman, I am working on a piece for 🍁Leaves regarding my two fathers- one that abandoned us and one that was a self-righteous drunkard. Would it be possible to include your poem "How Do We Forgive Our Fathers" in my Substack post, with citation, of course? It exactly represents my own conflict, and is so moving to me. If permission is not possible, I understand. I thank you for considering my request. Sharron

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Mary Hollowell
Writes Mary’s Substack
Dec 13, 2022Liked by Sherman Alexie

Thanks. fyi - Sebastian Junger, who wrote The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men and the Sea, has begun to share his faith. His book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging opens with Junger describing his personal encounter with someone whom he thought was an angel while backpacking.

his activism stance: pro-health care for veterans

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