71 pages • 2 hours read
David TreuerThe Heartbeat of Wounded Knee
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
How do Treuer’s complex accounts of Indigenous life in North America throughout the centuries contrast with the singular myth of “the noble Indian?” In what ways does he complicate and enrich conventional understandings of Indigenous life?
What parallels can you draw between the experiences of Indigenous peoples and African Americans in the United States, particularly in regard to citizenship?
Using examples from the book, could one argue that the concept of the American Dream was built off the disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples (consider the idea of Manifest Destiny in your response). Why or why not?
Why do you think that Treuer intersperses personal accounts into his broader retelling of Indigenous history? How might this personal essay device enrich the historical narrative?
What parallels, if any, can one draw between the boarding schools for Indigenous children and missionary schools in colonized nations? What are the parallels? If, in your view, there are none, how do these institutions differ?
Throughout the text, Treuer returns frequently to Leech Lake Indian Reservation, where he is from. Why do you think he uses his own reservation as a source of inspiration for the book? Does this make his account of Indigenous history less objective? Why or why not?
How does Treuer critique and undermine mainstream myths that exoticize Indigenous peoples? Why do you think that Treuer returns to this theme of racial fetishization throughout the text?
In which ways has the legal justice system been complicit in the disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples? How might the manslaughter cases that Treuer notes parallel with those of other people of color (e.g., Vincent Chin, Trayvon Martin)?
What parallels can you draw not only between the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the Black Panthers, but also between AIM and other radical activist groups led by disenfranchised peoples (e.g., MOVE)? Why do you think that the US government is antagonistic toward these movements?
Treuer notes that AIM frequently excluded women and lighter-skinned Indigenous peoples. How does this pattern of exclusion parallel the practices of representation within the mainstream civil rights movement and the Black Panther movement?
