Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2005)
JUNE 1, 2005 MCC MAI A Publication of the Grand Rondo Tribe www.grandronde.org Non-Traditional Native American Novelist, Poet, and Comedian Sherman Alexie (Spokane) entertained a large crowd on Thursday, May 19 at Oregon State University's LaSells Stewart Center. Alexie has written many novels including "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," "Reservation Blues" and he wrote the screenplay for the movie "Smoke Signals." Alexie opened his show by saying "in case you came here to see a traditional Indian, you better leave now." H Sherman Alexie brings down the house at OSU. Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon 961 5 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx5-Q 1(217" 9?4Q-z FOX, JANES SPECIAL COLL KNIGHT LIBRARY, UOFO EUGENE OR 97403 PRESORTED ' FRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALEM, OR PERMIT NO. 178 By Ron Karten Looking back, you'd have to say that vegans took the worst beating at the hands of Indian Country's premier novelist and poet. Sherman Alexie (Spokane) was mer ciless on them during his two-hour show at Oregon State University's LaSells Stewart Cen ter on Thursday, May 19, and it must be a long-running shtick for him be cause, he said, "I've gotten death threats from vegans." But he wasn't afraid. "What are they going to do? Throw their Birkenstocks at me?" He took down lib erals and conservatives with equal gusto, moved on to Oprah and the mili tary, men with little pony tails, Indi ans acting tough, anti-war demon strators doing anything, fundamental ism in general and in specific, and Indian casinos, too, just to let you know that he wasn't playing favorites. "There's nothing better than ex pressing our sovereignty by partici pating in the worst excesses of capi talism," he said. V 71 s ' -2 J Sherman Alexie On the sweat lodge experience, he said, "Yeah, that's what I want to do in flu season crawl into an indigenous Petri dish." Not even childhood escaped. "People who say that childhood is wonderful are full of shit," he said. "I fully understand why people throw kids out of car windows. You don't do it, but for a minute you think, 'They'll bounce.'" He started the show with a nod to the two young women who signed his program for the deaf. They blushed frequently as they struggled to trans late four-letter words and to express such concepts as walking down the aisle of a plane in extreme gastric distress, but first, Alexie thoughtfully included them. He sidled up to the working signer, and asked her, "How do you say, 'I have a crush on the big Indian'? Now, Alexie has perfect timing in his delivery, and he waited a beat See ALEXIE on page 6 5-
