April 07, 2009

No Natives in science fiction?

Our fiction's short on science

Posted By Drew Hayden Taylor[T]here is one area that Native people haven't yet completely embraced. I am talking about science fiction. The few aboriginal footprints wandering across the lunar landscape are, for the most part, moccasins worn by white astronauts. How's that for a metaphor!

Perhaps the best known would be Chakotay from the Star Trek series, Voyager, though I don't know if it's the Canadian or aboriginal in me that keeps wanting to call it Voyageur. Be that as it may, he is the second-in-command and sports a cool and funky tattoo on his face. They never actually say what nation he is, but I do believe its some central American tribe. In one episode though, they find a lost branch of his people living on a planet clear across the galaxy. They were no doubt sent there by some future non-indigenous government intent on establishing its sovereignty. It's been done before, just ask the Inuit of Grise Fiord.

My other favourite example of Native people making a token appearance in science fiction is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Actually, it's more of a dystopian novel where John Savage, a severely misplaced white dude, is born on a reservation in New Mexico, after his mother was marooned there on a sightseeing trip. It happens all the time, I hear. Needless to say, our people do not come off well. They are a backwards, drunken lot who squabble and are very petty. I am going to avoid the obvious joke here.
Comment:  Too bad Kiowa science-fiction writer Russell Bates has left our midst. He could fill us in on all the sci-fi written by Natives, mostly him.

But there's more sci-fi about Natives than Taylor has noted. Especially if you define the genre broadly and include related works such as fantasies and techno-thrillers. Some examples:

  • Beyond Mars: Crimson Fleet by R.G. Risch.
  • Several bits and pieces in Star Trek episodes and books.
  • Alternative histories: The Gate of Worlds by Robert Silverberg, Apacheria and Operation Shatterhand by Jake Page, The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer by Douglas C. Jones, etc.
  • Tales from the Great Turtle by Piers Anthony.
  • The Kynship series by Daniel Heath Justice.
  • The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.
  • James Rollins's thrillers.
  • The Swarm by Frank Schatzing.
  • Movies: The Indiana Jones films, The Ruins, Unearthed, Pathfinder, etc.
  • TV shows and made-for-TV movies: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aztec Rex, Wyvern, Hybrid, etc.
  • Comic books: SCOUT, TUROK, TIMESPIRITS, AZTEC ACE, Dawnstar in the Legion of Super-Heroes, Tom Kalmaku in GREEN LANTERN, etc.

  • It's not a huge list, and I had to stretch the definition of science fiction, but there are many more than Taylor's two examples. He must not be much of a sci-fi fan if that's all he can think of.

    For more on the subject, see Carl Brandon Society's Recommendations and The Best Indian Books.

    1 comment:

    Anonymous said...

    Yeah, and there's lots of us NDNS in fandom [note to mundanes: we're science fiction fans, also known as the fen]. Besides which, I'm working on a couple stories myself...who says there's no Indians in SF? Not this lady.