Manifest Manners: Narratives on Postindian Survivance

Gerald Vizenor explores the myths and representations of Native Americans that have established false notions of "Indianness" to serve as an idealized innocence for the West, thus eliding and eliminating the realities of tribal cultures. Manifest Manners celebrates the "postindian warriors" who counter and appropriate simulations engendered by "manifest manners" -- the cultural legacy of Manifest Destiny -- to secure a tribal presence. In these wide-ranging meditations on Native American identities, Vizenor examines Native American literature, autobiography, identity, "shadows" in tribal names and narratives, Ishi and the conditions of tribal authenticity, and the discovery of Columbus. Rather than debate the legal and moral issues of tribal gambling, he examines the proliferation of casinos on reservations in light of the ethical implications of envy and sovereignty in tribal communities. - Back cover.