Sherman Alexie - Reservation Blues

Dear Coyote Springs,

We just heard about Junior, and we wanted to tell you how sorry we are. We’ll miss him.

Things are going well for us. We signed a deal with Cavalry Records, thanks to your help, and we’re currently working on our debut CD, which will be out next summer. We recorded our first song the other day, and there’s a copy on the tape enclosed.

We both think that Junior is in a better place now.

Sincerely,

Betty and Veronica

Thomas read the letter over a few times. He held the cassette tape in his hands. He didn’t know what to do and was shocked that Betty and Veronica had signed with Cavalry Records. Should he throw that cassette away and never listen to it? That wouldn’t do any good, because the CD would be all over the place next summer. He’d hear it played on the radio. Betty and Veronica would have a Platinum Album, a number one hit, and videos on MTV. Thomas wanted to protect Chess and Checkers from the music on this cassette tape. He held it in his hands for a while, studied its design, then walked over to the tape player he’d hidden away, dropped the cassette into place, and hit the play button. Thomas heard a vaguely Indian drum, then a cedar flute, and a warrior’s trill, all the standard Indian soundtrack stuff. Then Betty’s and Veronica’s beautiful voices joined the mix.

Can you hear the eagle crying?

Can you hear the eagle crying?

I look to the four directions

And try to find some connection

With Mother Earth, Mother Earth

I offer you tobacco and sweetgrass

I offer you tobacco and sweetgrass

I pray to the four directions

And try to find some connection

With Father Sky, Father Sky

And my hair is blonde

But I’m Indian in my bones

And my skin is white

But I’m Indian in my bones

And it don’t matter who you are

You can be Indian in your bones

Don’t listen to what they say

You can be Indian in your bones

Can you hear the buffalo dying?

Can you hear the buffalo dying?

I look to the four directions

And try to make the corrections

For Mother Earth, Mother Earth

I’ll smoke the pipe with you

I’ll smoke the pipe with you

I pray to the four directions

And try to make the corrections

For Father Sky, Father Sky

And your hair is blonde

But you’re Indian in your bones

And your skin is white

But you’re Indian in your bones

And it don’t matter who I am

I am Indian in my bones

I don’t listen to what they say

I am Indian in my bones

Thomas hit the eject button, threw the cassette on the floor, and stomped on it. He pulled the tape ribbon from its casing until it spread over the kitchen like pasta. Using a dull knife, he sliced the tape ribbon into pieces. Then he ran around his house, grabbing photos and souvenirs, afraid that somebody was going to steal them next. He had photographs of his mother and father, a Disneyland cup even though he’d never been there, a few letters and cards. He gathered them all into a pile on the kitchen table and waited.

Victor Joseph

Wellpinit, WA 99040

Jobs I had before.

Leed Gitar Player Coyote Springs

Viceprezidant Senior Class Wellpinit High School.

Mowd lawns and shuveled snow.

Edgeucation.

Graguatid Wellpinit High School 1978.

Watched Jepordee a hole bunch on tv.

Skills.

Drive water truck & rode with best friend Junior alot. Am strong & fast.

Refrences.

Thomas Buildsthefire & Big Mom.

Coyote Springs was gone. Thomas, Chess, and Checkers packed all their stuff into the blue van and left Coyote Springs behind in the house. Victor didn’t want anything to do with Coyote Springs, either. He just wandered around the reservation with his three dogs. He hadn’t taken a shower in a week. Everybody figured he’d be drinking Sterno before too long. They all worried about the dogs.

“We’re leaving,” Thomas had said to Victor earlier that morning.

“For where?”

“Spokane.”

“When you coming back?”

“We aren’t,” said Thomas and then reluctantly asked if Victor wanted to come along. He shook his head and walked away.

Thomas stood in the driveway, studying his HUD house, the familiar angles and weathered wood. It had never been painted. Thomas closed his eyes and saw his mother and father standing on the front porch, waving. When he opened his eyes, Chess was standing beside him.

“Are you going to say goodbye to your dad?” Chess asked.

“I don’t even know where he is,” Thomas said. “Besides, he’s got Indian father radar. He’ll show up at our place in Spokane, knocking on the door at three in the morning.”

“Really?” Chess asked, impressed and not altogether happy about it.

“Yeah, he’s amazing that way.”

“Well, I guess I’ll go get Checkers.”

Chess walked into the house, found Checkers in a back bedroom, and both soon came out.

“Do you want some time alone?” Chess asked Thomas.

Thomas looked at his house.

“No,” he said, “it’s time to go.”

The trio climbed into the blue van. Thomas drove. Chess sat in the front passenger seat, and Checkers sat in the back. Thomas put the car into drive, and they pulled away from his house. There was a tightness in Thomas’s chest that he could not explain; he took a deep breath. The blue van rolled down the reservation road.

“Look,” Chess said and pointed. Big Mom was standing on the roadside with a big thumb sticking up. Thomas pulled up beside her. Checkers rolled down her window.

“Where you headed, sweetheart?” Checkers asked Big Mom.

“Over to that feast at the Longhouse,” Big Mom said. “You should come with me.”

“Nah,” Thomas said. “We’ll give you a ride over there. But those people don’t want us around.”

“Well,” Big Mom said as she climbed into the van. “I think you should eat before you go.”

“Those people will eat us alive,” Checkers said in the back.

“Where’s Robert Johnson?” Thomas asked.

“Oh,” Big Mom said, “he’s up at the house, I guess. He’s getting better every day. He’ll probably be leaving us soon.”

“That’s good,” Chess said.

“I suppose,” Big Mom said.

They were quiet until they arrived at the Longhouse. There were a few dozen reservation cars parked at random angles.

“Jeez,” Checkers said. “The whole Spokane Tribe must be here.”

“There are quite a few,” Big Mom said. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat? You can’t leave on an empty stomach. It’s bad luck to travel on an empty stomach.”

“Where did you hear that?” Thomas asked.

“I just made it up.”

“I don’t know,” said Checkers, obviously frightened. “They might try to hurt us.”

“I won’t let them hurt you,” Big Mom said. “Hey, do you have any money?”

“A little,” Thomas said.

“Well,” Big Mom said, “I have a few bucks I’ve saved up. Here. And maybe we can take up a collection inside.”

“They ain’t going to give us any money,” Chess said.

“Maybe not,” Big Mom said, “but at least you can get some food.”

Thomas’s stomach growled loudly.

“I guess Thomas has made up his mind,” Chess said.

“Let’s go, then,” Big Mom said and led Chess, Checkers, and Thomas toward the Longhouse. They could hear laughter and loud conversation inside, but everybody fell into silence when they walked in. All the Spokane Indians stared at Big Mom and her co-dependents. Big Mom waved, and the crowd gradually resumed their conversations.