There There

Synopsis: This is the 2018 debut novel by Cheyenne author Tommy Orange. The book follows a large cast of Native Americans living in the Oakland California area, exploring issues of Native American history and identity. The twelve characters struggle with an array of issues including depression, unemployment, fetal alcohol syndrome, and the challenges of living with an “ambiguously nonwhite” ethnic identity in the United States. All the storylines and characters eventually coalesce around a powwow taking place at the Oakland Coliseum, where some characters have smuggled in 3D printed handguns in an attempt to rob the event.

Review: These are not stories of reservation life or the “old ways.” For Orange’s characters, reservation life is not a distant memory, it’s a place never seen or known. These characters are Native, biracial, or sometimes living in white households without any native influence. Some embrace their heritage, some do not, but all are wondering what it means to be Native in our culture. Each character has his/her own chapter, with the threads uniting them slowly drawing closer as the novel progresses toward its tense conclusion. I did not make notes about their relationships along the way, and Friend, I would if I were to read it again. It’s a lot of people to keep track of! As much as I liked the book, my favorite part might be the author’s foreword which is a longish essay on Native history. That alone is worth the price.

Recipe: I had never heard of Indian tacos until I read this book. These are requested by one of the characters as a favorite dinner, and apparently that’s a sentiment shared by many. This was voted the State Dish of Arizona in 1995! Unfortunately, the history behind Navajo fry bread is painful, as is much of Native history. It was created in in 1864 using the simplest of ingredients—flour, salt and lard—ingredients supplied by the US government to the Navajo people when they were forced to leave their historical homeland and march 300 miles by foot to New Mexico. After The Long Walk, the Navajo were resettled in land which did not support their traditional staples of vegetables and beans, so fry bread became a big part of their diet and culture. In this dish, the fry bread is used as the taco vehicle, either flat like a tostada, for folded into taco shape.

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water

3 cups oil for frying

1) In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the warm water and mix until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, then transfer to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise 10 minutes.

2) Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, then pat and roll out the dough balls into roughly 6 inch discs on a lightly floured surface. Keep them covered with plastic wrap while you prepare to fry them.

3) Heat 3 cups of oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil is between 350 and 360 degrees. Working in batches, fry in the hot oil until the dough is golden brown on one side, then flip to the other side. Drain on paper towels, drape over a spoon handle to form a taco shape if desired.