Walking the clouds : an anthology of indigenous science fiction

Format:

Book

Title:

Walking the clouds : an anthology of indigenous science fiction

ISBN:

9780816529827

Publication:

Tucson : University of Arizona Press, [2012]

Physical Description:

viii, 260 pages ; 23 cm.

Series title(s):

Sun tracks ;

Number in series:

V. 69.

Contents:

Imagining Indigenous futurisms -- The native slipstream. Custer on the slipstream / Gerald Vizenor -- Aunt Parnetta's electric blisters / Diane Glancy -- from The fast red road : a plainsong / Stephen Graham Jones -- from Flight / Sherman Alexie -- Contact. from Refugees / Celu Amberstone -- from The black ship / Gerry William -- Men on the moon / Simon Ortiz -- Indigenous science and sustainability. from Midnight robber / Nalo Hopkinson -- from Darkness in St. Louis : bearheart / Gerald Vizenor -- from Mindscape / Andrea Hairston -- from Land of the golden clouds / Archie Weller -- Native apocalypse. Distances / Sherman Alexie -- When this world is all on fire / William Sanders -- from The moons of Palmares / Zainab Amadahy -- from Red spider, white web / Misha -- Biskaabiiyang, "returning to ourselves." Terminal Avenue / Eden Robinson -- from Almanac of the dead / Leslie Marmon Silko -- from The bird is gone : a monograph manifesto / Stephen Graham Jones -- from Star waka / Robert Sullivan (Ngā Pushi).

Summary:

In this first-ever anthology of Indigenous science fiction, Grace Dillon collects some examples of the craft, with contributions by Native American, First Nations, Aboriginal Australian, and New Zealand Maori authors. The collection includes seminal authors such as Gerald Vizenor, historically important contributions often categorized as "magical realism" by authors like Leslie Marmon Silko and Sherman Alexie, and authors more recognizable to science fiction fans like William Sanders and Stephen Graham Jones. Dillon's engaging introduction situates the pieces in the larger context of science fiction and its conventions. Organized by sub-genre, the book starts with Native slipstream, stories infused with time travel, alternate realities and alternative history like Vizenor's "Custer on the Slipstream." Next up are stories about contact with other beings featuring, among others, an excerpt from Gerry William's The Black Ship. Dillon includes stories that highlight Indigenous science like a piece from Archie Weller's Land of the Golden Clouds, asserting that one of the roles of Native science fiction is to disentangle that science from notions of "primitive" knowledge and myth. The fourth section calls out stories of apocalypse like William Sanders' "When This World Is All on Fire" and a piece from Zainab Amadahy's The Moons of Palmares. The anthology closes with examples of biskaabiiyang, or "returning to ourselves," bringing together stories like Eden Robinson's "Terminal Avenue" and a piece from Robert Sullivan's Star Waka. An essential book for readers and students of both Native literature and science fiction, Walking the Clouds is an invaluable collection. It brings together not only great examples of Native science fiction from an internationally-known cast of authors, but Dillon's insightful scholarship sheds new light on the traditions of imagining an Indigenous future. -- Provided by publisher.

Subject(s):

Science fiction, American.

Science fiction, New Zealand.

Science fiction, Australian.

Science fiction, Canadian.

Indians of North America -- Fiction.

Aboriginal Australians -- Fiction.

American fiction -- 20th century.

American fiction -- 21st century.

New Zealand fiction -- Māori authors.

Australian fiction -- Aboriginal Australian authors.

Canadian fiction -- Indian authors.

American fiction -- Indian authors.

Genre:

Science fiction, Canadian.

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Willamina Public Library	SF DILLON	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	SCI-FI Walking	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

In this first-ever anthology of Indigenous science fiction Grace Dillon collects some of the finest examples of the craft with contributions by Native American, First Nations, Aboriginal Australian, and New Zealand Maori authors. The collection includes seminal authors such as Gerald Vizenor, historically important contributions often categorized as "magical realism" by authors like Leslie Marmon Silko and Sherman Alexie, and authors more recognizable to science fiction fans like William Sanders and Stephen Graham Jones. Dillon's engaging introduction situates the pieces in the larger context of science fiction and its conventions.

Organized by sub-genre, the book starts with Native slipstream, stories infused with time travel, alternate realities and alternative history like Vizenor's "Custer on the Slipstream." Next up are stories about contact with other beings featuring, among others, an excerpt from Gerry William's The Black Ship . Dillon includes stories that highlight Indigenous science like a piece from Archie Weller's Land of the Golden Clouds , asserting that one of the roles of Native science fiction is to disentangle that science from notions of "primitive" knowledge and myth. The fourth section calls out stories of apocalypse like William Sanders' "When This World Is All on Fire" and a piece from Zainab Amadahy's The Moons of Palmares . The anthology closes with examples of biskaabiiyang, or "returning to ourselves," bringing together stories like Eden Robinson's "Terminal Avenue" and a piece from Robert Sullivan's Star Waka .

An essential book for readers and students of both Native literature and science fiction, Walking the Clouds is an invaluable collection. It brings together not only great examples of Native science fiction from an internationally-known cast of authors, but Dillon's insightful scholarship sheds new light on the traditions of imagining an Indigenous future.

Author Notes

Grace L. Dillon is an associate professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies program at Portland State University in Oregon. She is also the editor of Hive of Dreams: Contemporary Science Fiction from the Pacific Northwest .

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Dillon's superb anthology, the first devoted to indigenous SF, highlights long-overlooked authors alongside better-known figures such as Nalo Hopkinson and Leslie Marmon Silko. The categories include "Slipstream," a genre Native American SF helped create, and "Apocalypse," something many Aboriginal populations feel has already happened to them. Gerald Vizenor's "Custer on the Slipstream" (1978) is the first of several stories dealing with Custer and Crazy Horse. Native views of space and time and reversing the notion of first contact are likewise recurring themes, with both appearing in an engaging excerpt from Gerry William's 1994 novel The Black Ship. Another regular visitor is the Ghost Dance, meant to drive whites from the Americas; Sherman Alexie shows a world where this worked, albeit delayed, in "Distances" (1993). Every piece is a perspective twister and a thought inducer built on solid storytelling from ancient and newer traditions, and the anthology will encourage readers to further investigate indigenous speculative works. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

This is a fascinating collection of stories, many of them excerpts from longer works. Most readers' first impulse will be to seek out the rest of the stories. There are some well-known names, such as Nalo Hopkinson and Sherman Alexie (the title's indigenous has a genuinely global range, from First Nations to Aboriginal Australian). The introductory text, which places the stories in a historical and genre-based context, is thoughtful and in-depth, while the stories are delightful, engaging, and, best of all, thought-provoking. The collection opens with Custer on the Slipstream, by Gerald Vizenor, which resurrects General Custer, plays havoc with the linear progress of time, and exposes a fatal flaw in white oppression. It closes with an excerpt from an epic poem, Star Waka, by Robert Sullivan, which approaches the possibilities of space travel. There are tricksters, travelers, foolish children who learn grand lessons, and teachers all in all, a grand collection, well worth close reading.--Schroeder, Regina Copyright 2010 Booklist

Gerald VizenorDiane GlancyStephen Graham JonesSherman AlexieCelu AmberstoneGerry WilliamSimon OrtizNalo HopkinsonGerald VizenorAndrea HairstonArchie WellerSherman AlexieWilliam SandersZainab AmadahyMishaEden RobinsonLeslie Marmon SilkoStephen Graham JonesRobert Sullivan (Nga Pushi)

Imagining Indigenous Futurisms	p. i
The Native Slipstream
"Custer on the Slipstream"	p. 15
"Aunt Parnetta's Electric Blisters"	p. 26
The Fast Red Rand: A Plainsong	p. 34
Flight	p. 52
Contact
Refugees	p. 63
The Black Ship	p. 77
"Men on the Moon"	p. 85
Indigenous Science and Sustainabixity
Midnight Robber	p. 99
Darkness in St. Louis: Bearheart	p. 116
Mindscape	p. 121
Land of the Golden Clouds	p. 131
Native Apocalypse
"Distances"	p. 143
"When This World Is Ail on Fire"	p. 149
TheMoons of Palmares	p. 171
Red Spider, White Web	p. 184
Biskaabiiyang, "Returning to Ourselves"
'Terminal Avenue"	p. 205
Almanac of the Dead	p. 215
The Bird Is Gone: A Monograph Manifesto	p. 232
Star Waka	p. 238
Notes	p. 243
Source Credits	p. 249
About the Editor	p. 251
About the Contributors	p. 253

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents