We Survived the Night

We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat

This is an autobiography of the author that includes a history of his family, tribe and other NorthWest Indians. His father was prone to outbursts and left him and his mother when he was young. His mother was attracted to Indians and later helped introduce him to his tribe and parents. He spent time on the 'res with other Indians and became a part of his culture. He wants to marry another Indian due to the legal regulations in Canada. He travels between the US and Canada (Indians have rights to travel between the two.) The Indian schools were a negative experience in the life of the tribes that tried to suck the "indian" out of the Indians. Luckily some of the language and culture survived. Life is still not easy for those that remain on the tribe. He had a conflicting experience with his dad. He was at time, the greatest and at other times the worst. He was able to use his Indian heritage to obtain opportunities, but also suffered. He rare refers to himself as "native american". It is usually Indian or the specific tribe. He is leftist, but is primarily interested in Indian rights. Indians tend to focus more on their needs, which cross party lines. They want the government to back off, which aligns with Republicans. However, they also want support for their land and culture, which aligns more with Democrats. They have advocates in both parties, but still struggle to be heard. The book provided great insight into the needs of the first inhabitants of the Americas through an interesting (if not fully typical) life story.