Early Indigenous Literatures

Ominous cloud shrouds the story

The ominous black cloud shrouds the story as one which "spread itself over the land" (Bonnin 128). The cloud is reminiscent of the ways in which settler colonialism has spread sickness of various kinds, including but not limited to the undermining of kin relations. However, the "why" of the dark cloud and the brothers' disagreement is skimmed over. Bonnin refuses to linger on the why, thereby both preserving a right to obfuscation (as discussed by Betasamosake Simpson) and putting emphasis on the "how" of reconciliation rather than the scene of disruption. This effectively diminishes the power of settler colonial projects and affirms the centrality of the Dakota nation.

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