Elias Boudinot--Honorary Rabbit

Taking the true trickster spirit of the rabbit into his work, An Address to the Whites, Elias Boudinot employs deception as his form of survivance. Boudinot incessantly praises the graciousness and generosity of the white people, and never neglects an opportunity to declare his adoration for the gifts of God. This leads many readers to believe that Boudinot suffers an identity crisis and wishes desperately for acceptance from whites. However, his flattery and apparent utter devotion to the Christian faith serve only as a clever strategy to illicit money from the white public. This shrewd Cherokee demonstrates a clear mastery over the will of his viewers and uses his understanding of Christian motivations to impel them to support his cause. Boudinot cunningly places Indian survival and civility in the hands of his white audience when he states “they hang upon your mercy…will you push them from you, or will you save them? Let humanity answer” (79). With this straightforward plea, Boudinot effectively gives his Christian listeners the powerful role of savior, essentially utilizing the demands of their religion against them. Boudinot also manipulates the white perception of the Native American with his depiction of the capability of Indians to be civilized. Quick to demolish the standing stereotypic image of a savage, Boudinot illustrates Indians that read, establish government, and act morally under the direction of God. The footnotes denounce the presence of these vast amounts of reading and Christianly-devoted Indians, but Boudinot knows his target too well. Contrary to his constant talk of an un-educated Indian, Boudinot exploits the ignorance of the white man to Native American progress to convince his audience of a changing Indian. Commonly misunderstood as a traitor to his nation, Boudinot actually acts as a very devious and sly proponent of Indian advancement. The comparatively insignificant orator takes on the dominating white man, and his ability to shape and influence the negative pre-conceptions of his audience at a time when Indians were less than respected by white people proves him a powerful component to the Native American cause. Like the rabbit tricks the hungry coyote, Boudinot uses illusion and artifice as his mode of survivance by fooling his audience with the promise of a better, more Christianly Indian.

Elias Boudinot receives a gold star from this reader, as well as the prestigious title of Honorary Rabbit. On a slightly unrelated note, “tsi-s-du” is the Cherokee word for “rabbit.” To learn how to say rabbit in other languages, comment and reap the invaluable rewards of an interlinguistically extended vocabulary.

Post Script - Interested in word choice? Look up the origins of “prestigious.”

By the way...your head is actually a pumpkin

Book II of the Popul Vuh recounts the decapitation of one of the heroes, Hunahpú, and the ensuing story of its reattachment. The version given in the Reader describes the improvised head as a turtle, however, I believe that this is an error in translation. Rather than a turtle, the makeshift head is actually a gourd, or some sort of squash. The depiction given of the artificial head is incoherent within the context of the text. For example, the treatment of the turtle after its use has expired does not correspond to the treatment of animals in the rest of the work. Other animals bargain with the two boys and are rewarded when they help the twins, such as the rat and the messenger hawk. In contrast, Xbalanqué shows gratitude by shattering the shell of the turtle with a stone, essentially killing it. The supposed turtle receives the worst treatment of all the animals, though its job of assisting in the restoration of one of the heroes is arguably the most important. Moreover, the shell breaks “into a thousand pieces like seeds” (153). At the mention of seeds, the idea that the turtle is really a pumpkin conforms more logically. Also, the father of the two boys faced the same dilemma. Like Hunahpú, Hun-Hunahpú’s head was taken and placed in a tree, upon which fruit magically grew. To fully avenge their father, it seems fitting that the twins would reverse the process by beginning with a fruit-head and concluding with the complete body. Finally, the squash was domesticated in Mesoamerica. As one of the few things domesticated in that region, it would seem that the Maya would be proud of their accomplishment and include it in their story, like they did corn.

What's with the Title?

As an Animal Science Major, I find it important to illustrate the significance of animals in the world. When allowed creative liberty, I always manage to include animals in some way. Giving an animal title to my Native American Literature Blog just seemed so obvious. I specifically chose the rabbit over all the other amazing and intriguing animals because I find these creatures especially interesting. For instance, the rabbit has long back feet because the increased surface area allows for instantaneous speed, and large ears for better heat dissipation and sound capture. Other than their exaggerated extremities, I am fascinated by the cultural impact of rabbits throughout the world. Incidentally, the rabbit plays a huge part in Indian literature and folklore. In the Popol Vuh, a rabbit helps the legendary twins, Hunapú and Xbalanqué, overcome the Lords of Xibalba. Most frequently assuming the role of trickster, the rabbit is fast in both wit and movement. Furthermore, I find the rabbit’s brand of cunning and foolery particularly important to the theme of “survivance.” Due to the white man’s often less than favorable image of the Indian, I believe the employment of clever tactics has become key to Native American success.

Truthfully, this blog is named after my own rabbit “Wally,” a 14lb Flemish Giant (hence the origin of “Great”). He’s pretty exciting all by himself, but connections to Native American legends are present nonetheless. Coincidentally, “Great Rabbit” also happens to be a Native American god. Also known as Mishaabooz, Manabohzo, Chi-waabooz, and countless other (undoubtedly purposely) bewildering names, Nanabohzo (“Great Rabbit”) is the trickster god of the Ojibwa. This deity is a king of deception and is even praised as the maker of the Earth. Additionally, this devious spirit is capable of transformation, effectively making him a master of disguise. Not impressed by a bunny creator? Aztec mythology describes a group of 400 rabbits, known as Centzon-Totochtin, who were the gods of fertility, parties, and drunkenness. The depiction sounds like an ancient Indian fraternity to me, but I don’t think Phi Gamma Rabbit will be organized anytime soon in Davis, much to the dismay of the students I’m sure.

(Information about Native American Lore found at www.godchecker.com)