Analysis Of Fools Crow By James Welch

Fools Crow by James Welch offers a unique narrative exploration of the events leading up to the Marias Massacre and the subsequent harsh realities faced by the Blackfoot nation. Throughout the novel, Welch expertly weaves significant events and figures central to the history of the Blackfoot Confederacy into the narrative of the story. He uses both magical realism and historically supported facts to tell the tale of White Man’s Dog, later known as the titular Fools Crow, as he navigates these circumstances as they arise. Taking place in the late 1800’s, a central theme of Fools Crow is the growing tensions between the Blackfoot Lone Eaters and the white settlers. In order to illustrate how Welch utilizes this history, it is essential to have

In Blackfoot Country, author Helen B. West describes the extent of the Blackfoot territory. “Blackfoot Country, U. S. A., covers an area from the Canadian border south sixty miles, across prairie, rimrock, and tree-lined river bottoms, and from the Sweetgrass Hills west to the gradually ascending foothills, with their lakes and grassy ridges, to the majestic barrier of the Rocky Mountains comprising the backbone of Glacier National Park” (West, 34). The Blackfoot nation is made up of three main tribes, as well as several smaller bands. In Material Culture of the Blackfoot (Blood) Indians of Southern Alberta, author James W. VanStone writes that the Blackfoot historically “…has consisted of three politically independent tribes: the Pikuni or Piegan, the Kainah or Blood, and the Siksika or Northern Blackfoot. The three tribes speak the same Algonkian language, shared most of the same customs, intermarried, and made

Many of the characters, including Owl Child, Heavy Runner, Joe Kipp and Malcolm Clarke actually existed, and are deeply entwined in the history of the Marias Massacre (History.com). The novel takes place in during the 1860s, leading into 1870 and follows the story of a young man called White Man’s Dog, later called Fools Crow, as he matures, partakes in different horse raids and learns the art of medicine. The novel makes use of Blackfoot vocabulary to both separate the reader from the narrative while simultaneously pulling the reader into the world of the book. The novel also references several significant landmarks within Blackfoot country, like the Two Medicine River. “The entire Marias River, from the junction of the Cut Bank and Two Medicine where it is formed to the Big Bend near the Missouri was a favorite wintering ground of the Blackfeet” (West, 44). The narrative focuses on the Lone Eaters, a small band of Blackfeet on the brink of a deadly encounter with the Napikwan, or white men. While they are not the main point of conflict initially, Welch effectively leaves traces of the Napikwan throughout the narrative, signaling to their impending interference. In Reading the Historical Novel: Reworking the Past and the Relation of Blackfeet History in James Welch's "Fools Crow",