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Fools Crow: Three Options For The Future Of The Napikwans

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Nearing the end of the novel, Fools Crow written by James Welch, the rising tensions between the Napikwans, the American settlers, and the Pikunis, the Native Americans, leave difficult decisions for both sides. These politics between the Napikwans and the Pikunis started with a peace treaty but was broken by a Pikuni which left three options for the Pikunis: War, cultural assimilation, and migration to the north in Canada. Through consideration of all three options for the future of the Pikunis, migration to Canada arose to be the most acceptable option for what is to come. Migrating to the north, the Pikunis will not lose their culture and will not die from starvation and smallpox brought upon the Pikunis by the Napikwans, which will save …show more content…

He feels that rather than continuing to live as their ancestors did, future Pikunis will associate with the Napikwans. He claims that he won't live to see his people assimilate with the Napikwans and white society. Three Bears depicts that his decisions will not change against “the day [that] will come when our people will decide that they would rather consort with the Napikwans than live in the ways our long-ago fathers thought appropriate(Welch 256)” and cause the Pikuni tribe, mainly their culture as a whole, to become extinct. Three Bears will not allow this to happen as his tribe and culture is all he has known. Three Bears illustrates that he would not like to have to adapt just because of the Napikwan's interests. He does understand that his people will be forced to leave when all the blackthorns will be killed off which will result in the starvation of his people. Three Bears questions the actions and the future decisions of his tribe. He describes his feelings on the decisions of the tribe and believes“we are here to die then(Welch 304)”. Three Bears expresses his want to stay on their land, but he does believe that if the Pikunis as a whole stay, then it will be too late and the Pikunis will not be victorious against the Napikwans. Three Bears would rather leave and migrate to Canada than be assimilated by the Napikwans and lose …show more content…

Feather Woman comforts Fools Crow about what is to come because Fools Crow has doubts and is disappointed. Feather Woman continues to talk about the future to come saying “you can prepare them for the times to come. If they make peace within themselves, they will live a good life in the Sand Hills. There they will go on to live as they always have. Things will not change(Welch 359)”. Feather Woman knows that because the Pikunis have to migrate to the described sand hills in Canada, nothing will change, and only the realism of their homeland will lack. She also describes the good life and the good to come. With the Pikunis leaving their homeland, there is good to come from it. Fools Crow begins to understand Feather Woman’s view of the future and does not “fear for my people now. As you say, we will go to a happier place, far from the Napikwans, this disease, and starvation. But I grieve for our children and their children, who will not know the life their people once lived(Welch 359)”. Fools Crow describes the result of migration to Canada being an escape from smallpox and starvation, both brought on the Pikunis by the Napikwans. Adaptation to the starvation of the Pikunis was unavoidable due to the Napikwans killing off all of the Pikuni food sources. Fools crow depicts his

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