Motorcycle And Sweetgrass Analysis

Marcus Garvey said, “People without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.” For the citizens of Otter Lake, a fictional reserve set in Drew Hayden Taylor’s Novel Motorcycles and Sweetgrass, they are disconnected from their cultural roots. Much of the older generation is suffering psychologically from the effects of residential schools, where their culture was taken from them. The younger generations in return feel no ties to their past as they were raised by people who feelings towards it were conflicted as they spent years being abused and told that their culture was wrong. As an author, one of their main roles is to convey a message. Considering Drew Hayden Taylor is First Nation and of the

First Nation’s culture sees the land as a way of connecting with each other and when that is broken then the importance on personal connections lessens. In Motorcycles and Sweetgrass, the lack of personal ties to each other is apparent in Virgil and his mother’s relationship when he is described as, “a latchkey kid with no latch. Or key as most homes in the village were kept unlocked,” (Taylor 27). This shows how although Virgil doesn’t need a key to get into his house as it’s always unlocked, it’s often empty house due to his mother being away at work. Their lack of a bond could very well be the reason why Virgil doesn’t go to school, as latchkey kids are often psychologically affected in that they are more likely to create their own rules as no one is making them for him (Huff, Ken. "The Lonely Life”). If this is true, then it shows how the destruction of their culture has created a disinterest in one important activity such as school. He also lacks a bond with his mother and the rest of his family as he doesn’t get to spend time with them because they are not placing an importance on unity like most First Nation cultures do. This is further proven when Virgil’s uncle Wayne says, “Maybe it was the son of her’s what’s-his-name… Vinnie… Virgin…Virgil” (Taylor 34.) The fact that Wayne doesn’t even know the name of his sister’s son because he’s been isolated from his family for

Through Wayne’s martial arts he is trying to prove that change is good, “Some people think that everything is rooted in the past. It is partially. But like evolution tells us if things don’t develop, change evolve adapt they die. My heart and spirit are with my grandfathers my feet are in the now,” (Taylor 243). However, when one doesn’t even know what to change from, it’s hard to move forward. The residential schools were incredibly destructive to their culture and even though the author doesn’t make this the focus of the novel it explains why Otter Lake is the way it is. Their lack of culture has led to a disconnect with the land, shown in the eagerness to build on it and how it’s seen as an administrative task rather than something of cultural significance. The lack of culture has also changed their relationship with each other. Virgil and many other kids are often left to raise themselves while their parents focus on their jobs. In return, they have no connection with their past and where they came from. They don’t know the Anishnawbe language or believe in the magic and myths such as Nanabush at first. This then makes their lives more boring and mundane and make it easier to fall into depression or disinterest. Finally, Drew Hayden Taylor might be saying that although it is the white people’s purposeful destruction of their culture which originally landed them where they are, the citizens now use the white people