Tommy Orange is a renowned Native American author whose debut novel, “There There,” has captivated readers worldwide. The novel explores the experiences of urban Native Americans living in Oakland, California, and delves into themes of identity, heritage, and the impact of historical trauma. With its powerful storytelling and thought-provoking narrative, “There There” has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal following. In this article, we will delve into some of the most memorable quotes from Tommy Orange’s “There There.”
Read These “There There” Tommy Orange Quotes:
1. “We are the memories we don’t remember, which live in us, which we feel, which make us sing and dance and pray the way we do, feelings from memories that flare and bloom unexpectedly in our lives like blood through a blanket from a wound made by a bullet fired by a man shooting us in the back for our hair, for our heads, for a bounty, or just to get rid of us.”
“2. “They all disappeared into the shadowy hills, the rolling darkness, the big nothing before us.”
“3. “We made powwow a verb.”
“4. “We’ve been defined by everyone else and continue to be slandered despite easy-to-look-up-on-the-internet facts about the realities of our histories and current state as a people.”
“5. “Even if they hadn’t taken everything else, the worst part was, they had taken our hope.”
“6. “We’ve been fighting for decades to be recognized as a present-tense people, modern and relevant, alive.”
“7. “We know the sound of the freeway better than we do rivers, the howl of distant trains better than wolf howls, we know the smell of gas and freshly wet concrete and burned rubber better than we do the smell of cedar or sage or even fry bread – which isn’t traditional, like reservations aren’t traditional, but nothing is original, everything comes from something that came before, which was once nothing.”
“8. “We know the sound of helicopter blades chopping the air of a summer night, a sound that makes us think: someone is about to die.”
“9. “We all came to the powwow for different reasons. The messy, dangling threads of our lives got pulled into a braid – tied to the back of everything we’d been doing all along to get us here.”
“10. “We’ve been running from the wolves for so long, we’ve forgotten what the forest looks like.”
“11. “In the dark times, will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times.”
“12. “We wear the masks to fit the faces of the people we are inside.”
“13. “If you were fortunate enough to be born into a family whose ancestors directly benefited from genocide and/or slavery, maybe you think the more you don’t know, the more innocent you can stay, which is a good incentive to not find out, to not look too deep, to walk carefully around the sleeping tiger. Look no further than your last name.”
“14. “But if you’re Indian, no matter how disconnected you are from your heritage, no matter how little you know about the ceremonies, or how messed up your family is, or how fucked up you are, you’re still Indian.”
“15. “We are the memories people have of us. We are the stories.”
“16. “The thing about books is that you can’t stop reading them. You actually have to physically stop yourself from reading.”
“17. “Each song is a story, and each story has its own song. Each story song is a journey of the mind, a way to let the spirit wander.”
“18. “Here is the thing about Indians: We like to pretend we don’t exist.”
“19. “We are the manifestations of our ancestors’ dreams. We carry their DNA. We are their dreams realized.”
“20. “A bullet only costs about two cents, and anybody can afford that.”
Tommy Orange’s “There There” has left an indelible mark on contemporary literature with its poignant and powerful exploration of Native American experiences. The quotes mentioned above offer a glimpse into the profound themes and emotions depicted in the novel. Whether it’s the struggle for identity, the impact of historical trauma, or the resilience of Native American communities, Orange’s words resonate deeply. These quotes serve as a reminder of the importance of acknowledging and understanding the diverse experiences of Native Americans in today’s society.
