Abstract:

The critic Louis Owens has called the dominant theme in novels by Indian authors “the dilemma of the mixedblood, the liminal ‘breed’ seemingly trapped between Indian and white worlds” 40 . By Canadian law, Will, the protagonist in Medicine River, is considered “stateless.” The Indian Act which determines his status governs the life of 350,000 Canadian Indians as well as more than 2,000 reserves in that country. The regulations of this act explain why, in spite of his father's death, Will, his brother and mother are prevented from living on the reserve when they return to Medicine River. His mother, Rose Horse Capture, had married a white man, and thus her legal status as an Indian could not be regained. Had Rose Horse Capture been a man and married to a white woman, not only would he not have lost his status, but his white wife and any children would have had Indian status conferred upon them—a result of the patriarchal lineage system being instilled by the Indian Act. A person can be of mixed race and still hold his or her status as an Indian, as long as the Indian blood derives from his father’s side.

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