Native American Literature Anthology 2.0
Sara Downs
Maria Campbell
Maria Campbell was born in 1940 in Saskatchewan, Canada and is of Scots, Cree Indian, and French decent. The U.S. and Canada had a special name for people who were mixed race, specifically French and Indian, Metis. Campbell is most famous for her essay Halfbreed in which she addresses the racism and discrimination she experienced growing up.
1
Halfbreed
If we walked into stores the white women and their children would leave and the storekeepers' wives, sons, and daughters would watch that we didn't steal anything. I noticed a change in my parent's and other adult's attitudes. They were happy and proud until we drove into town, then everyone became quiet and looked different. The men walked in front, looking straight ahead, their wives behind, and I can never forget this, they had their hands down and never looked up.
When I first noticed this, I asked Momma why we had to walk as though we had done something bad and she answered, "Never mind, you'll understand when you're older." But I made up my mind then and there that I walk like them; I would walk tall and straight and I told my brothers and sisters to do the same. Cheechum heard me...and said, "Never forget that, my girl. You always walk with your head up and if anyone says something then put out your chin and hold it higher.
Maria Campbell's Halfbreed epitomizes the racism agaisnt Indians. In the first paragraph she describes the way the adults acted when they went into town. On the reservation they were happy and proud of who they were. But when they were put in the same setting as white people, they're whole demeanor changed. Campbell describes them as bowing their heads and averting their gaze. Instead of proud and happy, they were ashamed and somber. The mere presence of white people changed everything they thought about themselves. All the pain and oppression they felt in the past came flodding back. The storekeeper's children even watched them to make sure they didn't steal anything. They weren't trusted to walk through a convenient store without constant supervision. Though Campbell is writing from an Indian lense, a lot of this can be related to any minority group. One one time or another, their grandparents or ancestors, or even themselves, have probably felt this way.
The second paragraph brings hope for the future of the tribe. As a young child Maria sees the difference in the way the adults carry themselves around white people, and is having none of it. She refuses to let them control her happiness. She refuses to let them make her feel inferior because of her race. She is proud of who she is and she wants everyone else to know it. This is an excellent illustration in showing what a difference a generation can make. What happens to one generation doesn't necessarily have to carry over to the next. The words of Cheechum make it even more powerful. Not only does she support her granddaughter, she gives her more reasons to be confident. She knows the road in front of her granddaughter is not going to be easy, but she recognizes the fire within the young girl and doesn't try to discourage her.
I loved Maria Campbell's Halfbreed. I think it was so powerful because it was a first hand account. It wasn't a writer trying to recreate a scene that feels less than authentic; it was something she lived through. It's something that has been embedded into her mind that she'll never be able to forget. I admire her for not letting it get her down. Instead, she took the passion she felt and turned it into a story for the masses. She took the hurt and suffering she, and her tribe, endured and released it to the world. She opened our eyes and showed us that racism isn't simply black and white. My favorite paragraph of the entire exerpt was the second paragraph I selected. I felt incredibly moved and proud that a young person could be so intune with her surroundings and notice that it wasn't right. It's young people like Maria Campbell that grow up and make a difference in the world.