The fans and whips of branches glowed, alive. The road led past frozen sloughs that bristled with scorched reeds. As they plodded along, the golden radiance intensified until it seemed to emanate from every feature of the land. “The sun was low in the sky, casting slant regal light. It was the first factory built near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota and was where gems and semi-precious stones are drilled for use in military artillery and watches. The readers meet Wazhushk while he was working as a night watchman at the Turtle Mountain Jewel Bearing Plant. A fictionalized account of this seminal phase of the Turtle Mountain Band’s history, The Night Watchman zeroes in on Thomas Wazhushk. His granddaughter, renowned writer Louise Erdrich, crafted a narrative that was eventually published as The Night Watchman.

As the tribal chairman, Gourneau was at the forefront of the fight against this drastic new measure.ĭecades later after this monumental struggle, Gourneau’s granddaughter would be inspired by his life and his fight against the tribe’s termination. The legislation introduced measures to repudiate nation-to-nation treaties which were made with the American Indian nations for “as long as the grass grows and the rivers flow.” The legislation also sought the termination of five tribes, including the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, to which Patrick Gourneau belonged. One such proposed legislation was House Concurrent Resolution 108, announced by the United States Congress in August 1, 1953. The current government, ironically dominated by descendants of the European invaders, have long tried to further suppress the Native’s rights and domains through legislation.

Decades thence, the natives still face oppression and their legacies are put in question. As they were pushed to the fringes, the natives started losing lands they once owned and cultivated. With an insatiable appetite, the white men scoured every nook and cranny, pushing the natives into the defensive. This was until Europeans came into the scene, seizing every space they can. For centuries, they have been enjoying the tranquility of community life, content in the simplicity of domestic life. Before the Dutch, the Spaniards, the French, and the British arrived and “discovered” what we all refer to as the great United States of America, American Indians have long established their own strongholds in various part of the American continent.

The night watchman pulitzer prize