2008 Woodie Awards
Alexie Brings Wit and Wisdom to Colgate
Deb Charney
Issue date: 11/5/04 Section: Arts & Features
Colgate students and faculty gathered in the Hall of Presidents on Wednesday night for an evening of humor, politics, and inspiration. Sherman Alexie, who is famous for his contributions as a Native American author, poet and filmmaker, captivated the audience with hilarious anecdotes and powerful thoughts on life as a Native American in America.
Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, was born and raised on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. He made few comments on his childhood, except to say that he "grew up in the basement of the skyscraper called poverty." And now, some 40 years later, Alexie can describe his life as "the outhouse to the penthouse." He is now the self-described Brad Pitt of the book world, with 16 published books to date and more in the works. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, served on prestigious independent film industry boards and he is currently giving lectures all across the country.
Most members of the Colgate community present at Alexie's lecture probably expected him to discuss those achievements and childhood hardships. Instead, Alexie focused on current issues and their relation to life as a Native American in today's American society. The lecture centered around the story of his trip to appear on Oprah, at which time he'd been surprised to receive his grandfather's war medals, something he had only dreamt of having in his possession. This story was rather simple, but Alexie took every opportunity to sidetrack into a fascinating, often humorous, anecdote. The topics of these anecdotes ranged from the presidential election, Catholicism, and terrorism to fraternities, vegans and extreme sports.
Throughout each story, Alexie described an instance in which his ethnic background made his experience different than that of a white American. For instance, when recounting the trip to Chicago to tape Oprah, Alexie explained with a rare combination of vulgarity and poignancy the process of boarding an airplane in our post-September 11 world, in which his minority status is often seen as a threat. Because he is often seen by members of racial majorities as "ambiguously ethnic," Alexie is searched by airport security guards nearly every time he travels. (This then progressed into another tangent: this time a detailed description of his superior packing skills that have resulted from this continually having his luggage searched.)
Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, was born and raised on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. He made few comments on his childhood, except to say that he "grew up in the basement of the skyscraper called poverty." And now, some 40 years later, Alexie can describe his life as "the outhouse to the penthouse." He is now the self-described Brad Pitt of the book world, with 16 published books to date and more in the works. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, served on prestigious independent film industry boards and he is currently giving lectures all across the country.
Most members of the Colgate community present at Alexie's lecture probably expected him to discuss those achievements and childhood hardships. Instead, Alexie focused on current issues and their relation to life as a Native American in today's American society. The lecture centered around the story of his trip to appear on Oprah, at which time he'd been surprised to receive his grandfather's war medals, something he had only dreamt of having in his possession. This story was rather simple, but Alexie took every opportunity to sidetrack into a fascinating, often humorous, anecdote. The topics of these anecdotes ranged from the presidential election, Catholicism, and terrorism to fraternities, vegans and extreme sports.
Throughout each story, Alexie described an instance in which his ethnic background made his experience different than that of a white American. For instance, when recounting the trip to Chicago to tape Oprah, Alexie explained with a rare combination of vulgarity and poignancy the process of boarding an airplane in our post-September 11 world, in which his minority status is often seen as a threat. Because he is often seen by members of racial majorities as "ambiguously ethnic," Alexie is searched by airport security guards nearly every time he travels. (This then progressed into another tangent: this time a detailed description of his superior packing skills that have resulted from this continually having his luggage searched.)