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A review by rebecca_oneil
Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars by Ethan Hawke
3.0
This caught my eye because I've been reading a lot about Native Americans, appropriation, and #OwnVoices, and it's a fictionalized history of the Apache Wars of the 1870s written by...Ethan Hawke. Hawke is in fact an accomplished writer in addition to his acting career, and he writes in the Afterword how this subject has haunted him since he was a child. He originally wanted to shoot it as a movie, but, lacking funding, shaped it into a graphic novel with the help of artist Greg Ruth. I found myself wishing he had shaped it with the help of Native creators, too...I'll be interested to see if there are Native reviews written.
Hawke notes, "authentic Native American perspectives were mostly absent from the dominant historical narrative of the Old West," but then, "I knew that it was not really my story to tell, but my heart felt compelled to tell it."
There is an introduction by Douglas Miles, Sr., an Apache man. He writes, “What motivates people to battle the most technically advanced and powerful nation in the world? People assume it is savage violence for its own sake, as so many Hollywood films have interpreted it. Popular culture would have you believe our own innate tribal ability prompted us on paths to violence. In reality, any time a culture around the world has its way of life threatened, it has fought fiercely to preserve it.”
The story is incredibly, bloodily violent, an aspect that is driven home by seeing the battles enacted visually. It was helpful to remember that this kind of fighting did happen (and likely still happens in war zones). Greg Ruth's art is unusual for a graphic novel, full of brush marks and a painterly sensibility. His human faces and Western vistas bring the story to life. I had a hard time keeping all of the characters straight, especially the White men. Includes Further Reading.
“Who are the Bluecoats to give us part of a thing Usen [the Creator] gave us whole?”
"We make history, and we are damned or saved by how we do it."
"A man should not outlive his hopes."
Hawke notes, "authentic Native American perspectives were mostly absent from the dominant historical narrative of the Old West," but then, "I knew that it was not really my story to tell, but my heart felt compelled to tell it."
There is an introduction by Douglas Miles, Sr., an Apache man. He writes, “What motivates people to battle the most technically advanced and powerful nation in the world? People assume it is savage violence for its own sake, as so many Hollywood films have interpreted it. Popular culture would have you believe our own innate tribal ability prompted us on paths to violence. In reality, any time a culture around the world has its way of life threatened, it has fought fiercely to preserve it.”
The story is incredibly, bloodily violent, an aspect that is driven home by seeing the battles enacted visually. It was helpful to remember that this kind of fighting did happen (and likely still happens in war zones). Greg Ruth's art is unusual for a graphic novel, full of brush marks and a painterly sensibility. His human faces and Western vistas bring the story to life. I had a hard time keeping all of the characters straight, especially the White men. Includes Further Reading.
“Who are the Bluecoats to give us part of a thing Usen [the Creator] gave us whole?”
"We make history, and we are damned or saved by how we do it."
"A man should not outlive his hopes."