Witnesses, Secret and Not

Witnesses, Secret And Not

Through present day detail and description, Sherman Alexie parallels the history and perpetuation of Native American oppression in his story, Witnesses, Secret And Not. With references to archaeology and disappearing Indians he succeeds in pointing out the historical prejudice and indifference that the Native Americans have had to deal with since their existence. Sarcasm is included when Alexie utilizes the metaphor of the Secret Witness Program to convey unspoken injustice as it pertains to cultural marginality of reservation life.
Alexie references the history of oppression in the Native American culture early on by writing in the first paragraph, “…then it was history, junk for the archaeologists to find years later” (211), alluding to facts being excavated from the past that prove the alienation and mistreatment of Native Americans. This sentiment is conveyed further when the narrator, (the son), describes a time when he is becoming a man at thir...