That Dream Shall Have a Name: Native Americans Rewriting America by David L. Moore (review)

AS THE MASTER NARRATIVE IS TOLD, America has been viewed as a great frontier, able to be claimed by anyone with the ammunition to subdue it. The space where civilization and barbarity collide, the frontier embodies the imaginary of a nation. In his book That Dream Shall Have a Name, David Moore uses this history to guide his readers on a journey of exploration through what he terms “the limits of the frontier.” By positioning his book within the context of these limitations of the frontier, Moore presents a fresh perspective on themes central to Native American literature. He reveals to his readers that before our dream can be named we must first understand both the constraints which have been spoken over that dream as well as the ways in which that dream is speaking back, retelling the stories of the past in new voices.

For Moore, these new voices are manifested in what he terms the circle of five themes and five authors, the first referring to five key concepts that speak to the contradictions between Native American and American nationhood: sovereignty, community, identity, authenticity, and irony. Moore opens with analysis, problematizing the history, context, and use of the term under examination. Each chapter links the theme to the five authors under discussion: William Apess, Sarah Winnemucca, D’Arcy McNickle, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Sherman Alexie. Moore develops his theoretical framework for the chapter by engaging with canonical theorists such as Robert Warrior, Louis Owens, Craig Womack, Rennard Strickland, Jace Weaver, and Philip Deloria.

In the first chapter of the book, Moore explores sovereignty within the context of sacrifice. He posits that while American sovereignty and identity require the “vanishing of the Indian,” the sacrifice endured by Native peoples is seen as a mark of resilience. In this resilience the good of the people outweighs the good of the individual, ultimately moving the culture toward tribal sovereignty. This idea is the foundation for the second chapter, focusing on community. Moore states that community is the recovering and rearticulating of both identity and sovereignty. As he explores how ideas of community permeate the narration of the five referenced authors, he deems storytelling as a form of community survival. The third chapter, on identity, grapples with selfhood and otherness. The question of who qualifies as Native American is at the heart of this chapter, and Moore problematizes this question in his discussion of “mixed blood.” Ultimately he draws more similarities than differences between the narratives of the five authors. In the fourth chapter authenticity is addressed, and Moore highlights how the authors work inside and outside of dominant ideologies. Moore positions authenticity as the foundation connecting all five themes, highlighting the transformative way authenticity redefines and retells America’s stories. The final chapter, on irony, captures the vitality of the Native American narrative through its dark comedy. Moore suggests that the function of irony is to create an experience that breaks from all colonial definitions of “the Indian,” inventing a new Native voice.

As these themes are drawn together into conversation, their individual perspectives complement one another as Moore weaves the voices of the Native authors throughout the text. Apess employs Enlightenment rhetoric in his call for justice and the humanization of Native peoples. Winnemucca explores the tensions of these themes, speaking from her personal experience of occupying both Native and Anglo worlds. The dialogue of these two authors leads to the perspective of McNickle, who firmly maintains that authentic identity is necessary to healing. Silko takes up the conversation, viewing Native identities as a means of processing change in positive ways, translating authenticity into modern life. Alexie stretches these themes to answer where community, sovereignty, and identity have gone. Beyond a thematic exploration, Moore crafts the broader dialogue of rewriting nationhood and sovereignty. He creates a space for the five themes to engage in dialogue with one another, and with Native communities, and to act as a bridge between...