The Comedy of Survivance in James Welch's Fools Crow

Fools Crow (1986), by James Welch (Blackfeet/Gros Ventre), may seem an unlikely site of humor given that it is concerned with the tragic history of the Pikuni band of Montana Blackfeet in the nineteenth century. However, Welch foregrounds Native humor traditions central to the Blackfeet culture. This article analyzes the ways humor punctuates the narrative, taking the form of teasing sexual humor—familiar as adolescent discourse—and corrective humor that is intended to guide individuals to find their identities within the community. In highlighting Native belief systems that rely on mythical/mystical figures such as the trickster Raven, the novel is both a form of bildungsroman and an alternate history, which, although often tragic, never loses sight of the restorative aspect of humor in the quest for survival and a new future.