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Tony Sferrazza

ENGL 1021

Assignment 2: Literary Analysis

7 January 2018

Compatriots​ is a realistic short story written by Emma Lee Warrior. Although this story

was initially published in 1987, the theme of the story represents the ongoing faultline between

Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. In this case, Warrior focuses specifically on

interpretation of Indigenous spirituality. Much can be learned through the author’s use of a

limited omniscient narrator as it forces the reader to interpret the theme of the story through the

eyes of an Indigenous character, Lucy, as well as through the eyes of a non-Indigenous

character, Hilda. Through the author’s presentation of two opposing viewpoints, it becomes

clear that when traditional context is removed from Indigenous spirituality, the journey to find its

authenticity is complex.

Warrior creates two distinct interpretations of Indigenous spirituality. The first is through

the Indigenous characters in the story, Lucy, Delphine, and Flora, all of whom allude to knowing

little about their Indigenous traditions. Specifically, Flora mentions that she only knows about

sun-dances, a spiritual celebration, because of a book that she read written by Helmut Walking

Eagle, a German man who married a Blackfoot woman. The author also depicts this lack of

understanding through Lucy’s interpretation of an interaction between Flora and her cousin

Delphine. Lucy acknowledges that both cousins had been raised Catholic and Mormon,

respectively, and had both recently begun “exploring traditional beliefs” (175). This lack of

knowledge of traditional spirituality is confirmed through Lucy’s conversation with Hilda in which

she states “Indian religion just came back here on the reserve a little while ago…” (Warrior 172).
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The author’s second interpretation represents the non-Indigenous perspective. At the

beginning of the story, Hilda, a German tourist, discusses her eagerness to meet Helmut

Walking Eagle and mentions that “he seems to know a lot about the Indians, and he’s been

accepted into their religious society” (Warrior 171). Hilda demonstrates disassociation in her

perspective of what traditional “Indians” are like as she is blinded from the reality that her

audience, Lucy in this case, is of Indigenous heritage. This lack of awareness propels Hilda to

pursue authentic Indigenous culture as presented through the perspective of a white man,

Helmut Walking Eagle.

On the Blackfoot reserve, Lucy alludes to having little knowledge of Indigenous

spirituality. Ironically, as the story transpires, her character displays characteristics that may

demonstrate a deep understanding of Indigenous context and spirituality. The first example is

demonstrated through her willingness to engage with Hilda on the many topics that involve

Lucy’s culture. During one of her conversations with Hilda, Lucy is questioned about her cultural

belief surrounding the upcoming sun-dance (Warrior 172). Sharing and dialogue are two

important aspects of Indigenous spirituality as mentioned by Leonard George (161). In addition,

Lucy accepts her current situation on the reserve without resentment. Lastly, she demonstrates

compassion for her ailing uncle Sonny who asks for money. Though Lucy is not well versed in

formal Indigenous spiritual traditions, Lucy seems to maintain a level of understanding of what it

means to treat people with respect; an important aspect of Indigenous spirituality as stated by

George Leonard (161).

Lucy’s authenticity is profound given the situation and challenges she faces throughout the

story. The reader may miss this given the change of the author’s narrative point of view,

however, in comparison to the way Helmut Walking Eagle treats others, the differences are
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glaring. The anticipation is built up as the group of women enter Helmut Walking Eagle’s tipi and

expectations are further elevated as Flora and Hilda both refer to him as a leader. It is this

anticipation that demonstrates a misunderstanding of Indigenous spirituality as the characters

seem to get caught up by the “Plains Indian Museum” facade created by Helmut (Warrior 176).

The major difference between the reader’s and characters’ attitude toward spirituality is

this; the reader is invited to have an attitude of disillusionment as a result of Helmut’s elitist

behaviour while the characters demonstrate an attitude of interest and curiosity, possibly

believing that this is a proper model of Indigenous spirituality. As a result of generations of

Indigenous peoples moving away from traditional spirituality, the traditional context has been

removed which makes the journey to find its authenticity complex.

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Works Cited

George, L. (1991). Native spirituality, past, present, and future. In Jensen, D. & Brooks, C.

(Eds.) In Celebration of Our Survival: The First Nations of British Columbia. (pp. 160-169). UBC

Press.

Warrior, Emma Lee. “Compatriots.” Moses, Goldie, and Ruffo 2013 175–82. Print.