A Native American woman who experiences various encounters with non-Native people discussing indigenous history. She possesses a keen internal awareness of the violence hidden within seemingly benign official language, particularly the United States government's Native American Apology Resolution. She struggles with the expectation to educate others, balancing her impulse to speak out against her instinct to remain silent and simply leave hostile environments.

A participant at a backyard gathering dressed in short sleeves and khakis, bearing work-weary lips. He casually dismisses the gravity of the federal government's treatment of Native Americans by declaring that at least there was an apology. He represents the dominant culture's desire to quickly settle historical grievances with minimal personal accountability.

A woman who interacts with the speaker and shares her reaction to a news story about a reservation house fire. She admits that before seeing the broadcast, she did not realize Native Americans could feel emotion. She embodies well-intentioned but deeply dehumanizing ignorance.

The personified concept of the conjunction "whereas," which normally introduces qualifying statements in legal documents. Taking on an active voice, this grammatical entity invites the speaker to the table and directly asks her a clarifying question about her personal definitions.