Wind from an Enemy Sky

The opening chapters of Wind From an Enemy Sky establish most of the key characters and conflicts in the novel. It also works to establish the three main themes of the book: The Clash Between Indigenous Cultures and Western Ideologies, The Consequences of Environmental Desecration, and The Impact of Trauma on Indigenous Community and Identity. While the themes are all expressed through different aspects of the novel, each theme ties into the other two. The clash between ideologies cannot be separated from the effect of the settlers on the landscape, which in turn builds on the trauma affecting the Little Elk tribe. This reflects the interconnected view that McNickle presents of the tribe’s identity to the land in which they live. To separate is to betray themselves and their culture.

The clash between the two worlds is shown from the beginning of the novel with the construction of the dam on the Little Elk Reservation. Bull, representing the Indigenous perspective, views the dam as an egregious violation of nature’s order. He expresses disbelief and outrage at the audacity of the white man’s endeavor to stop the water, a fundamental force of nature, saying, “The water was there when the world began. What kind of fool would want to stop it” (1). Bull’s incredulity highlights the deep divide between Indigenous beliefs, which revere the natural world, and Western ideologies driven by industrial progress and resource exploitation.

As the chief of the Little Elk tribe, Bull also embodies authority and tradition. His leadership is marked by a firm adherence to established customs, as seen in his resistance to relocating the camp despite government pressures. This translates into his plans for the future of the tribe. His decision to place Antoine, his grandson, next to him during meals signals a deliberate act of grooming the young boy for future leadership. This gesture of favoring Antoine is not merely personal but symbolic, as it reflects Bull’s intent to ensure continuity of leadership within the family. However, this placement also exposes Antoine to scrutiny and pressure. The boy was just released from a residential school and still displays the effects of assimilation. His great-uncles remark on his eating habits, for example.

The relationship between Bull and his older brother, Henry Jim, also takes a central focus. The brothers have been estranged for 30 years, with the separation rooted in both personal grievances and differing responses to the encroachment of white settlers and the loss of their traditional lands. Henry Jim acknowledges that he was at fault in the situation and that his actions undermined their people’s traditional ways of life. While Bull initially meets his brother with suspicion, his eventual willingness to listen shows an underlying hope for reconciliation. This interaction illustrates the potential for healing, contingent on mutual acknowledgment of past wrongs. The reconciliation between the brothers is ultimately not just a personal matter but a symbolic act with implications for the entire community.

Outside of the interactions within the tribe is the involvement of Toby Rafferty. Rafferty is the local representative of the US government but represents a shift in the approach to Indigenous policy away from the traditional, aggressively assimilationist framework and toward a more humanistic perspective. He is also portrayed as willing to listen to the Little Elk people. Because of this, Henry Jim comes to him for help in his plans to heal the tribe’s divisions by returning the Feather Boy bundle. The conversation highlights the complexities of cultural exchange and the frequent misunderstandings that accompany them. Henry Jim’s effort to convey the significance of the tribal object is a struggle to bridge a cultural chasm. He uses storytelling to impart the depth and historical context of his request, hoping to make Rafferty comprehend its importance beyond the surface level. Rafferty’s response, while polite and ostensibly understanding, is tinged with the same bureaucratic ambiguity that has likely disappointed Henry Jim before. Edwards critiques Rafferty’s idealism and lack of practical experience. For example, Edwards points out, “If you’ve never hunted wild horses, you’ve no idea what these people are like” (38). Rafferty is disconnected from the Little Elk people and has no idea how to work with them. Edwards’s advice about taking Henry Jim’s request regarding the medicine bundle seriously is a turning point for Rafferty, suggesting that genuine respect and understanding could pave the way for meaningful cooperation.

The climax of this section of the novel, when Pock Face shoots Jimmie Cooke, the dam’s caretaker, marks a point of no return. This act of violence rejects the encroachments on their land and asserts autonomy. However, it also represents a crack in the attempts at peace championed by Henry Jim and hints at the tribe’s precarious future.