Dream Fisher is a fictional book that explores the challenge of finding meaning in contemporary American society. It delves into the obstacles of living a life disconnected from nature, overwhelmed by technology, screens, and consumerism.

The book highlights how humans have lost their connection to nature and the earth, essential for achieving basic happiness and purpose. In light of this issue, nature itself serves as an observer and commentator on societal issues through various scenes. The Native American perspective is included due to their cultural respect for living in balance with the natural world.

Although some characters are Native Americans, this is not a book about Native American culture, ceremony, or tradition. As a white American with long-standing relationships with the Lakota, Navajo, and other First Nations, the issues affecting my native friends are important to me.

I chose the character Loansome to be from a fictional extinct tribe to avoid implying that his “supernatural ability” to travel into dreams is related to his heritage. Loansome’s character could be of any race or nationality, but my connection to Native culture made it natural to include a Native character and address Native issues known in recorded history but perhaps unfamiliar to most of our country.

I intentionally avoided detailing Native American culture or ceremonies, as it is not my place to do so. Native Nations have the right to tell their own stories. My book instead touches on societal issues in American culture, particularly the unresolved past and present transgressions against Native Americans and the need for reconciliation.

In my book, I reference two historical facts regarding Native American abuse to create awareness:

1. The history of uranium mining and the Navajo people.
2. The comparison of the Native American Holocaust to the Jewish Holocaust. This scene is not intended to be anti-Semitic and clearly states that the referenced tragedy was caused by Europeans. These incidents serve as counterpoints to the self-centered worldview of the main character and other supporting characters.

More information can be learned about these incidents below:
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‍Uranium Mining on the Navajo Reservation
‍The Radioactive Legacy of Mining and Atomic Tests on Navajo Land
Genocide of Indigenous Peoples

‍How can we heal moving forward?
No one is perfect, and no place accordingly. I am an American and as imperfect as the country I’ve been born into. As we all strive to become better human beings, we improve the standing of our nation and the world. We must reconcile our trespasses with open eyes. Growth comes from acknowledging our faults, regrets, accountability, compassion, and apologies. True healing will take generations.

I'll close with a quote from Russell Means, Oglala Lakota activist for American Indian rights:

‍“At this point, perhaps I should be very clear about another matter, one which should already be clear as a result of what I’ve said. But confusion breeds easily these days, so I want to hammer home this point. When I use the term European, I’m not referring to a skin color or a particular genetic structure. What I’m referring to is a mind-set, a worldview that is a product of the development of European culture. People are not genetically encoded to hold this outlook; they are acculturated to hold it. The same is true for American Indians or for the members of any culture”.

“It is possible for an American Indian to share European values, a European worldview. We have a term for these people; we call them “apples”--red on the outside (genetics) and white on the inside (their values). Other groups have similar terms: Blacks have their “oreos”; Hispanos have “Coconuts” and so on. And, as I said before, there are exceptions to the white norm: people who are white on the outside, but not white inside. I’m not sure what term should be applied to them other than “human beings.”