I died," it seems to tell her, "while July, The month of freedom, tiger-striped the sky With bombs and rockets." (484-493) The child in this excerpt, with his Indian war paint, makes play out of violence while also taking on the role of the subjugated, exoticized
Abnakis, which gives him an aura of savagery.
The Native peoples mentioned are the
Abnakis, Alibamus, Apaches, Arkansas, Atakapas, Biloxies, Caddos, Cances, Choctaws, Chawanons, Cherokees, Chickasaws, Creeks, Delawares, Loups, Nahas, Mascoutens, Mesquakis (Mascokees is here the Spanish version of the tribe more commonly known as Fox), Mikasuki (the Spanish rendering here is Mecasuques), Miamis, Opelousas, Osages, Plankashaws, Sauks, Seminoles, Sioux, Talapoosas, Tawehashes, Tunicas, Wabashes, and Yuchis.