Power

Today in class we talked about the courts in Power, the tribal and the U.S. courts. We talked about how they are different and how Omishto feels when she is in both places. When she is in the U.S. court you get the feeling that she feels out of place, but when she is in the tribal court she still feels out of place. At certain times she seems to shift towards the Taiga tribe, but in others she shifts away from the tribe.For example on pg. 161 when she states, "I am both home and a foreigner here in their presence" when she is talking about the tribal elders. I think that Omishto feels as if she is torn between two very different worlds like she says on pg. 161, "I know they'd like to wash civilization off them and wash it all onto her just the same as the lawyers and judge in the courthouse wanted to clean all the wildness off them, onto her". It shows that she is involved in two very different world and sometimes she shifts towards one or the other.

It is also interesting that she never really told the whole truth to either one of the courts. I think in the U.S. court if she would have stated that the panther was actually sick before Ama killed it then it would have affected the jury and their thoughts even though they eventually found her not guilty it still would have affected the jury and their empathy towards Ama. In the tribal court if she would have stated that the panther was sick I truly think that the tribe may not have been able to handle it. I think the truth would have just hurt the tribe, they might not have banished Ama, but who knows what would happen to the tribe if they knew the whole truth.

If you would like to know more about current Tribal courts and codes, here is a website:

http://www.tribal-institute.org/