Rez Dogs

Frybread is made from government rations of the “cheapest and worst kind of stuff” that Malian’s people were given after losing their land to the European colonizers (49). It is also a powerful symbol of resilience, creativity, perseverance, and gratitude—traits that have enabled Indigenous people to preserve their identity and culture in the face of extreme governmental oppression. Frybread, composed of white flour, lard, and sugar, has been made by generations of Indigenous people, with variations passed down and through families.

Indigenous people have created something delicious out of meager supplies and “made it their own” (49). There are frybread competitions at reservation festivals (which Grandma Frances usually wins), and an old tradition of leaving a piece of frybread under a tree for the Manogies, “little people who are the guardians of the natural world” (46), a tradition which Malian’s grandparents continue to uphold. Malian’s grandmother sings a “thank-you” song in their old language as they eat the frybread, turning an insulting handout into a traditional food to be celebrated.

The motif of freedom, and lack thereof, flows throughout the narrative. The travel restrictions implemented at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic took away everyone’s freedom to travel or gather in an attempt to protect the most vulnerable populations from the new, rapidly spreading virus.