Beyond the Nineteenth Century

This study examines two novels by Thomas King; 'Medicine River' and 'Green Grass Running Water'. In 'Medicine River', King juxtaposes a contemporary fictional Native community with conventional images of Native people from non-Native culture. In 'Green Grass Running Water', King establishes an alternative cosmology that subverts the centre's cherished axioms and questions mythical, historical and cultural paradigms. King creates a positive cultural environment for contemporary Natives. Through his writing, King offers an affirmative vision of a vital, post-colonial, Native community. A community that is not only at home in the twentieth century, but is empowered to move forward into the future.