Said has me continually second guessing myself, making me wonder: 'Am I essentializing someone if I look for a representative of a community to speak on its behalf?'
Throwing caution to the wind, I looked to one of my favorite writers (to read & teach) Sherman Alexie.
When googling "Alexie thinks of Hillerman," I came across an older interview in the guardian.co.uk, in which Alexie comments on the work of Hillerman:
"Tony Hillerman's work [mystery novels set around reservations] should be classified as what it is - colonial literature... I think there's an arrogance amongst white Americans about their relationship to the oppressed people that prevents them from seeing themselves as coming from a position of privilege."
When asked what non-Indian artists who use Indian stories for their art should do to take themselves out of the position of the colonialist, Alexie recommends donating 10% to the tribe, or Indian artist funds (Alexie sits on a board & said he's never heard Hillerman's name mentioned as donating.)

To end on a fun note, here's Alexie's recent appearance on the Colbert Report. ¡Disfruta! (He's pushing his newest book)
Have you read the book? It's fantastic. I actually listened to it on my mp3 player, and he reads it. It's a mystery to me how his writing always manages to be so funny and so achingly sad at the same time.
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