In the short story Only Approved Indians can play: Made in USA, Jack Forbes sheds light into the American Indian lifestyle. The story touches on the Indian American experiences in the modern society. It features the characters of Indian origin thorough their assessment of tribal foundation, lifestyle, social status as well as identity. Forbes shows the quest of the characters in the story as they endeavor to be recognized as Indian Americans and not any other race. The story also exposes the injustices of this world and how groups can result to any means to become victorious (Forbes 4). This paper analyzes the Native Americans adopting a white mentality in which they embrace “winning at all cost” and also the irony exhumed by the story.

Cocchiarale and Emmert (57) indicate that, the major theme from the story revolves around the Native Americans efforts to adopt a white mentality in which they strive for victory at all costs. In the story, there is a basketball tournament scheduled between the Great Lakes and the Tucson where everyone is required to be of Indian descent.  Before the tournament can begin, the Great Lakes team complaint that the Tucson team does not comprise of “real” Indians. The battle to be recognized as Indian Americans shows how the native Indians value the possibility of embracing the white culture. In order to show their Americanism, the Great Team players produce BIA identification cards, which show the status of government recognition. This element of depending on the government identification cards shows the Great Lakes efforts to portray how they have been absorbed in the white mainstream society. They Great Lakes hold pride in knowing they have the tools that recognize them as true Indian Americans (Cocchiarale and Emmert 57).

The Native Americans especially the Great Lakes take up the ideology of winning by any means and do not accept defeat. From the story, the Great Lakes have identification cards including a blonde haired boy. In most cases, Indians have black hair and the white society mainly have blonde hair. The fact that a blonde haired boy can be recognized as Indian shows how they are prepared to win by any means. Additionally, most of the players in the Great Lakes were light skinned unlike the Tucson’s who were dark skinned. Mostly, the native Indians possess dark skinned complexion and it became evident that the Great Teams embraced a devious means to be proven Indians. It is a fight of survival that dominates the white society that seem to the cropping up in the Indian society. Some of the team members from the Great Lakes started a rumor that the Tucson’s are not Indians but Chicanos. The idea of starting this rumor meant that the Indian community adopted the winning at all cost style of the white society hoping to have the other team disqualified (Forbes 3).

The culture of winning at any cost poses the threat of deception and treachery to achieve results. This becomes clear as the officials and team players did not consider the main features that made them Indians. From the story, the Tucson team comprised of darker skin and long hair that is characteristic of many native Indians. One of the Tucson members could speak the Papago language, which remains a feature of Indians. The Tarahumara man who possessed the physical characteristics of the Indian community was ruled out as Indian because no one could understand his language. The truth remained that he was an Indian from the Tarahumara region where the white rule and administration was resisted. This feature cast him out of the tournament with claims of not being Indian. The shows that deception and betrayal played a huge role in determine who were “real” Indians who were not. In reality, the Tucson team members possess all the main features that characterize native Indians, but since the government did not recognize them, they were unceremoniously disqualified (Forbes 4).

The price of winning at any cost also generated the problem of prejudice and discrimination in the tournament. The problem of fighting for a price at any cost results in disregard of other people’s needs and desires. The big Tarahumara man with long dark hair felt that the fact that his Indian community resisted the outside authority does not warrant discrimination. The Tarahumara man declared that his community lived free and were not in control by any outside authorities. This meant that he was not accepted as official Indian as expected to be part of the tournament. They cited that “All official Indians are under the white man’s rule now” and this showed discrimination as the Tarahumara was expelled from the tournament. The officials at the end agree that the Tarahumaras cannot be “real” Indians since they are not listed in the dictionary (Cocchiarale and Emmert 57).

This shows the Indians not only embraced discrimination, but also incorporated a white mentality of winning at any cost. The Tarahumara man declared that “his father and uncle had been killed by whites in Mexico and that he did not expect to be treated with prejudice by other Indians.” The Great Lakes wanted to secure a win at any cost and they resulted to prejudice against their fellow Indians. The officials made a declaration that the Tucson team had been disqualified on grounds that they were not recognized by the laws of the government of the United States (Cocchiarale and Emmert 57).

The story is filled with irony as it becomes evident that, officially approved identities quality an individual as Indian. In essence, it becomes ironic that the Great Lakes team who seemed light skinned and others with blonde hair became recognized as real Indians. The main characteristics of native Indians composes of long black hair and dark skin, just like the Tucson team players. However it becomes ironic that the Tucson’s get disqualified on grounds that they do not have officially approved identities and, therefore, they cannot be called Indians. The Great Lakes players, who do not possess the physical features of Indians, start a rumor that the other group, the Tucson’s, cannot be “real” Indians. This ironic twist makes the story more compelling as it becomes evident that the state approved Indians can result to any means to achieve victory (Forbes 5).

Conclusion

The story by Forbes Only Approved Indians Can Play: Made in USA shows how the Indians take on white mentality of wishing to succeed at any cost. The plot features two teams where the Great Lakes who do not possess the physical characteristics that are common among native Indians, accuse the other group, the Tucson’s, of being non-Indians. The Great Lakes effort of trying to win at all costs leads to deception and discrimination against the Tucson’s who appear to be Indians. The story bring out irony as the Tucson team who are dark skinned with long black hair are disqualified for not being Indians, and the light skinned Great Lakes gets approved as Indians.

Works Cited

Cocchiarale, Michael and Emmert, Scott. Upon Further Review: Sports in American Literature. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.

Forbes, Jack. Only Approved Indians: Stories. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995. Print.

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