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Abstract

This study expands the paradigm of literary research by analysing indigenous narratives of Native Americans, represented in A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power. The novel portrays colonial history, the exploitation of natives through missionary evangelism operated by Indian boarding schools, structured upon repressive Western ideals. The research analyzes experiences of native Americans in reclaiming their cultural epistemic sovereignty through three main characters of the novel, Sissy, Lilian and Blanche, accompanied by their dolls, who function as indigenous futuristic gadgets that help them unveil deeply rooted truths of colonial appropriation. The study analyzes novel through the theoretical perspective of Indigenous Futurisms, proposed by Grace L. Dillon. Dillon's concept of resisting against the fabricated narratives through indigenous technology, ancestral knowledge, native slipstream, indigenous conceptions of temporality and spatiality, enriches the exploration of the novel. The research aims to empower indigenous communities to restore their true indigenous narratives in the contemporary era by exercising their indigenous culture, values, traditions, and language. The research highlights the great need for autonomous indigenous educational systems rooted in indigenous sovereignty to heal the generational traumas of boarding schools. The study lays the groundwork for future explorations of marginalized voices through the framework of Indigenous Futurisms.