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Do ya feel ya belong here in yer life? Do ya life with honour and…
Do ya feel ya belong here in yer life? Do ya life with honour and intention? Have ya ever contemplated suicide?
Sure, I said. Who hasn’t?
Do ya feel resentful of yer skin? Do colours startle ya? Do ya ever dream of fallin’ inside mirrors and findin’ ancestors? He rubbed his fingers together in the air and there was a strange breeze that felt like it was a billion years old.
I’m only one-eighth.
Haha, he said. Haha (Gauthier 35). 
Characters
Anne
While out for a drive, Anne encounters a cheery man on the side of the road. She had recently suffered the loss of her husband, and this is one of the biggest tragedy's in her life.
White buffalo seemed to be able to sense this. He talked about suicide, and how Anne may have considered this due to the traumatic events in her life.
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Anne, being of indigenous background, and therefore having darker skin has likely dealt with traumatic events concerning racism and prejudice. This may be another reason for suicide
White Buffalo
Throughout this story, the White Buffalo plays two characters. The charming hitchhiker, who starts an engaging conversation with her, and the majestic White Buffalo. As he gets to know her he finds out about the loss of her husband. Quickly, he is able to help guide Anne on the path of letting go of her husband and become at peace.
He teaches her to accept the death of her husband,
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Teaches her the value of storytelling, coping with the loss, as well as passing down experiences
Indigenous Relations
The setting of this story is in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. It is First Nations land, and is traditionally called Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.
Kamloops is First Nations land, and they have lived on that land for close to 10,000 years.
A rich presence of First Nations culture on that land, making it ideal for them to practice their rituals
Sweet grass that grows on the Kamloops ground
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White buffalo mentioned that Anne may feel resentful of her skin, referring to because she's First Nations, she might face acts of racism in her life alongside discrimination.
She may feel that it is unfair that she was born with her skin, and wish that she had control of it.
Story telling, exploring the past and learning about her cultures
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Anne is only 1/8th First Nations, meaning that she likely did not learn about her culture directly through a close family member like her parents.
Since she is of First Nations descent, there are likely many things that she could learn about their culture. There may be certain rituals that may be able to help her in life.
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Significance
Representing the bond that was created between White Buffalo and Anne, this passage was an instrumental part of this short story.
White Buffalo begins the conversation with quite personal questions. Although Anne says that she had no reason to lie to White Buffalo because he is a stranger, she was surprisingly open with him. He asked her about a quite sensitive topic, that she answered truthfully and honestly.
The initial conversation between White Buffalo and Anne allows for them to gain each other's trust. This supports White Buffalo's cause, which is supporting Anne get over the death of her husband.
At the end of the story, White Buffalo guides her to having her final moments with her husband, and then having closure. He teachers her how to tell stories, and embrace her First Nations cultures.
Literary Elements
Tone
Many expressive, and slang words were used, such as "yer", fallin'" and "ya"
Suggests an upbeat, positive and welcoming tone
Contains a lot of questions, and may possible be seen as interrogative statements.
May seem a bit hostile, antagonistic and unfriendly
Motive
White buffalo seems to want to know more, and understand Anne in a mostly friendly manner.
Asking many interesting, in depth and thought provoking questions, in order to find out more about the true Anne.
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Allegory
White Buffalo is sent to Anne as a way for him to help her get over the death of her husband. Through them getting to know each other, and Anne trusting and opening up to him, it gave him the opportunity to be a supporter for her. He represents the White Buffalo, which is a sacred First Nations animal. Throughout the story, he fulfills his role of helping Anne.
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