SOURCE: Wild, Peter. “Almost Not on the Map.” In James Welch, edited by Ron McFarland, pp. 107-112. Lewiston, Idaho: Confluence Press, Inc., 1986.

In the following essay, Wild observes that while Welch generally avoids cultural cliché, his work does not always live up to its potential.

For an Anglo to go native, to take up the ways of an American Indian tribe, and then write poetry from the Anglo perspective in his adopted language would seem absurdly precious to most of us. It certainly would to most Indians. For one thing, traditional Native American poetry has a far different purpose than our lyrics, which pique the esthetic sensibilities of readers, while, often, venting the weltschmerz of their writers. For another, a traditional Indian culture has no “reading audience” for poetry as Anglos conceptualize it. Poetry exists to serve practical ends. It heals the sick and assures success in hunting...