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Robert Johnson
The Spokane Tribal Council Chairman, and uncle of Michael White Hawk. He holds a grudge against Thomas because although David was once a talented basketball player, Thomas’ father, Samuel Builds-the-Fire, was a far better player than he ever was. WalksAlong is one of Coyote Springs’ most vocal opponents on the reservation, and he attempts to excommunicate them from the tribe.
David WalksAlong Quotes in Reservation Blues
The Reservation Blues quotes below are all either spoken by David WalksAlong or refer to David WalksAlong. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10 Quotes
WalksAlong didn’t respond, and Victor left the office, feeling something slip inside him. He stole five dollars from WalksAlong’s secretary’s purse and bought a six-pack of cheap beer at the Trading Post.
“Fuck it, I can do it, too,” Victor whispered to himself and opened the first can. That little explosion of the beer can opening sounded exactly like a smaller, slower version of the explosion that Junior’s rifle made on the water tower.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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David WalksAlong Character Timeline in Reservation Blues
The timeline below shows where the character David WalksAlong appears in Reservation Blues. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
David WalksAlong, the Spokane Council Chairman and once a great basketball player, shows up to a band...
(full context)
...Hawk dropped out of school after eighth grade, and is unable to read or write. WalksAlong had raised him after his single mother died of cirrhosis when he was two—her drinking...
(full context)
...is the only one with any money, and money is power on the reservation. David WalksAlong, for example, was elected Councilman by one vote after paying Lester FallsApart a dollar for...
(full context)
Chapter 4
...take on all six of the policeman at once. They head to the courts. David WalksAlong, future Tribal Chairman, is the chief of police, and point guard. Samuel steals the ball...
(full context)
...game from the past, Samuel scores a thirty-foot jumper, saying, “For Crazy Horse.” He tells WalksAlong that the only way he’ll stop him is with a pistol. Victor, meanwhile, dreams of...
(full context)
...cops. Officer Wilson throws an elbow and breaks Lester’s nose, then scores an easy basket. WalksAlong calls no foul. Back in the present Junior, who is across the house from Victor,...
(full context)
Meanwhile the score of the basketball game is 5-3, with the Tribal Cops on top. WalksAlong suggests that Samuel sing “I Fought the Law and the Law Won” after the game....
(full context)
...own. From there the game becomes “a real war,” with hard fouls and fresh wounds. WalksAlong refuses to call fouls, so Samuel runs over him. The cops score again, and now...
(full context)
...heroically laying the ball gently over the rim. He misses. Officer Wilson rebounds, and then WalksAlong takes a shot.
(full context)
Chapter 6
An open letter from David WalksAlong published in the Wellpinit paper speaks out against Coyote Springs’ ability to represent the tribe....
(full context)
...lies to the doctor, telling him there was a car wreck. White Hawk is Dave WalksAlong’s nephew, and the white people’s laws are to be kept off the reservation. Betty and...
(full context)
...holed up in Thomas’s house and greeted by silence when they venture out. Led by WalksAlong, the tribe nearly votes to excommunicate them all. They are out of money, living on...
(full context)
Chapter 8
...aggressive optimism on his way to the plane the day before, as well as David WalksAlong’s pessimistic prediction that they are “done for.” Junior says he just wants to be good...
(full context)
Chapter 10
...to pray, for everybody, as Big Mom puts on a record. Victor goes to David WalksAlong looking for a job. WalksAlong is shocked to see him, after everything that Coyote Springs...
(full context)
...leave, Big Mom takes up a collection for them from the tribe. Some, like David WalksAlong, donate out of spite to get them off the reservation, while others give out of...
(full context)
