Book Review: "Manituana" by Wu Ming

I read “Q” which was by Luther Blissett and the other book that was recommended to me by the same person was this: “Manituana” by Wu Ming. Who knew that Luther Blissett and Wu Ming were the same group of people? I definitely did not. But after a long look at both books, I can definitely draw the similarities between them. They are both not the usual book I would pick up in the shop and they are also not the normal type of thing I’d choose to read.

But, this kind of proves the point of having people to recommend you books in your life - you never really know what you’re going to find. “Manituana” was an incredible and deep read - something truly philosophical but also packed full of violent imagery. It is a book that is trying to instil its point in you - even if it has to shock you with grizzly descriptions of people being flayed alive.

The book opens with the injury of a patriarch. William Johnson, the head of the Johnson family passes away a year before the events of the main part of the book. He is described as being on a stretcher at the end of the prologue in 1755. His family at the height of the American Wars of Independence are here and there when it comes to the crown even though everything William did was in its name. But as his son-in-law states, Sir William is no longer here and that means allegiances may change.

Joseph Brant, a war chief, is unsure about where things lie and must make a decision quickly. However painful it may be. The writers of this book wanted the impact to be gruesome and war-torn. Again, imagery of people being hanged, funerals and bloodied wounds are prominent. However, I will say that sometimes it is a bit over the top and alongside having too many characters and stories going on, it can feel a bit much at times.

It is clear that Guy (the son-in-law of William Johnson) is really struggling to fill his father-in-law's shoes ever since he was appointed as the Crown’s Indian-Affairs commissioner, succeeding William. He tries his best to negotiate through these tensions but also must consider that there is something much more dangerous than in-fighting within the country coming up as they move forward. He must consider that when the American war breaks out with the British Empire, there should be a chosen side for the six nations.

The next part deals with when Brant goes to London after Guy tells him to strengthen relations with the Crown. London becomes a place of two halves: one of them in which the middle and upper classes treat Brant as an outsider and a spectacle and the other which more mirrors what William Blake talks about in his poem London where crime and exploitation are basically everywhere you turn. This is where Joseph Brant starts to realise that the Crown he knew William Johnson revered and respected does not actually endorse the quality it preaches and instead, leaves its people to rot at the bottom of the ladder.

There is no good and bad in war, instead we see many atrocities committed by many people. The people are becoming restless and nobody trusts the Crown anymore. We have a community of people who were missold the idea that they were equals, now realising that they are not - having their home disintergrate under the weight of imperial collapse as the American wars begin. As Molly, the daughter of William Johnson, attempts to repair cultural tensions, keep cultural traditions and maintain the legacy of her father - she also finds herself faltering under that weight which is the inevitability of more all-out war. Therefore, 'Manituana' (The Garden of Great Spirit) becomes an unsafe place riddled with people who are constantly on edge about whether they will even be alive tomorrow.

The book takes on a whole new idea when it comes to the 'freedom' associated with the revolutionary cause. First of all, it is only really freedom for the middle class white American, the freedom of the Native Americans (as is made clear in the text) would not be economically viable for the same white Americans who are disillusioned with the Crown. This is strange because it is clear that in comparison to the white Americans, the Crown actually recognises a small amount of those rights bestowed upon the Native Americans, and thus the relations with land and people become even more complex. Joseph Brant becomes a moral and political puppet: he fights for his people and for the promise of British protection, yet he knows that he is being used as a pawn in imperial games.

The book also deals with the all-out war of 1776. We have imagery of rage, fires, scorched earth, death in every direction and ethically ambiguous people roaming the ground, hunting for their next enemy. The communal illusions of the mixed settlement dissolve: friendships, kinships, business ties, cultural hybridity collapse under war’s pressure. Thus the authors show how war can basically bring out the worst in any society. After the war, we have images of the land which show us that nothing is ever the same. Joseph Brant confronts the broken promises he has made and must also lead with a strong mind in a war which is so much more brutal than anything else you will witness in the book (yes, even the flaying). The authors are definitely trying to hammer home the point that in war, there really are no heroes or winners.

The myth of Manituana is left to the dust, war has changed everything and, as we come to the endings of the novel we really see that perhaps the battle cry of the American national anthem was built on something quite like this: bloodshed, ruthlessness but most of all, change - whether for better or worse.