Writer Sherman Alexie kept his audience in hysterics from the very start of his lecture entitled “The Partially True Story of the True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” on Monday, March 23, at Kenan Auditorium.

An award-winning author and storyteller, Alexie’s lecture consisted of hilarious tales of his life growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington, flawlessly sprinkled with hard-hitting insights into politics, religion, racism and the way we treat our fellow man.

Alexie captured his audience by cracking jokes from the start. Upon noticing the sign language translator at the corner of the stage, Alexie remarked on the beauty of different world languages.

“You can say anything in sign language and it’s beautiful. ‘Please saw my legs off.'”

He even seemed to have amused himself as the translator signed this sentence for the audience.

As Alexie began his fast-paced jumbled version of his childhood on the reservation, you began to understand the real message behind these humorous stories.

Alexie used stories of government issued food to raise the subject of poverty.

“The food reminded you on a day-to-day basis how poor you were,” he said. “White kids had complicated cereal. We had white box. Black letters. Said cereal.”

On the subject of racism, Alexie told of his experiences after 9/11.

“I began to pack so well that the security guards would compliment me,” he said about enduring countless “random” searches.

He added, “People always feel better on planes when they realize I’m Indian. I should carry a hand drum or wear a vest.” He then broke out into song, beating on a fake hand drum, dancing and shouting, “I don’t have a box cutter!”

This physicality added to Alexie’s humor tremendously. Almost every story was paired up with at least one physical action that further illustrated the scenario he was describing, whether it was beating an air drum or pretending to pull a bow and arrow out of his back pocket.

Alexie ended his lecture by saying, “I kind of am the Native American dream.”

He reinforced this with the story of his son sitting in a front of a window with a gorgeous view of Sydney Harbor playing his Game Boy. Because Alexie left the reservation and had opportunities to expand his education beyond what is typically granted under those conditions, he considers himself an immigrant. Because of this, his son had the opportunity to ignore a breathtaking view and fiddle with technology like so many American children do.

“My kid’s,” he said, “an utterly typical immigrant story. Who knew?”