What is Fellis's Hair

In "Burn," Dee discovers Fellis lying on the ice of the river, where he has become stuck after passing out and getting his hair frozen in the ice. Dee wants to cut Fellis's hair, and Fellis is initially reluctant to allow this. Fellis's attachment to his hair, which has significance in Penobscot culture, is representative of the tension between tradition and practicality as the residents of the reservation attempt to adapt to life in a white, capitalist world. Dee's contemplation of the reactions of various white people if he were to carry Fellis's hair around town with him (as Fellis asks him to do so that he can keep it) is also symbolic of white skepticism toward Native tradition.