A Way To Rainy Mountain Analysis

One of the many values I have personally seen and experienced growing up is spirituality. In the books we have read in class about the Native American culture, I can confidently say this value connects to everything as well. In a way to Rainy Mountain, N Scott Momaday was attempting to reunite himself with his Kiowa heritage. Ever since I was a very little girl, I have taken part in many things, as a christian, we are encouraged to do. One thing being baptized. You do it in obedience and having pride and love for God. Momaday’s grandmother showed interest in doing the Sun Dances her culture did. “As a child she had been to Sun Dances; she had taken part in those annual rites, and by them she had learned the restoration of her people.” You

learn a great deal about life by having a spiritual connection and relationship with something bigger than yourself in my opinion. Through having a spiritual connection to something, you develop interests and passions you never had before. What may be “normal” spiritual growth for me, may be different for people from the Native American culture. While I may pray to Jesus Christ, many people from the story “A World on a Turtle’s Back,” have a deep respect and spiritual connection to the the earth we live in. “The scent of sacred tobacco” is just one of the examples of their connection and love of the plants that grow from the earth. The word ‘sacred’ shows just how much they value the little things compared to many other people. Everyone has a different, but similar outlook on the word ‘spirituality,’ and that is okay.
One of the sad truths we still see to this day is stereotyping. Our society has at times, looked upon Native Americans as lazy alcoholics, just one of the things said before. A lady by the name of Matika Wilbur created a project called 562 which highlights the beauty of the Native American culture. She takes pictures of every tribe in the nation in efforts of capturing their unique lives. She has seen first-hand the stereotypical views looked on their culture, even stating, “As I got older, all of these questions about myself and my role with my people began to surface.” The sad truth is that people still do talk behind different people’s backs who are different from what they’re used to. Another point Matika stresses in the video is the question, “how can we be seen as modern, successful people if we are continually represented as the leathered and feathered vanishing race?” When someone knows how they are portrayed in the community they live in every day, it makes me very sad because they see the people around them thinking less of them. Anna Cook, one of my peers a couple of years ago was in her video and she expressed her disappointment in her school when she was asked the question, “do you think that racism still exists in America?” She replied with, “if you wanna know, just go to the lunchroom.” That leaves you with the worst feeling in the world. Just how every single Native does not enjoy having a label put on them, neither does any other person in this world.