The Way to Rainy Mountain is by no means a normal novel. It does not have the same cookie cutter formation as most books, where the plot goes from beginning to end in neat little chapters. It is not just a simple book, it is a book that has meaning, and it is a book that makes its readers think. It is a book about connections from the past. These connections are like puzzle pieces that the main character, N. Scott Momaday, has to put together in his journey to truly understand his heritage. Through the past, Momaday finds a way to honor his grandmother’s memory and to connect with his Kiowa culture. The past comes in many different forms; it could be the way distant past spanning hundreds of years ago or simply just a minute ago. Momaday uses the past to complete his journey and add to the meaning of the book as a whole; this past includes the history of the Kiowa people, the memory of his grandmother, and his own childhood memories.
The history of the Kiowa people comes in two forms, the facts about the tribe, and also the myths and legends that have been passed down from generation to generation. This history is a part of Momaday's culture; it is a part of him and it is a really important part of the book. Every culture had a beginning, a place of origin, and eventually everything has an ending as well. The Kiowas had both of these, they had a past filled with different events, some were happy and some were sad, but all of them were part of the culture that they created. Rainy Mountain is part of this history, and it is essentially the most important place for the Kiowas. This mountain or knoll is located on the plains of Oklahoma. This land is described by Momaday like so, “To look upon the landscape in the early morning, wi...
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... that was deprived of a true Kiowa upbringing. He was part of the generation that did not quite connect with those who were more traditional. Momaday took it upon himself to connect these two generations, to connect himself with his grandmother. His journey began, way before he was born. It began with the history of the Kiowas, the past and the origins of the tribe, it then led him to his grandmother and all of the memories he had of her, and finally he connected both of these to his own past, his own memories. The past is what made this book so unique because Momaday took all these different forms of it and he connected them in a way that made the puzzle complete. By doing this, he ended his journey and somehow he mended the space between his grandmother and himself, the traditional and the modern. He connected the Kiowas together; he made them a whole, a tribe.
According to Tyler Troudt once said, “The past cannot be changed forgotten to edit or erased it can only be accepted.” In the book The Lakota Way, it is talking about all the old stories that no one talks about anymore. Some of the stories are about respect, honor, love, sacrifice, truth, bravery. Joseph M. Marshall III wrote this story so that young adults around the world and mainly the Lakota people know their culture, so they knew all the stories about the people long ago. What the author is writing about is all information that today’s generation will never know about the stories because most of the elder that even knew or know the stories have passed away or the young people just are not interested in listening to them anymore.
The story "Moowis, the Indian Coquette" is a unique story furthered by the author's background. Jane's parents were the opposites that helped her become who she was. Her mother was the daughter of a Ojibwe, an Indian tribe, war chief; this fact enriched her with the Ojibwe culture and language. Her father was an Irish fur trader whose influence helped her learn more about literature. This particular piece delves into the lifestyle of an Indians and how it is not as different from others. Jane would go on to have an important role in the Native American literature of America.
The books author, James (Sákéj) Youngblood Henderson came to write this book as a result of living with his wife, Marie Battiste (a celebrated Mi’kmaw scholar and educator) in her Mi’kmaq community of Eskasoni (10). It was the community of Eskasoni that compelled Henderson to compile their histories in a form that would not disrupt the Mi’kmaq worldviews, culture and spirituality they represent but as well easily conveyable to non-Aboriginal peoples.
In the essay, “The Trail of Tears” by author Dee Brown explains that the Cherokees isn’t Native Americans that evaporate effectively from their tribal land, but the enormous measure of sympathy supported on their side that was abnormal. The Cherokees process towards culture also the treachery of both states and incorporated governments of the declaration and promises that contrived to the Cherokee nation. Dee Brown wraps up that the Cherokees had lost Kentucky and Tennessee, but a man who once consider their buddy named Andrew Jackson had begged the Cherokees to move to Mississippi but the bad part is the Indians and white settlers never get along together even if the government wanted to take care of them from harassment it shall be incapable to do that. The Cherokee families moved to the West, but the tribes were together and denied to give up more land but Jackson was running for President if the Georgians elects him as President he agreed that he should give his own support to open up the Cherokee lands for establishment.
The story made clear how the Kiowas appreciate and respect the nature around them. Momaday gives a deep explanation of what it was like to be in Rainy Mountain when he describes the changes in weather: “Winter brings blizzards, hot tornadic winds arise in the spring, and in summer the prairie is an anvil’s edge. The grass turns brittle and brown, and it cracks beneath your feet”(Momaday 5). The way the
Her family was nonexistent and when she was adopted, she had a teacher named Agnes. While TallMountain learned much from her, she hated school. TallMountain says, “I refused to go to school because my schoolmates mocked my Indianess” (6). TallMountain has always looked for who she really was. She never had a sense of who she was because everyone degraded her as a human being. She felt alone, she couldn 't be kind to anyone and, as a result, became pessimistic. She felt as if she would never fit in. Her quest for self stemmed from childhood enigma. The school children took her identity and from that moment on, she would search for her inner
Nomads of the Rainforest is a film which focuses on a tribe in Ecuador called the Waorani. The purpose of this documentary is to discover how this culture has maintained their cultural identity amidst Western culture and remained an enigma. The Waorani were known as savages and likely to attack any outside influence indiscriminately. These people were a mystery due to the fact that their savagery was brushed against the landscape of an egalitarian society in which all people were equal and must contribute to their society. The message of the film is to describe the Waorani lifestyle and how the rainforest is critical to their maintaining their nomadic lifestyle that has been a part of their culture for centuries.
Nancy Ammerman writes Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life to convey her findings of studying spirituality and religion in the ordinary life of her sample population. The inspiration for this book came from previous data about Christians and the “Golden Rule,” the concept of treating everyone how you would like to be treated (3). In order to understand this concept better, Ammerman decided to study religion and spirituality in everyday life. Her population included 95 people from the Boston and Atlanta areas. These participants came from “Catholic, liberal Protestant, conservative Protestant, African American Protestant, Jewish”, Mormon, Wicca and Neopaganism as well as an internet chat group (11). Unaffiliated participants were also
Change is one of the tallest hurdles we all must face growing up. We all must watch our relatives die or grow old, our pets do the same, change school or employment, and take responsibility for our own lives one way or another. Change is what shapes our personalities, it molds us as we journey through life, for some people, change is what breaks us. Watching everything you once knew as your reality wither away into nothing but memory and photographs is tough, and the most difficult part is continuing on with your life. In the novel Ceremony, author Leslie Silko explores how change impacted the entirety of Native American people, and the continual battle to keep up with an evolving world while still holding onto their past. Through Silko’s
Although the Indians in I Heard The Owl Call My Name, and in The Black
...ust sees her dad’s strange actions. While someone that knows his story would see it as a final act of remembrance, putting Kiowa’s spirit and story to an end.
Cold Mountain is a beautiful love story that takes place during the Civil War in the year of 1864, and flashes back to 1861. W. P. Inman, the leading male role in the film, is shown at the beginning of the film in 1864 in the midst of Civil War. He is fighting on the confederate side, and experiences the pain and anguish that comes with war. He is trying desperately to go home to his new love, Ada, and treasures all the letters he receives from her. He decides to desert the war, and takes a deadly risk to be with her once again. As he is on his way back to Ada he encounters all different types of interesting people, all affected by the war in their own way. Inman eventually becomes captur...
One of the last values from The Lakota Way that really sticks with me is the idea of generosity. The story from this chapter that stuck out to me was about Sees the Bear and Left Hand. Sees the Bear was very generous, even when he didn’t have much for himself, he was still always willing to share his little with others. He shared his deer with the others even when it was a small deer. I think this is a very important value for the students to learn. I do not think it is necessary for them to always give even if they are unable, but the idea of caring about others and not so much about themselves is very important. A great time we will talk about this is around the holidays. We can participate in can drives and other activities to show the students
The way that Tapahonso describes the whole ordeal in detail is critical in describing the events in the poem but also in the format of oral story-telling. The author is telling a story to a daughter. A story that must have been passed down for generations and for generations to come. It is a important story that must be told because it explains the history of the Navajos and how the use of turquoise become a part of the traditional regalia. The story also tells how Navajo fry-bread become famous and is now considered a traditional food for all native tribes. Tapahonso gives strength and hope in 1864 to the younger generation by giving them education of their history.
When a person today thinks of Native Americans, the immediate image that emerges in one’s mind is the ‘typical Indian’, a person wearing a headdress of vibrant feathers and whom lives in a teepee. However, for members of the Cherokee Tribe this depiction could not be further from the truth or more offensive to the people of today or those who came before them (speakers). Throughout the book Blood Politics, Circe Sturm seeks to allow those outside the tribe to see the true race, culture and identity of the Cherokee people as both the past and present are explored.