Summary Of Tayo's Healing In The Ceremony

1707 Words4 Pages

Nilo Fernandes
fernandn@sonoma.edu
Tayo’s Healing in the Ceremony Novel










Sense of self (50 words min.)

The oral tradition serves the important function of maintaining the people, several oral biographies that permeate every aspect of the believing individual's existence. From a Native American's educational experience, the oral tradition provides instruction in the culture and beliefs of the people, transmits a sense of self, kinship, and tribal 6 identity; helps establish a close relationship with nature; unifies tribal history; explains ambiguities and natural phenomena; and teaches maintenance of the ways of the group. In short, the oral tradition provides the Native American with a way of life; a sense of self. In a sense, they …show more content…

The Southwest and, in particular, Laguna, are vital elements in the ceremony novel and thus worthy of consideration when discussing this novel. That section of the United States designated as the Southwest extends from the eastern border of New Mexico west to California, and from the northern borders of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico south to the Rio Grande and Mexico. Ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848, it is an area of distances and diversity. Within it lie plains, deserts, mesas, forested mountains, and …show more content…

Tayo had to learn to find power and strength from the old stories again and realize the importance of retaining them. Tayo had the opportunity to observe other veterans in the same position as him and to see how they were misled by the wrong stories and lack of healthy ceremonies and that they were constantly in pain.

Tayo had to learn that those who found peace from old traditions will be the ones that survive and those that live carelessly and ignorantly will only find more pain and suffering. Another major factor to Tayo’s healing is that he realized that the old stories are guides to navigating life. He understood that the stories are necessary to living a wiser and healthier

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