Symposium Week

Project Length: 5-7 minutes

For the final week of our course, each of you will present a brief summary of your research to the class. You may choose to summarize the central argument of your paper by reading your thesis and one or two of your close readings of passages. Or, you might decide to read sections of your paper that you most enjoyed writing. The format and content of this presentation are left entirely up to you. But, keep in mind that the point is to generate questions in and between members of your audience. If you have any questions in the meantime, please let me know.

Good luck!

A Note on the Heyoka Ceremony and the Ending of *Black Elk Speaks*

The ending to Black Elk seemed discontiguous. He initially ‘ends’ with the
seemingly definitive:  “There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree
is dead.” However, in the afterword the story continues and ends on a more
optimistic note. The two endings seem contradictory and there is little
reconciliation to be found between the two. The endings reminded me of a
passage found in the chapter called “Heyoka Ceremony” which I think
reflects the duality found in the last chapters of Black Elk. It says
“When a vision comes from the thunder beings of the west, it comes with
terror like a thunder storm; but when the storm of vision has passed, the
world is greener and happier.” Black Elk to me seems to be trying to say
that suffering and agony is followed by happiness and joy in the natural
order of things. “The world, you see, is happier after the terror of the
storm.” It seems to me that the ending of Black Elk is playing off the
fact that Black Elk’s visions are tied with the idea of a storm, as well
as the idea that suffering is inevitably followed by happiness. The vision
of suffering comes true in reality, but instead of ending with the circle
being broken and Black Elk’s personal failure, we see a light of hope. I
think this stems from said belief that troubles are inevitably followed by
their end. In Heyoka Ceremony, Black Elk compares suffering to a thunder
storm and I find it interesting that his visions seem to garner their
power from beings that are embodied in thunder and rain. The inclusion of
an afterword might also be playing off the idea that after a storm is over
greener pastures are sure to follow, the storm of course being the visions
seen by Black Elk. It seems like a bit of a stretch but I think this
interpretation could work.

~K. N.

Black Elk as the Messiah

Black Elk mirrors the Messiah. He feels the burden of his people’s sufferings, yet comes to love the burden and pity his people. Black Elk was given power from the Great Spirit to cure the sick, just as Jesus miraculously healed those who came to Him.

The journey of Black Elk to the secluded mountain with Few Tails parallels Christ’s actions and emotionality the night before He was arrested. Black Elk and Jesus travel to a secluded area for prayer and lamentation.

They both feel sorrow as a sickness. Jesus expresses this emotion, telling His disciples that “He is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Black Elk has often expressed how deep emotions of fear or even love are a disease. Before a vision Black Elk will feel queer and his first vision caused serious illness.

When alone, each shares their fear and begs for the Great Spirit/ God to release them from their duties. Jesus asks “may this cup be taken from me,” while Black Elk “begged the Grandfathers to pity [him] and spare [him]” (142). Though both are afraid, Black Elk and Jesus conclude that they will fulfill their callings if this is what the Great Spirit/ God desires. Once they reach this decision, to “do it if they could” (142), both are relieved of their fears and can focus on achieving what was asked of them.

Black Elk expresses in an aside that he wishes his vision could have been given to someone more worthy. He sees that though he cured the illnesses of many people, he didn’t succeed in saving his nation. This sentiment may have been felt by Jesus while on the cross, seeing the hatred of those condemning Him to death and wondering if He did any good on this Earth. Even now, if He is looking upon us, the hatred and anger that still remains may cause Him to feel like Black Elk, that He failed.

~E.D.

A Time of Change: A note on Chapters 13-17 in *Black Elk Speaks*

In Chapters 13-17, we notice a large magnitude of change in Black Elk.
Black Elkuses his vision to help his people escape an attack from the
Blackfeet, experiences a lot of anxiety surrounding his vision and his ability
to utilize it successfully,overcomes his anxiety with the help of some of his
parents, Black Road and Bear Sings, and becomes one of the medicine
men.He sees another vision, and also sees his group suffer the effects of
the U.S. Government displacing them off their land. We also see Black
Elk become 19 years old and begin his new reputation as a healer.

Chapter 13 is the first place where the reader is able to notice Black
Elk’s anxiety surrounding his vision. It all starts out when Black Elk’s
vision ends up in saving his village.  More specifically, when Black
Elk and some other members of his group are moving towards the
settlement they used to live at.  Black Elk suddenly gets an odd feeling
that this had something to do with his vision when he starts to hear a
clear voice telling him to “Be careful and watch.” He climbs to the top
of a bluff to get a better vantage point, and he notices that there are
Blackfeet Indians planning an attack on his village.  After Black Elk prays
to the spirits and the grandfathers of his vision, he proceeds to warn the
people of his village.  They all flee quickly, and a large thundercloud comes
above.  Black Elk states that he knew it came to protect them, as it did not
have much rain, but was full of lightning and voices, and clearly was a part
of the vision.  He says, “I knew better than ever now that I really had power,
for I had prayed for help from the Grandfathers and they had heard me and
sent the thunder beings to hide us and watch over us while we fled.”
Although this was all a success, now Black Elk has a great sense of anxiety,
as he feels like he has a significant burden now. He even states “A terrible
time began for me,” referring to everyone in his village feeling a sense of
accomplishment and wanting time to celebrate while Black Elk senses
anxiety from his pressure to perform.   When Black Elk sees thunderstorms
he fears that the spirits in the thunder will demand him to know his vision
and to use it to save his people. Black Elk, however, is confused, and this
lack of certainty in deciphering his vision makes him nervous.

Chapter 14 is a place where the vision is talked about more and
is given more importance.  In this chapter, details of the vision
are applied to other things, and we see it as taking intangible
ideas and constructing tangible things that represent parts of the
vision, and all of this happens through collaboration amongst
members of his group.  For one, the vision is used to construct
something physical for the first time - Black Road and Bear Sings
work on a sacred teepee with scenes and symbols from Black
Elk’s vision.  Black Elk also teaches songs of his vision with
others.  Further, Black Elk’s mother and father help facilitate to
enact the vision by getting horses, maidens, and riders all
together and painted.  The enactment works and Black Elk sees
the original vision he had.  There is a lot of singing, and even a
thundercloud comes above.  The sacred pipe is passed along,
and Black Elk is happy, regains his confidence, is no longer
nervous, and is one of the medicine men.

Black Elk receives another vision in Chapter 15, and has many
similarities to the first vision.  Black Elk sees flying men, the herb,
the sacred pipe, the flowering stick, arrows, birds, and the four
quarters of the Earth, and butterflies and dogs. He is empowered
by the spirits to restore his people against the actions of the White
Men.  Black Elk learns that this is a rare vision that has been granted to
him, and that he has twenty days to perform for his people. 

Chapter 16 is all about the actual enacting of the dog vision.  A dog is
killed, it is boiled, and Black Elk rides past the dog and spears it.
In Chapter 17, we see Black Elk digress and talk about a complete
tangent to the story: the discussion of the sacredness of the circle,
and his resentment of square living structures.  Further, we see that
Black Elk is now 19 years old, so we begin to see that he has undergone
significant change.  He performs his first healing, after he finds the
herb that he saw in his vision.  It is a success, and now we see Black
Elk state he is busy most of the time healing people.

So what do you guys think? How else have we seen Black Elk change?


~A.R.

A Note on Death in *Black Elk Speaks*

One of the more striking commonalities that I found after reading
chapters 10-12 was the theme of death and the impact it had on Black
Elk’s life. Following the Battle of Little Big Horn, the Lakota’s were
increasingly being pushed and driven away from their land. Death was
frequently the only alternative to not abiding to the process of
assimilation and following the orders of the Waishus (whites). Also,
this theme of death was foreshadowed from Black Elk’s vision when his
fourth Grandfather showed him a black road leading from west to east and
how it explained great trouble. I saw this black road as path of the
Lakota and how the road resembles the troubles forced upon by whites and
the ultimate result of death.

In chapter 11, the iconic leader Crazy Horse is killed and has a
profound effect on Black Elk and his father. Crazy Horse was a legendary
warrior and refused to surrender to the whites and the federal program
for managing Indians. He refused to live on a reservation and was
eventually killed while captive as he tried to escape. The death of this
legendary leader is a great example of the theme of death seen in this
segment of Black Elk’s life.

In the chapter “Grandmother’s Land”, Black Elk and his people leave for
Canada to meet up with Sitting Bull so they would not have to live upon
a reservation. There is more death recorded during this chapter after
the Lakota have a few fights with the Crow Indians. The deaths of Brave
Wolf and Hard-to-hit portray the Lakota’s reputation of being brave and
courageous, as Brave Wolf sacrificed his life for a beautiful girl and
Hard-to-Hit was killed defending a fellow Lakota. Although these deaths
were acts of heroism, the overall tone of these chapters surrounded
death and was rather morbid for Black Elk and his fellow tribesmen. At
the end of the chapter, Black Elk and his people feel homesick and are
battling a brutal winter searching for food. It seems that Black Elk and
the Lakota’s are doing what they can to survive and avoid the increasing
alternative of death that was foreshadowed by the fourth grandfather in
his vision.

A Discussion of Vision in *Black Elk Speak

Black Elk finally decides to reveal his visions.  When he does, the elders
decide to make it more tangible and paint it out.  They also decided to have
it acted out in fear that if they did not, something bad would happen.  This
Horse Dance is very intricate with many participants, use of colors and
symbols, and inclusion of song.

In class we mentioned the idea of disabilities portrayed in the
autobiography.  The visions that Black Elk had caused him to be sick, as
mentioned in the story quite frequently.   I think it is interesting that
this disability led to the restoration of other things.  Black Elk seems to
have been better after he did what he was told to do.  Also, people who were
sick got better after he did the dance, and the horses seemed to be
healthier too.  This disability turns into something that Black Elk has
learned to embrace.

Black Elk becomes very in tuned with his visions.  He uses it to find
meaning in what he has to do to help his nation.  At the age of seventeen,
it is a lot to take on.  Having such important visions and having to make
something out of it requires a lot of maturity.  Although he does question
himself at times, I think overall he feels that he has an obligation to his
gift.  He pushes away all the fear and understands that this “disability”
should be conquered and used to help his nation.

I would also like to mention intricacy of the Horse Dance.  The inclusion of
numbers, colors, direction and song all seem to have a sense of harmony. 
When he was having these visions, they felt unorganized and he couldn’t
truly make sense of them, but the Horse Dance came around and everything
seemed to be so organized and harmonious.  This was a little weird to me.

Any thoughts?

A Note on Chapters 10-12 in *Black Elk Speaks*

   After reading these three chapters, I realized that they reflect a common
phrase I have heard, “no good deed goes unpunished.” In chapters ten
through twelve, Black Elk describes how his tribe yearns to be back on
their land to live peacefully. Yet, they are constantly driven away,
while fighting between the tribe and soldiers continues to ensue. Black
Elk states, “Wherever we went, the soldiers came to kill us, and it was
all our own country. It was ours already when the Wasichus made the
treaty with Red Cloud, that said it would be ours as long as grass should
grow and water flow. That was only eight winters before, and they were
chasing us now because we remembered and they forgot.” They fled their
land to save their people, but no matter what they did they were met with
death. In “The Rubbing Out of Long Hair,” Black Elk describes how
soldiers came and starting shooting the tepees while the tribe was
sleeping. The tribe could be in the most peaceful state, and yet they are
met with harm. He then later describes a story about the man called Brave
Wolf “who did a very great deed,” in the chapter “Grandmother’s Land.”
Brave Wolf saved a young girl’s life and died saving her and while
defending soldiers from two elders that were stuck in the mud, “he stood
there by the two old people and fought until all three were killed.”
Black Elk also describes a brave deed made by his cousin, Hard-to-Hit,
who also died.
      I find that Black Elk has a reason for writing this theme “no good deed
goes unpunished,” into his autobiography due to the audience of the time.
I believe that he wants people to understand that they faced injustice,
and while they were trying to live in peace, the Wasichus were causing
pain and suffering to innocent people. Black Elk’s tribe was not always
so “innocent” when it came to wars, but I believe working in this theme,
is his way to make the reader forget about the tribes faults. Black Elk’s
tribe had made advancements on other tribes and the Wasichus, but a way
of using these descriptions, Black Elk attempts to justify that they had
reason to harm others because “we were all alone there in that country
that was ours and had been stolen from us.”
      As he describes good deeds tribal members had made, I believe it is
done to convey that these the tribal men only fought for the innocent. I
understand that what happened to the tribe was unjust, but I feel that
Black Elk makes a point to include these deeds, to make the audience of
the time feel sympathetic. During this period, many still looked down
upon the Native tribes, so Black Elk used his voice to attempt to change
this. Black Elk’s tribe, and all Native tribes, dealt with many
injustices, but Black Elk’s way of intertwining this theme into his
narrative, is an attempt to gain pity.

A Note on *Black Elk Speaks*

The most striking images from the opening of Black Elk Speaks come from
the chapter describing his extraordinary vision. He starts out with a
disclaimer stating that the following text is not a story and then begins
telling a tale filled with unbelievable occurrences. He speaks frequently
of animals speaking and changing form, of trees sprouting out instantly
from the ground, and of dying things coming back to life. At first I was
unaware that this was a dream, and I questioned the fact that this book is
intended to be autobiographical. He speaks of this great vision as
something that has indeed happened to him yet the events that occur are
physically impossible as we know it. Not until the end of the chapter did
I realize that this vision occurred during a dream while Black Elk was
deathly ill.

After realizing this vision occurred only in Black Elk’s mind, I was
astonished at his ability to recall the events so vividly. Even though he
had this dream at the age of 9, Black Elk is able to reiterate the events
down to exact words that the “Powers of the World” had spoken to him. The
entire chapter is covered with colorful adjectives and not a single
detail is left out. Black Elk describes every color, every number, and
every event so vibrantly that I question his ability to recall the vision
so accurately when it occurred during a state of comatose.


In the next chapter, Black Elk reassures the reader that even he is
surprised at how much of the vision he can recall. The images often
reappear in his head and he often tricks himself into thinking that he is
in this alternate universe. As he gets older, he is able to draw further
meaning from the vision and better understand the events that happened.
Although Black Elk was able to fully recover from his illness, his
perception of reality was forever changed. I think that this was a
defining moment of his life and it was likely a large contributing factor
for Black Elk becoming a tribal leader and a famous Indian author.

~A.A.

Discontinuity in Winnemucca's Accounts and Actions

Although Winnemucca’s novel is a chronologically ordered account
of her life experiences, there is a lot of discontinuity in her accounts,
causing me to pause a lot to contemplate why she left such a breaks
between events. For instance, when she saved her father and his tribe
from the Bannocks, they learned that the Bannocks discovered their
attempt to escape and followed them, capturing Egan’s tribe and attempting
to retrieve her father’s tribe. Sarah, then, left them to call for reinforcement
and assistance from the General in order to save them. However, Sarah
does  not mention whether the general’s soldiers saved her father’s tribe
in time before the Bannocks captured them, leaving us to question the
condition of her father and their tribe. She does eventually mention
- though indirect and very much later- the condition of their tribe.
Why does Sarah hold back such important facts and wait to tell them
much later? Does she divulge the facts as they come to mind?

Certainty, the discontinuity is conveyed through her many “distractions”
or changes in her journey. Initially given money to go to Washington D.C.
to advocate for a better agent and to tell of the suffering of her people, she
sets off, only to find herself unable to travel any further due to a war. Then,
abruptly, she agrees to help serve as a translator to the U.S. army and
provide any services required by them. What happened to her initial
promise to her people then? Has she told them of her inability to travel to
Washington D.C.? Later on, after the war, they ask her to go to Washington
D.C. again for similar concerns and needs. It seems as if they always have
to raise concerns about their people and to constantly remind her to
tell the white men.

In addition to the discontinuity of her actions, she lacks a lot of information
in several events, leaving many events unexplained and almost blank. For
example, after agreeing to help the U.S. Army, the man that has been
traveling with her and paying her to take his little girl along with her travels
proposes to. The proposal was definitely unexpected and very peculiar
because she does not reveal any prior experiences with him or account of
him during their journey. What was their relationship like? Obviously, it was a
close relationship since the daughter was very attached to her. So why didn’t
she include their experiences in the journey that may have contributed to
his actions?

~J.L.

Power, Greed, and Betrayal in *Life Among the Piutes*

Throughout the of remaining book, Piutes goes through this fluctuation of
acts of kindness and acts of harshness by the white people. Many of the
agents assigned to the Piutes have all treated them horribly and are
consumed by greed. However, Mr. Parrish, a good agent, is introduced in
“The Malheur Agency.” He is the only fair and sincere agent that the Piutes
loved and wanted because he gave them food, money, and education.
When he left, Mr. Reinhard was assigned and abuse of the Piutes is
seen again. This theme of abuse of power by the agents is not only directed
towards the Piutes but also directed towards the government. The agents
deceive the Piutes by using the government in order to benefit themselves
(“put money in their pockets”). The phrase “Big Father in Washington told
me to tell you” is, often used as a reason to do whatever the agents wants.

Winnemucca is a perfect example of taking on the male gender roles in the
“Bannock War” by travelling, speaking on Piutes behalf, and being named
as “Chieftain.” The idea of Winnemucca being her grandfather in the
beginning chapters is further illustrated. On page 151, there is this portrayal
of Winnemucca when she was a little girl through the character of Morton’s
little girl. This scene of her having to leave and the little girl crying in
order to talk to the white people is almost the same as when Winnemucca
was a little girl and her grandfather went to CA.

There is this theme of betrayal in “Bannock War” when Oytes becomes part
of the Bannock and when  Native Americans not only start killing white
people but also any Native Americans who are involved with whites. I
can’t reallyblame Oytes and his men under the circumstances of being
abuses, starved, and death of family members. However, the most
horrifying scene I think would be on page 182-183 where Egan was cut
into pieces and his wife being scalped by Umatilla Indians.

I can understand why  Winnemucca people would think that she sold
out them out. Sometimes I feel as if all she did when her people suffered
was translate. She didn’t really say anything that would help the Piutes
other than the translation of what the Piutes said themselves. She was
very “obedient.”  Not until page 239, near the end of the book, does she
actually confront Mr. Wilbut and say something about the treatment of
the Piutes. Although she got a letter saying that the Piutes will be treated
fair, it seemed as it never happened. In a way she married a white man
and kind of just left her people.

Warfare and Mourning in Captain Truckee’ Death

This section had some interesting parts in it. Structurally, I thought
that the description of how the white men had been gambling and had
killed the two Indians for money was a little out of place. The chapter
starts out with Captain Truckee, takes a slight detour to the story of
the white men gambling, and then returns to center on the grandfather.
For me, it was a little awkward. I also thought it was interesting that
the man who was taking care of her grandfather before his death was a
doctor and not a medicine man, although the doctor speaks of entering the
Spirit land as well as entering into Heaven. This points to the idea that
the grandfather had taken it upon himself to absorb some of his ‘white
brother’s’ ways. This is really random, but I also thought that the idea
of the Spirit land itself was really cool. I’ve never heard of a religion
in which there is no punishment or reward for the good and bad done
during someone’s life.

The grandfather’s death itself was also notable. The narrator’s distress
at her grandfather’s death was of course understandable, but it was also
a departure from her stoicism and anger at having to encounter the white
man on his behalf. She even says  “I had father, mother brothers, and
sisters; it seemed I would rather lose all of them than my poor grandpa.”
To her, Captain Truckee was not just a grandfather but a “great man”; he
was what bound together the tribes and was her foundation. His delusion
kept her family moving, and with his death so died the veneer of
friendship with the whites. In addition, the mourning by his family was
also touching, even if unhygienic.

The chapter ends with descriptions of two different wars. In one, the
whites take prisoner two young Indian girls and tie them up in their
basement while feigning innocence. This is not the first time that whites
have preyed on young Indian girls in the story, and the young Sara
Winnemucca must have had even more reason to be terrified of the whites
after hearing such stories of kidnapped girls. After the girls’ tribe
takes them back and murders the two white men, they are called
bloodthirsty savages and a war begins between the Piutes and the whites.
The Piutes are “victorious”. In the next battle sequence, the Piutes wage
war against an enemy tribe that dug holes in order to capture tired
Piutes at night in order to eat them. They end up chasing the remainder
of the enemy tribe into a cave and setting them on fire, after many
attempts to have them assimilate into their own tribe. I’m not sure what
the connection between these two tales of warfare is. Perhaps the whites
are supposed to be compared to the bloodthirsty cannibal tribe in the way
that they as a country literally feed upon the land and wealth of the
Indian nation? Either way, the very last paragraph was littered with tiny
facts and reminiscences that were abrupt after a long winding story. I’m
not sure if the idea of her having reddish hair on her head, as well as
on a dress, is supposed to be significant here, and if so in what way?

Final Research Paper Assignment

Hello Everyone:

Below you'll find the prompt for your final research assignment of the semester. The same instructions will be distributed on paper in class this Friday.

Draft Due Date: April 23rd
Final Due Date: April 30th

Project Length: 8-10 pages

For your final research project pick two of the autobiographies that we have read (or will read) and compare them. Your topic/thesis may examine a common or convergent theme in the two texts. Use your thesis to clearly structure your argument, and be certain to provide evidence to support your claims.

You are also required to incorporate no fewer than three and no more than five outside sources for this project, to be cited in the style guide of your choice. We will discuss how to better use these sources in Friday's class, as well as how to annotate these sources in your bibliography.

If you have any questions, about the prompt or the bibliography, please let me know in class, via email, or on the comments section below.

Good Luck!

A Note on the Ending of *American Indian Stories*

The ending of Zitkala-Sa’s American Indian Stories, starting with the
chapter of “A Dream of Her Grandfather” heavily emphasized the
influence and negative effects towards the Indians from the
bureaucrats and white men back east. For most of the novel, Zitkala-Sa
shares many important stories about herself and her Indian heritage.
Both “The Widespread Enigma Concerning Blue-Star Woman” and “A Dream
of Her Grandfather” continued that theme of sharing oral tradition and
Native American Folklore. The first story was about a dream she had
about her Grandfather who died in Washington and gave her a gift in
the form of a vision for her people. The vision included a picture of
a village and the people rejoicing. This dream of her instilled a new
belief of hope, but I understood this dream as a vision of what her
tribe once had, and was now ruined because of the white people.

The second story focused on the Blue-Star woman who made a deal with
her nephews in order for her to own land. However, as the nephews made
a deal with the U.S. Government, the land given to Blue-Star Woman was
taken away from other Indians. Trying to help out his people, the
chief of the tribe whose land was taken away decided to write a letter
to the bureaucrats. Unsuccessful, he was tried for attempting to burn
down an agency building and sent to prison. For upon his release, he
had to give up half of his land. These stories provide evidence of how
even when supposed “good actions” were being enacted to help Indians,
the whites were really deceiving the Indians and taking more away from
them.

I believe that at the end of the novel she may have brought this
influence of the white man into a greater microscope in order to
perhaps inform the audience about the continued hardships that Indians
suffer from. The last chapter is titled “America’s Indian Problem” and
describes different scenarios of how the government has slighted the
Indians. For a while, I didn’t understand what Zitkala-Sa was trying
to have the reader get from reading her Native American Stories. After
finishing the novel, and reading the last few chapters, I believe
Zitkala-Sa was trying to inform people of the wrongdoings of the
whites by sharing her own experiences and maybe providing call to
action for people to try and make a difference in the future.

~R. G.

A Note on "Blue Star Woman" and Deception in Zitkala Sa's *American Indian Stories*

Obviously, there is a lot of deception between the white settlers and the
Native Americans, mostly coming from one side. The story of the Blue Star
Woman nearly exemplifies all the deception that the whites used to swindle
American Indians. Blue Star woman is poor, does not have any land, and
does not have an identity that states she belongs to a tribe. Since BSW
has no family, no one is willing to help her. Sadly, BSW is easy prey for
anyone who even pretends to help her, such as the two "nephews."

The two "nephews" deceive BSW quite easily into giving them half of her
land once they are able to get it for her. How they do get it from the
Sioux is unknown and probably further due to deception. The fact that it
is not mentioned in the story is a bit deceiving in itself. Did the men
deceive more people in order to get the land and make similar deals? How
much influence with the U.S. government did they really have to help a
little old lady get some land? All the reader knows is that BSW is awarded
a plot of land on the Sioux reservation.

The fact that the Sioux had to give up land to an unknown lady is
deceiving too because it is strange that they did not know the woman -
assuming she lived close by. When the chief of the Sioux was sent to jail,
he saw a dream of the Statue of Liberty's torch touching all Indian
reservations. He believed this was a good thing because light is a good
thing normally. However, his dream may have deceived him. The light was
white, which could represent the influence the white people are having on
the natives. The Statue of Liberty obviously appears friendly, but so did
the white settlers at first. The chief interpreted the dream as a good
omen, but it could have been a warning of things to come.

And it was a forewarning. The "friendliness" occurs when he is released
from jail and all rejoice. However, the trick comes when the two "nephews"
appear and tell him of the agreement they made to surrender half of their
land in exchange for the chief's release. Why would two American Indians
betray their people like that? Was the dream really a warning? How did the
two nephews get the land for Blue Star Woman?

A.L.

Tone and Female characters in Zitkala Sa's "American Indian Stories"

This section of Zitkala-Sa's autobiography seems to be a continuation
from the shift of her personal experiences to that of oral tradition and
Native American folklore. The folklore in this section in particular, however,
emphasizes on individual female characters: the warrior's daughter,
the woman who dreamt of her grandfather, and Blue-Star woman. The
women in the stories all share unique qualities that seem to separate
themselves from the typical stereotype of vulnerable and weak Native
American females. For instance, all of the females acquire independence
to some extent, a characteristic that seems to highlight only a few Indian
women in Indian communities. In "A Warrior's Daughter", the female inherits
her father's courage- if courage was a heritable trait- and boldness,
managing to rescue her lover as well as murder the man who
captured her lover. In the account of her heroic actions, the readers
see a reversal in gender roles, where her lover is deemed feminine-
being "numb and helpless, staggers nigh to falling" and she is
characterized with masculine qualities- "The sight of his weakness
makes her strong. A mighty power thrills her body...Tusee lifts him
upon her broad shoulders" (Zitkala-Sa 69). Accustomed to the
traditional depiction of Indian males being strong and able, it is
interesting that in this tale the male does not seem to contribute
to his escape at all and the female is the one who "carries him
away into the open night" (69). The unique reversal in gender
roles overrides the stereotype and reveals the power that Indian
females hold that is largely unaccounted for in Indian culture.

Although the woman who dreamt of her grandfather and the
Blue-Star woman do not exemplify as much courage as Tusee,
they are still very independent for Indian woman, but differ in
the tonality of their stories. The woman in "A Dream of Her
Grandfather", a political character representing the Sioux nation
in Washington, has a dream that seems to predict a prosperous
and hopeful future, a mystical feature in Native American belief.
In some sense, the woman's dream does come true since the
readers see in Blue-Star Woman that the government gives
some land to people who claim to be of Indian descent. This
bitter sweet reimbursement of the American government for
taking Indian lands marks the rise of other problems, where
people who do not have records of their identity are not given
land or land is taken from some Indians to give to new Indian
people claiming land. For instance, in the story of the Blue-Star
Woman, Blue-Star Woman seems to be a victim targeted by
tricksters of their own people- her nephews- in pursuit for land.
The tricksters- who are Indians themselves- that take advantage
of the traditional Indians' lack of knowledge of the American ways
to gain their land marks a bitter ending to Indian culture since
younger generations do not acquire the cultural values of respect
and of assisting those in need. Aside from revealing Indian stories
that uphold independent females, Zitkala-Sa uses the tones of the
stories to suggest the fall of the Indian tradition to American culture.
What other purpose might there be for Zitkala-Sa's order of the stories?

~J. L.

A Note on Gender Reversals in "A Warrior's Daughter"

“A Warrior’s Daughter” was a little different from the other stories we’ve
experienced among the autobiographies we have read.  Maybe because
we went from male authors to a female author that this story seems
unusual.  Different points of views may be expressed as the gender
changes.  A woman experiencing life in a Native American tribe is quite
different from that of a man.  Their roles in life are completely different
as seen through the depiction from all the autobiographies that we
have read.

Zitkala-Sa’s “A Warrior’s Daughter” was a little different because it
expressed a more romantic, love-story kind of style.  In addition, it
was also different in that we experienced a woman entering into a
masculine role.  The woman of the name Tusee conjured up bravery
in order to save her “lover” seemed very heroic, but different because
it was done by a female.  In past readings, especially with *The Life
of Black Hawk, *it was always the men killing other men, never a woman.
Also, quite surprisingly, she outsmarted a man and went as far as
killing him too.  I just felt that this was out of the ordinary and a much
displaced gender role.

At the end of the story there is an interesting juxtaposition.  The sentence
goes, “the sight of his weakness makes her strong” (69).  Generally, the
association is usually male with strength and female with weak, but we
see it switched here.  It was a woman that embodies this masculine
concept—strength.  This sentence just stood out to me because the
idea of strength and bravery isn’t too common among women of Native
American tribes. We experience courage, bravery, and strength among
the warrior men as seen through our other reading, *The Life of Black
Hawk*, but not too much with women.

Understanding that this was written by a woman, maybe we are experiencing
a sense of women empowerment by Zitkala-Sa.  To see a woman
outsmart a man and even kill him, to see that a woman can express the
strength of her passion seems to be very empowering for women.

Any thoughts?

~H. N.

A Note on "The Trial Path" and "A Warrior's Daughter"

With "The Trial Path" and "A Warrior's Daughter" we get our first two folk
tales that include war between Native Americans. What is also interesting
to note, is the fact that both stories put a strong emphasis on the role
as a father in Native American society. From what Zitkala-Sa has told us
she grew up in a time period when Native Americans were becoming
somewhatAmericanized. Many of the younger Indians within her tribe were
actuallycoming back wearing the "white man's clothing". Her mother even
began to let go of some of the basic Indian ways of living, and adopt some
Americanstyles of living. With this said we have to wonder where exactly
these stories are coming from, and what the significance of these stories are.

What really struck me was how much these two stories emphasized the
fatherrole in Indian society. In one story the father is the deciding factor of
what is to happen to the young man that murdered his son. In the other
story the father is the keeper of his daughter and deciding who is worthy
to court her and who is not. Perhaps this is Zitkala-Sa's way of trying to
convey what she missed out growing up as a child. Perhaps she saw the
role of a father in Native American society as important to the growth of
young Indians. These are just my inferences but In any case, this is
something to think about during the next class.

Something else I noticed in the story of "The Trial Path" is how the horse
was named "Ohiyesa". The name "Ohiyesa" must have some sort of
significance within the Sioux Indian culture, because Charles Eastman was
also known as "Ohiyesa". Both stories also emphasize love and courtship.
The family of the slain son find forgiveness and end up loving the
murderer as their own son. In "A Warrior's Daughter" the woman is so in
love with this man that she enters enemy territory and finds the strength
to save him from captivity. We also have to wonder if this similarity
between these two stories means anything. Did Zitkala-Sa intend to
emphasize the strength of Native American emotion? Again we have to
wonder within the context of her life what the significance of these stories
are, or if it's not that then maybe she finds it significant for her readers to
learn.

~D. A.

A Note on “A Dream of Her Grandfather”

After reading “A Dream of Her Grandfather” I came to realize that false
hope was common feeling Native Americans experienced. Although, this
section was only two pages, it has had the most impact on me. Native
Americans have fought for what little they have acquired, and it is still
evident that the present generations are still in pursuit for what
belongs to them. Zitkala-sa describes her grandfather as a Dakota
“medicine man,” whom was one of the first to be involved in the affairs
concerning the tribes in Washington D.C. She describes his efforts as
“humanitarian,” and once she grew up she followed in his “footsteps.” She
fought long and hard for the welfare of her people, but as we can see
today, they never got what they deserved.

This dream that Zitkala-sa describes was “eye-opening” for me because it
showed how no matter the circumstances, Native Americans always have
hope. In this section the granddaughter dreams of a cedar chest, from her
grandfather, but it was absent of what she had hoped were the treasured
relics that she once looked upon and coveted. Instead she found something
more remarkable, a vision. I found it interesting that as she gazed upon
the “vision” it grew more real to her to the point of exceeding the
dimensions of the chest. The vision was of a “circular camp...astir with
Indian people,” who stood around and listened to the chieftain crier. He
proclaimed to the people, “Be glad! Rejoice! Look up, and see the new day
dawning! Help is near! Hear me, every one.” I found this uplifting, but I
also discerned that this was false hope that the granddaughter felt.

In my opinion, Native Americans needed this hope, to get through the
tribulations they faced. After reading the last section “America’s Indian
Problem,” clearly Native Americans were always one of the government’s
last thoughts. The administration was clearly inadequate, and continues
to be to this day. Yes, measures have been taken to improve reservations,
but that isn’t enough. This false hope that Zitkala-sa generation had was
necessary to spark the need to fight for their rights. They needed to
have faith that everything was going to work out in the end, if they
didn’t it is possible to think that everything that has been done for the
Natives, despite how limited it had been, may not have happened. I have
many friends that live on the Yurok reservation, and from what I have
seen many have lost hope that there will be better times. It is true,
they are continuing to fight for rights to what is inherently theirs, but
do they see a “new day dawning,” any day soon; no they don’t. Much of
this hope has been lost, but my question is can it be restored and was
hope really needed for the past generations?

~A. Z.

A Note on “The Soft-Hearted Sioux” in *American Indian Stories*

From the second I turned the page to start the chapter titled “The
Soft-Hearted Sioux,” I knew that something was different. At first I
wondered why the segmentation of the chapter was accomplished
with Roman numerals as opposed to summarizing headlines.  After
reading the first paragraph, I thought it was kind of strange that the
author all of a sudden has a father in her life, and soon after, it
appeared that the author had changed sexes. This obviously was
not the case, but it definitely caught me by surprise that the author
would start talking about someone else in the first person point of view
in the midst of her autobiographical novel. Does anyone know the purpose
of doing so?
    However, while reading this chapter, I was immediately able to draw
connections to Zitkala-Sa’s life. This boy who she speaks of also spent
his early years of life as a customary Indian, but left home to go to a
white missionary school against the will of his parents. As he was
getting educated, the boy found himself becoming more and more
accustomed to the white man’s ways while further distancing himself
from his Native Indian culture. The skills and knowledge he was obtaining
was valued in the eyes of the pale faces but worthless in the eyes of his
family.
    Upon his return home, the boy was met with the unfortunate news that
his father was dying. His purpose was to spread the Christian faith to his
old tribe and initially he had an optimistic view of the outcome.
However, he soon came to the bitter realization that after all his
schooling, he had nothing to show to his parents. He impressed no one.
Even his own father at his deathbed said to him on repeated occasions:
“My son, your soft heart has unfitted you for everything!” “Your soft
heart will let me starve before you bring me meat!” Sure enough, that is
exactly what happened. The boy was initially content in his decision to
leave his family and go to school, but in the end, (as his parents
foreshadowed) it failed him completely. Although this story was a sort of
digression from the rest of the autobiography, I feel that Zitkala-Sa
inserted this piece in order to convey that she may have made the same
mistake. After she was unable to finish college due to sickness, she was
scared to tell her mother because she would have blamed her misfortunes
on the white man’s “papers.” She further states that “such a rebuke from
my mother would have been unbearable, and as I felt then it would be far
too true to be comfortable.”

~A.A.

A Note on Returning Home in *American Indian Stories*

Zitkala-sa’s writings in “Retrospection” particularly stood out for me. After visiting her mother, Zitkala-sa makes a startling realization about herself. She has completely discarded her faith, her connection to the natural world, friends, family, and her people. She reveals, “For the white man’s papers I had given up my faith in the Great Spirit…I had forgotten the healing in trees and brooks…my mother’s simple view of life…I had been uprooted from my mother, nature, and God.” Working with the “civilized” white people, she has lost her substance. Zitkala-Sa has left her nest, ventured out into the outside modern world, only to realize her true wish to reunite with her roots. Interestingly, she sees herself as “a cold bare pole I seemed to be, planted in a strange earth.” This image of a pole being planted in the earth is very indicative of
what is going on for her. Zitkala-sa, having separated from her home on the reservation with her people, has lost her roots and her branches. She has morphed into a cold modern pole. All she is left to ponder with is the idea that perhaps her life is not “real life,” but more like a “long-lasting death” where she doesn’t quite belong in either her old world or the “civilized” world.

A Note on the Ending of *The Life of Black Hawk*

Ending?

I found the ending to Black Hawk very unsatisfying. I felt the book
had a strange change in tone after the Battle of Bad Axe. When Black
Hawk went to visit the Great Father, it seemed that nothing the he or
his chieftains could do was wrong; they all treated Black Hawk with
extreme ‘generosity’ and ‘kindness. Black Hawk marvels at the
ingenuity of building a railroad and says that the white people were
deserving of praise. Suddenly Black Hawk has transformed from being a
tenacious and brave war chief, wondering at the morality of a people
who would preach “do unto others as you would have done to you” and
then take someone else’s land and slaughter their people, into a
cheerful and grateful tourist. Black Hawk had repeatedly emphasized
the importance of seeking vengeance for those who had died at the
hands of an enemy, but after the slaughter of many men and women of
his tribe he seemed all to ready to enter into friendship with the
Americans. He also seems to emphasize in the last pages the
trustworthiness of the Americans, although it is evident that the
Americans were anything but fatherly or trustworthy to his people.
I thought it was interesting that at one point Black Hawk says that the
Americans killed many women and children during battle, and that they
had cowardly allowed Sioux to do the same. Interestingly, he later has
to justify that he never killed white women and children to the American people.

It seemed to me that Black Hawk has criticisms for other aspects
of the white culture, until he is defeated and all of the faults of the
Americans are forgotten. Instead, it is Black Hawk who must prove
himself to the whites. It reminded me of another rare directly critical
passage where Black Hawk says that the whites can commit as many
indiscretions as they want, but will be forgiven if they repent later,
while Indians must be good at all times. In light of that, I think that
this work was not written to be a seething commentary of the injustices
done to the Indians with reconciliation at the end, although at times
Black Hawk does interrupt the rather dry text with questions of morality
and criticisms of the whites. It is clear that even these interjections
are overshadowed by descriptions of the “Good Father”. I think that the
work could function rather as a vindication of the Indian’s goodness in
the eyes of the American reader.

I did not enjoy reading this book overall. I did not expect Black Hawk to
end with solicitations of friendship and gratitude for the way he was
received by the whites after his defeat. It was hard to read the ending
because I felt as though it differed so completely with where I thought
the narrative was going.

A Note on Marriage and Femininity in *The Life of Black Hawk*

In the chapter "Black Hawk's Tower", the author describes several types of human interactions in his tribe. There's a cute passage about the marriage selection process: the man would carry a torch into the tent where the women sleep. If the woman agrees to his courtship, she would blow out the torch, if not, the torch would stay lit, and the man will be playing flute outside the tent the next day, and he would try again the next night. This process shows that women absolutely had the power of choice when it came to marriage. It's not like the forced arranged marriage scheme that many Westerners would imagine when it comes to the selection process.

There's also the relationship between the young warriors and their fathers who were veteran warriors. At the crane dances they young warrior would proudly recount his experience in war, and this makes their fathers proud. This shows a strong sense of family, where the father is emotionally vested in nurturing the sons to become brave warriors.

There's also a line about "women plant the corns, and when they're done we make the feast." This shows that women don't always do the cooking. Sometimes cooking, such as for a feast, is a masculine behavior. This is a departure from the stereotypical minority gender role where women do all the cooking.

~Y.J.

A Note on Retaliation and Terminology in *The Life of Black Hawk*

In this twenty page section Black Hawk begins to describe the treatment Native American's suffered at the hands of the Americans. A very confusing part in this section was how Black Hawk refers to people as "British father", "Great chief", or "trader". Some of the time there were footnotes to describe who the people were that Black Hawk was referring to but other times there wasn't. This got a little confusing especially with all the village names he throws at you. He travels a lot so it's hard to keep track of where he is and who he's talking to. This really shows how much Native Americans relied on the advice of their "white" counterparts.

I found it interesting that a lot of the times that Black Hawk was asking people for advice, they were not other Indians. He was constantly traveling to other cities/villages to speak with "Great chiefs" or "traders" to get advice about whether or not to leave his village. I guess he does this because he doesn't have access to the important "whites" trying to take over his village, but in this way he and his tribal mates have easily been taken advantage of before. They trusted the "whites" when
they signed the paper that sold their land, and the "whites" were constantly instigating the Indians and stealing from their lands.

A reoccurring theme I saw in this section were the cultural differences pertaining to war between the Americans and Indians. To the Americans, soldiers are replaceable, while to the Indians they try to preserve life. Black Hawk makes comments that shows he prides himself in not losing many of his soldiers. You can also see the differences as far as negotiations work. Perhaps this is because of the language barriers but the Native Americans seem more level headed. The Americans wanted Black Hawk to leave
his land and didn't really care whether he wanted to or not, because they were just going to take it by force. The Native Americans seem more willing to have peace, by not retaliating when the "whites" do harm to people of their tribe.

~J.A.

Searching Out Sources: Pre-Assignment for Friday

Hi All:

Just a reminder that on Friday you should bring 3 things to report to me and the rest of the class:
1) Your (potential) topic
2) Your (potential) argument
3) The title and author of your secondary source

At the beginning of class, I'll pass out a worksheet and ask you to write these down. And just to be clear, you are not wedded to what you write down, I just wanted to have an idea about your potential topics.

Let me know if you have any questions.

See you Friday!

Brian

A Note on "The Laughing Philosopher" from *Indian Boyhood*

A lot of Indian Boyhood is dispelling the myths "civilized" people have of  the
natives and providing readers with a firsthand outlook on the real lives of
the tribes. Eastman basically says, "I don't like how people think that
Indians do this.." and then tells it like it is; he lets us know what
actually goes down. And what else can we do, but be surprised at just how
much like us they really are?

So the passage says, Matogee was a natural humorous speaker. Natural
humorous speaker? Matogee was a comedian.

There is a common misconception that Indians are always serious and
solemnbecause they constantly fight to survive. While it may be true that
theystruggle for life, they still enjoy it. No matter how tough the obstacles
they face, the Sioux still need laughter and humor in their lives to go on.
And I think that this is true for anybody - whether they be Indian or
African or Martian - you need laughter to feel alive.

The light hearted stories of Hadakah's memories were not only entertaining
and mildly ridiculous, it forced us to see that Indians aren't very
different from "civilized" people. They eat, they work, they talk, they
laugh. Their ways of teasing and joking with their brothers and sisters
aren't very different from the burns we dish to our own friends. And
honestly, can't you imagine the native circle telling stories and smoking a
bong? Of course you can! Because we follow that same ritual in our college
frat row - making fun of pledges, getting high, pissed drunk, and really,
just having a good time.

And while we don’t battle bears and hunt wolves, we also need relief from
our own issues. Everyday we're faced with pounds of reading, insane
competition, bickering hobos, extreme weather, and freshmen thirty. My
stomach, Bernadita, has come to haunt me once again.

Oh dear, I'm getting off topic.

What I'm trying to say is, Eastman wrote this book to show people that
Indians aren't really those strange creatures in the forest. That they are
people and although they don’t have computers or cars or skyscrapers, they
are people - a civilized people.

And they have hilarious stories.

~C.C.

Cross-cultural comparisons in *Indian Boyhood*: A note on “The Laughing Philosopher” and “First Impressions of Civilization”

Eastman starts his second to last chapter of Indian Boyhood with a discussion of humor in his society. He states, “Indian humor consists as much in the gestures and inflections of the voice as in words, and is really untranslatable,” which is clearly a comparison between Native society and civilized society. This particular topic is another aspect in which Eastman compares “Anglo” or “civilized” society to Native American society. Recalling that Eastman was a proponent of assimilation, the recurring theme of constant cross-cultural comparison is apparent throughout his novel.

Later in this chapter, Eastman goes into greater detail of some of the types of jokes his people made. He also mentions that “no one ever complained, or resented any of these jokes, however personal they might be. That would be an unpardonable breach of etiquette.” This was very interesting to me, that there is this code amongst Eastman’s people that if an individual did not find a joke funny because it was sort of offensive, that they should not complain. This is actually quite the opposite of our society, for we are very careful to not offend each other when joking. In our society we say that we always want to ‘laugh with each other, not at each other.’ Further in “The Laughing Philosopher,” Tamedokah’s capturing of buck is joked about, along with other stories of hunting that make the entire group laugh. Another interesting things to comment on was at the end of this chapter, where the story of Hachah flying was told, Hachah says “Woman, be silent,” to his wife, which again shows the theme of women as the submissive, less powerful gender in Native American society.

In “First Impressions of Civilization,” Eastman starts out talking about the white men, or “Big Knives,” who led the “terrible Minnesota massacre” and is filled with mixed emotions. He describes the ideas his uncle instilled in him to avenge the death of his father and brothers, before he find out that the white man had not killed his father and brothers. Then, he also describes the “marvelous things” white people had, along with “supernatural gifts” like a “fireboat” (or locomotive) that walks on mountains and guns. Then, he talks about good and bad aspects of the white man’s culture. His descriptions and attitude towards civilized society range greatly. He likes that they are civilized, but does not like his people turning into slaves. He likes the new life he has, which symbolically starts when he wears ‘civilized clothing,’ and talks about how “eager [he was] to see some of the wonderful inventions of the white people.” All in all, his transformation ends when he states in his last sentence that, “Here my wild life came to an end, and my school days began.”

Overall, I have no complaints on how the book ended. I was actually quite pleased, being able to see Eastman’s complete childhood transformation, from a Indian boy to an Indian boy who dressed in a civilized manner and went to school. I was not really shocked by this ending, which sort of goes with the rest of the novel and a theme it had of being moderately predictable. A few questions: What was your opinion on how Eastman’s book ended? Were you pleased? Did you have any unresolved questions? Why do you think Eastman was a proponent of assimilation, even though it called for a loss of Indian culture that he loved so much?

A Note on the “Maiden’s Feast" In *Indian Boyhood*

I have found that Eastman’s writing has been predictable. However, his retelling about the “Maiden’s Feast,” came as a surprise. Eastman stories are often about something that had a direct effect on his life, as supported by his stories (about past events that he has been involved in) or had a purpose for his being. Yet, this story has no real purpose for his own childhood. The only reference to himself is when justifying that it was the last “maiden’s feast” he witnessed at Fort Ellis, Manitoba around 1817. Thus, I was compelled by its placement in his autobiography.

After reflecting on topics we have brought up in discussion I feel that Eastman’s purpose of this story was to reflect on similarities between “American cultural ideals,” and those of the Natives. One wouldn’t expect Natives to be concerned with “fashion,” but as in the culture that we all know today, many of us buy out of pleasure. Eastman expresses the Natives as those that were readily garbed in the “principle decorations.” There was also a sense that pride and wealth were important. From my experience, I always felt that Natives were all for equality, and didn’t adorn themselves to set them apart from one another. The giving to the needy was a surprise to me as well because I was unaware they had different social statuses besides that of the chiefs of the tribes and the rest. Therefore, I believe that Eastman uses this to demonstrate the social groups at hand.

This event as described by Eastman was one that “worthy maidens” gathered at, and that each young man had the right to challenge those they believed were not the virtuous maidens they were claiming to be. This event shows that there are in fact social groups, but also social standards. Eastman describes a maiden being called out from the rest by a young man for being for being unworthy, but she is allowed to rebut this claim. In this case, Eastman describes a successful end to this accusation in the young maiden’s favor. In my eyes, she put the young man back in his place, with her remarks, “but each time I have refused to listen to you. I have turned my back upon you.”

I feel that this statement gives the women some backbone that is much needed, as it is absent throughout the autobiography. Besides the grandmother figure I felt that this was the first time a woman had power over a man. To me it gave the women substance, because this young maiden was able to show that no man could tarnish her name. This may be a far stretch from Eastman’s purpose, but I feel that this can also relate to white women during this period, because they were slowly gaining power and a name for themselves. As I understood it, this section “The Maiden’s Feast,” was used to show the progression of the native women. As Eastman retells his life accounts, we see his progression, but we also see the slow emergence of women onto the scene.

A Note on Voice & Structure in *Indian Boyhood*

In this section of reading, Eastman shows us a switch in gender roles
through the story of Manitoshaw. All stories up to this one have shown
women to be domestic and the role of warriors left to the men and boys.
Before reading this section I had decided that most stories Eastman would
give us would be about men warriors and their trials and tribulations.
This story also comes after the story of Chotanka, one of the greatest of
medicine men. What is interesting to me is the fact that Eastman again
switches between 1st and 3rd person. The interesting part is that he
doesn't seem to have a structure as to when he switches to 1st or 3rd.
When it switches to 1st person I get confused as to whether it's 1st
person from Eastman's point of view or from the story tellers.

A reoccurring theme I see is war and death. Most of the stories include
the death of someone or war, and perhaps this is referring to the later
decline of the unassimilated Indians. Eastman also starts to introduce the
“white man” in his stories. If the chapters weren't labeled, we could
still be able to guess that perhaps the autobiography was nearing its end.
In Indian Life and Adventure, Eastman is telling us about the different
attacks and fights he experienced while growing up in a tribe. I think
these sections are intimate because they depict the losses that occurred
to him. Growing up amongst death and glorifying fighting seems like an
extreme way to live but it also seems like it was something he enjoyed.

As far as structure goes, Eastman seems to be following chronological
order. He started out with his birth and beginnings of how young Indians
are trained to be warriors. His stories now seem more graphic and as if he
has more duties because he is getting older. I think he gives us so many
stories about war because as a child he glorified this. He wanted to
become a noble warrior that brought home food and dominated other tribes.
I'm still confused about the 1st person and 3rd person switch up during
the story of Chotanka but hopefully this will be cleared up in class on
Friday.

~D.A.

A Reflection on the reading from “Hakadah’s first offering” to “The end of the bear dance” About titling of chapter 5, “Family Tradition”

In the first half of the book, Eastman seems to have structured the book so that it has a chronological story line; from his birth story of being born as “the pitiful last” in chapter one to memorable events and games in his early boyhood in chapter 3. On the other hand, the chapters in the other half of the book each focus on depicting individual aspects of the tribe or a specific event.

And for most chapters of the book, the titling of each chapter makes sense and is representative of what the content of the chapter is. However, the titling of chapter five seems very unrelated to its contents. According to the title, the chapter should contain stories about Eastman’s family tradition. When the story started out by introducing Smoky Day, a story teller, I thought he was going to tell a lot about Ohiyesa’s family tradition to him. But the only family history that Smoky Day told Ohiyesa about is the story of his paternal grandfather who showed the “true bravery” of self-possession and self-control by declining to avenge a man who killed his brothers. Besides this one story, all the stories introduced in the chapter are tribal legends or tales of great ancestors not directly pertaining to Ohiyesa’s family tradition. Why did Eastman title this chapter as it is? Why didn’t he just combine these stories with the ones in chapter nine, “More legends,” into one chapter?

I could find only one possible link between one of the stories and Ohiyesa. I think there is a similarity between Ohiyesa and the Jingle Thunder in one of Smoky Days stories. Jingle Thunder was also known as “The Little Last” because he was the only one besides his grandmother that survived among his band. Ohiyesa was born as “The Pitiful Last”, was motherless, and was raised by his grandmother. This similarity might have made Eastman to like this story perhaps.

Also, does anyone know what “MSS” in the beginning of “Visit to Smoky Day” is?

~T.K.

A Note on Optimism in *Indian Boyhood*

Charles Eastman's writing in "Indian Boyhood" oozes optimism in face of hardship. In chapter 2 he talked about riding in the saddle on the side of a pony, balanced from falling only by another child in another saddle on the other side of the pony. He described the experience as "convenient", and felt that the "inmate of the fur-lined sack" was "very comfortable", and that he's "delighted" to ride behind those "wise-looking animals". Having been accustomed to ride in cars, one cannot imagine the hardship of having to ride in a saddle, but Eastman endured this hardship with a smile on his face. This bodes well on his ability to endure other, greater hardships. Endurance is an asset, and Eastman has plenty of this.

He also talked about the journey of running away from the advancing army of white men. In the face of such danger, he still remembers the joy of jumping off from a moving vehicle, calling it fondly as a "sport". This shows again his ability to smile in face of dire hardship. And when "storm ceased" the next day, he was joyous to find a herd of buffaloes, which reminds us that there's always sunshine after the storm.

He then described how Indians are a patient and clannish people, and how they have greater love for one another that any other civilized people. I imagine it's important to cooperate with your colleagues when you have to hunt buffaloes, and when you are in constant danger of a terrible famine. This is shown in the example of adults denying themselves food to make sure that children do not starve.

~Y.J.

A Note on *Indian Boyhood,* “Games and Sports” to “A Visit to Smoky Day”

       Charles Eastman, or Ohiyesa, devotes considerable attention to
describinghis relationship to the practice of hunting. Becoming a hunter is
inextricably linked to being a Sioux man, and along with the activity
come important teachings and customs. He reveals a certain love for the
hunt that develops in every Indian boy. He always felt a “passion for the
chase.” He even recalls a vivid memory of when he was three years old,
gazed up at the trees and felt the strong urge to shoot down a flying
bird with his miniature bow and arrow.
      Customs were passed down from hunter to hunter, in ways such as
fishing and setting traps for small animals. A hunter must know how to
make a fish line of wild hemp or horse hair. Ohiyesa describes the
exhilarating nature of climbing trees hunting for birds and eggs.
Additionally, young Sioux became learned in the way of setting
nooses for game like rabbits.
      Although Ohiyesa mentions that hunting is sometimes performed
alone, he seems to particularly enjoy the practice of group hunting. He
reflects that, “the most enjoyable of all was the chipmunk hunt…we
generally went in groups of six to a dozen or fifteen.” Over the years his
tribe had learned the “secret of nature” that in the early morning as many
as fifty chipmunks would congregate. One of the hunters would imitate a
chipmunk call and lure the chipmunks out into the open. Following a war
cry, they would chase and shoot their arrows at the chipmunks as they
scurried up the trees.
      Overall, Ohiyesa reveals how embedded hunting is in the Sioux culture.
It is an activity that is necessary for their survival and more importantly,
an activity that molds young Sioux boys into men.

~D.H.

Paper #2 Prompt

Hello Everyone:

Below you'll find the prompt for your second paper. Please email me or let me know if you have questions. I would encourage you also to use the "Comments" section below in case one of your classmates shares a similar concern.

Required Length: 3-5 pages, exclusive of a bibliography

Write an *argumentative* essay addressing one of the primary texts that we have read so far (Eastman's *Indian Boyhood* or Momaday's *The Way to Rainy Mountain*), and use evidence from one secondary source. This source may come from criticism about the two autobiographies, sociological or anthropological texts, or from the broader field of cultural criticism. If you have questions about the potential source let me know. Also make use of the "Primary and Secondary Sources" page on the library's website. A link to this page is included on the righthand side of the blog under "Useful Links." Finally, the primary objective of an argumentative essay is to construct a persuasive thesis supported by evidence.

Be sure to make use of the library resources that we discussed on Monday's Library excursion. Links to the library's webpage and MLA formatting guides are on the right side of the screen under "useful links."

Important Dates: 2/26 In class draft work day; 3/01 Draft Due; 3/12 Final Paper #2 Due

Good Luck!

Your Library Question

Write one question about the UC Libraries, libraries in general, a research assignment you have this semester, or anything else about the research process (e.g., finding articles, citing sources) that you want answered in this session. Anything we're unable to get to today Char follow up on later through the course blog.

Style Assignment

Hello All:

With our conversation from last Friday about “Style” in mind, find one example of “good” writing and one example “bad” writing and email them to me by 5 p.m. on Tuesday. These examples should be more than one sentence long, but no more than a paragraph. Look for examples in your everyday reading: newspapers, advertisements, instructions, warranties, any form of printed text that you think might qualify. Finally, explain in one or two sentences why you think each of your selections qualifies as “good” or “bad" style.

From your submissions I’ll collect 5 or 6 "good" and "bad" examples for us to talk about at our next meeting on Wednesday.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!

~B.G.

A Note on "The Closing In" Disillusionment and the Fall of the Kiowa

The last part of N. Scott Momaday’s “The Way to Rainy Mountain” is full of
images of loss and death. Death for the Kiowa’s did not come only physically
but culturally as well. As the opening story to “The Closing In,” Momaday
illustrates a danger for the two brothers who are captured by the chief if
the Utes. At first, one might think the end for the brothers was
inescapable. . The men were being tested both by the qualities they
exemplified as well as physically when asked to walk across the greased
heads of the buffalo. However, the signs of loyalty and humility, as well as
their physical endurance saved the brothers’ lives. I feel that Momaday
tries to foreshadow the Kiowa’s decline as a people through this story. This
is the first instance where there is a risk and an attempt against them.
In the next chapter, XX, a sudden death is documented. This time a horse
dies after it is turned away by the hunter. The horse was so accustomed to
striking that when the hunter pulled him away, the shame was so great that
living was not an option anymore. Again, I see this as a reflection of the
Kiowa people. Perhaps the Kiowa’s decline was in part due to their own
disillusionment and shame that in turn caused their fall.

Momaday is not completely disillusioned as he provides moments of hope.
He remarks on the power nature has as a medicine and for healing people.
These instances are few, but they help to sustain the culture of the people.
Momaday also mentions the sun-dances. In the last part, he comments on
the decline of knowledge. As more people died, the loss of tradition also
expediated and forms of knowledge quickly vanished. But, through
ceremonies like the sun-dances and oral tradition the history of the
Kiowas lives on. Every great civilization meets its fall at some point
but its preservation remains as long as stories continue to be told.

A Note on "The Closing In": The Fall of the Kiowas

The main theme that I got out of "Closing In" was tragedy, bravery, and
honor. Momaday does a great job of comparing the West and the Kiowas
by talking about the outcomes of the two different stories: the two brothers
and the Utes, and the giving up of the horses at Fort Sill. The Ute chief
stood by his word and set them free however the Westerners continued to
treat the Kiowas horribly by the killing of the horses.   This comparison
illustrates that Native American tribes honor words that are promised. Again
going back to the importance of language and the power of words. Similar to
the "Going On" the use of words and language are critical for survival. From
the book it is obvious that animals are extremely significant to the Kiowas
culture. I believe the horses are a metaphor of the falling of the Kiowa
people. In a sense the story ends where it begins. As Momaday says in the
prologue, the rise of the Kiowa tribe was a struggle and so was the end and
we did see that at the end. The italicized paragraph on page 83 I really
liked how he used the phrase "remembered earth."  By using this phrase
Momaday demonstrates his reflection of Kiowas of  how it was and how it is
now. No doubt the events that happened was tragic but what I think
Momaday is hinting at is that everything do come to an end but people
have to move on.

The structure did not change in this 3rd part however the stories ( normal
font and italicized font) starts to connect. On page 72 when Mammedaty is
introduced Momaday continues to write about Mammedaty on page 73.
Similarly, on page 82 the page talks about his grandmother and so does
page 83. I'm not sure why Momaday does this since in the rest of the book
the stories and his life are not as connected. Anyone know why?

The epilogue is factual information about the Kiowas history without or less
of the blending of folklore. Momaday brings up the character of Ko-sahn but
doesn't really introduce her as well as I would have liked. So who is this
Ko-sahn and her relationship to Momaday's grandmother or even to himself?

~K.L

Seeing Mistakes From All Directions *The Closing In*

There were two main themes that I took away from "The Closing In." First
was that people make mistakes or don't live up to expectations. The second
is vision and looking at something from all viewpoints. Each story has at
least one of these themes and usually it is one or the other.

In XIX, both brothers made mistakes of getting caught by the Utes. Even
though they escaped due to perseverance, I doubt it was out of their
control completely. The buffalo hunt in the winter of 1879 did not live up
to the expectations of feeding the tribe. Also, in XX the man did not live
up his horse's expectations of sorts because he felt fear while the horse
did not (a rare occurrence of the animal being superior to man). Mammedaty
made a mistake of shooting his arrow and missing the intended horse and
instead killing another horse.

The theme of vision is relevant in most of the other stories. Momaday
talks about about New Mexico and how he "truly and intimately, in every
season, from a thousand points of view." Momaday also speaks of
Mammedaty seeing a little boy nearby, but then checking for the boy
and not seeing him. Finally, Momaday writes that he believes "a man
ought to concentrate his mind upon the remembered earth." Also, he
talks about the grave where the woman in the beautiful dress is and being
able to see in the direction it is. However, all of these things to do with vision
are actually not seen by the person at the time. They are not really stories,
but more remembrances.

Why would Momaday choose to end his book with a sad theme and a theme
involving the unknown and unseen? He started the "The Going On" with a
very inspirational tale, so why did he not just continue with it?

~A.L.

A Note on "Right and Wrong" in *Rainy Mountain*

"The going on" was written much differently from "the setting out". While
"the setting out" was mainly about the Kiowa's history and old stories of
creation, "the going on" focused more on the tribe's outlook on life and how
one should live it. To be honest, "the going on" really kind of pissed me
off. I mean, maybe it was because I am a girl or because I am not a big fan
of conniving plots and sneaky schemes, but the morals of the Kiowa did not
please me at all (if they can even be called morals). From the beginning of
the twelfth story to the eighteenth, there was one moral that resounded
throughout the chapter - wit and cunning.

XII. This first story talked about a couple who were suspicious of all the
meat their child was bringing outside. When the "enemy" walked in, he
admitted to originally planning to kill them, but the food kept him and the
others from murder. The "enemy" asked for food for all of them and would
show mercy in return. The couple, however, did not agree. They smartly
planned an escape and ended up watching their enemies burn to death.

My first reaction to this story was that it was totally messed up - very
different from all the fairy tales and stories I read as a child (okay, I
still read them sometimes). Fairy tales usually went like this: A poor,
revolting creature would ask a prince or princess for something. The
princeor princess would of course be reluctant and refuse with a cold
heart. Thecreature turns out to be magical and casts a curse on the
prince or princesswho learns their lesson and become kind, showing
mercy to those who were in need of it. Long story short, kindness
was rewarded. In this case, however, intelligence and suspicion
was rewarded. The family's reward for their genius plot? Hearing
their enemies scream to their flaming deaths.

XIII. The story following wasn't all that just either. Although the story
starts out innocently with a background on the awesome arrow-making
powers of the Kiowa, it quickly divulges into a man and his wife in a tipi.
He catches something at the corner of his eye and tells his wife in their
language to speak normally. He finishes the arrow and pretends to practice
it, all the while asking if the enemy was a Kiowa and should respond now.
When no response came, the man shot the arrow through the "enemy's"
heart.

Alright, so this story wasn't as messed up as the first one of this chapter,
but nonetheless totally cruel. First of all, it is assumed the person
outside is an enemy. Second of all, he was killed without a word - what if
he was a saint? A Samaritan? Or worse, ME?! I would have had no method
of understanding them, protecting myself, or even begging for my life (which
would end in an instant). My heart would bleed to death and that would be
it. Again, the Kiowa only pride the smart man and his ingenious tactics.
It's not even about the stupid arrow anymore, it's about the hunter and his
brilliant instinct to kill.

So it really makes me question what was right or wrong in their society?
What is different about our society's morals?
Does it make us right? And them wrong? Or the other way around?
Did we have a right to impose our "right" values onto their culture?

And don't even get me started on how they treated the "evil" women...

~C.C.

p.s. I didn't mean to offend anyone, if I did.

A Note on the Ancestral Voice in *Rainy Mountain*

The folklore told through the voice of his father in "The Setting Out"
is the Kiowa's ancient story regarding the beginning of their people.
Although the stories seem far-fetched with talking dogs and a
grandmother spider, the stories' content is very significant as it
ultimately embodies their cultural beliefs and lifestyle. For instance,
before the Kiowa tribe had horses, the dogs played a crucial part in
their transportation. Comanche Ten Bears remarks, "When we first
knew you...you had nothing but dogs and sleds" (Momaday 21). As
a result, dogs are regarded in the Kiowa society and incorporated
into their folklore as they lead a band of warriors or bring a Kiowa
man to safety.

Branching off from "The Setting Out", the folklore stories told in
"The Going On" are more directed towards revealing morals that
address issues such as trust, enemies, and proper behavior
(particularly for the females). In the stories addressing the Kiowa's
enemies, the passages adapt a violent tone that end with the demise
of their enemies due to the aggressive responses by the Kiowa families.
Other folklore stories emphasize on the proper behavior for the Kiowa
females by instilling fear of bad behavior through the negative
consequences  of being bold, being selfish, and leaving one's spouse.
The morals in the folklore,  then, may function in shaping or modifying
the behavior of the Kiowa people.

From the wide array of folklore stories in the Kiowa tribe, why does
Mamoday select these particular folklore stories in conjunction with the
other passages from the other voices? For me, his selections of folklore
stories weave into the historical and personal voices through a common
thread and provide recurring themes. Why does Mamoday number his
passages as well?

~J.L.

Ingenuity and Myth-Building in *Rainy Mountain*

After reading “The Going On” in Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy
Mountains one cannot help but notice the tremendous amount of talents,
skills, and personal intuitions that the Kiowas possessed. In this segment,
Momaday draws from folk tales, historical commentary, and personal
recollections in order to demonstrate to the reader how the Kiowas were
able to rise to be the dominant tribe of the land.
   The author begins by describing a tale in which a Kiowa man refuses
to trust his enemies based on a personal intuition that they were out to
deceive him. He killed them for the sole purpose of guaranteeing the
survival of him and his family; it did not matter to him whether or not
the enemies would in fact deceive them. In another instance, a group of
young Kiowas turned back from their journey following the summer sun
because they saw a group of monkeys following them overheard. The
mere unfamiliarity with the creatures was enough to turn them away.
Once again, the guarantee of survival was the overlying factor in their
decision to retreat after spending months riding in pursuit of eternal
summer.
   Similar stories are presented which demonstrate the incredible skills
that helped keep the Kiowas alive. I mean, who could forget the tale of
the arrow maker who tricks his enemy that he is unnoticed right before
shooting him in the heart or the man who had one chance to kill the iron
bull and save his life and succeeded? Through examples Momaday was
able to portray the Kiowa as men of skill, men of instinct, and men of nature
and it was through their incredible abilities that they were able to “go
on” with the difficult lives that they lived and prevail.

~A.A.

A Note on *The Way to Rainy Mountain,* “The Setting Out”

Composing this book in the Native American autobiographical form automatically produces a unique, American Indian tone. We learn of the Kiowa, just as they learned of their people themselves, through telling of stories, history, and personal reflection. This form creates an illusion of acceptance into a Kiowa tipi, listening to elders at a fire. The stories become personal, allowing a greater affectation and understanding of the Kiowa people.

Momaday juxtaposes myth, factual Kiowa history, and his own personal reflection in each section. Each component is related through a word, animal, inanimate component of nature, or an idea. The three parts draw from one another, yet also enhance each other; an influence and compliment.

These components represent the identity of the Kiowa people. As we have learned from Brumble and reading the introduction to The Way to Rainy Mountain, the Native Americans constantly told tales of personal accomplishment and mythology. Momaday recounts how the landscape the Kiowa’s crossed and their experiences, which occurred before his grandmother’s birth, still “lay like memory in her blood.” Their mythology, history, and personal events were incorporated within, interwoven into the flesh, rather than written upon external materials. In order to assert their connection to one another and keep their culture alive, stories were repeated enough to become part of each person and thus live on within them. Identity as a member of any tribe means that one carries the tribe’s mythology and history entwined with their own personal history.

~E.D.

Voice and Momaday's Triadic Structure in *Rainy Mountain*

Scott Momaday shows three different storylines about the Kiowas people
on each page. One storyline tells the ancient tale of how man and the
Kiowas came to be. The second storyline describes the recent history and
customs of the Kiowas. The third storyline follows the first person life
experiences of Scott Momaday as a Kiowas Indian himself.

The first storyline tracks what seems like a classic Kiowas folk story,
one meant to entertain little children. There’s a story about how they
got their Kwuda, “coming out” name, how they came out of a log. Momaday
describes a story of a hunter being saved from a bear by a dog. There’s
also a story of a woman who gets taken by the sun to be his wife.

The second storyline is more factual about how the Kiowas conducted
themselves. They are a people who hunt by circling their prey and
converging on the center. And they are told to be a people who don’t
cultivate the land, they are hunters and have never been agricultural.

The third storyline gives us a view of Momaday’s perspective. After
describing the way the Kiowas hunt Antelope, he reflects upon his
experience when he was scared of antelope who were ambling near him.
Remarking after the facts he reveals about the Kiowas being a solely
hunting tribe, he remembers a time where he saw a man eating a raw
calves liver.

One must question why Momaday has chosen to separate the reader’s
attention in three directions, all at the same time. On page 30 and 31,
he divides the pages into three completely different subjects. One is a
fable about a boy with a spider grandmother, another describes how
important horses are to the Kiowas, and the third subject is about
Momaday’s memory of swimming in the Washita River. Why not separate
the storylines into different sections of the book? I am curious about his
intentions with this stylistic choice.

~D.H.

Diagnostic Essay Prompt: Due 1 February 2010

Hello Everyone:

Below you will find the prompt for your diagnostic essay. Let me know if you have any questions.

Required Length: 2-3 pp.

Write a well-organized and concise essay on the following topic. You will be evaluated on your ability to construct a coherent argument and use evidence to support your claims.

Perform a close reading of one element of the "Introduction" of N. Scott Momaday's The Way to Rainy Mountain. You may choose to examine the narrative set-up, the mechanics of Momaday's writing, his imagery, even the illustrations are fair game. Be sure to pick one and only one element, and to telegraph that choice in a clear thesis statement.

Good Luck!

P.S. -- A Bonus point for anyone who can identify the images of the people in the slide show on the right side of your screen. The answer will be published after your assignment is due on Feb 1st.