House Made Of Dawn Sparknotes
Often times in Native American literature, authors offer a better understanding of what the traditions and values are in regards to the Indian culture. Interestingly enough, specific characters offer different ways in which they express their traditional way of life. House Made of Dawn, by N. Scott Momaday, introduces Francisco, Abel’s grandfather, who took on the role of being his guardian. Winter in the Blood by James Welch shows a grandmother that is neglected by her grandson because “distance” was very much relevant in his life (2). The Round House by Louise Erdrich speaks of Grandma Ignatia Thunder, also referred to as the medicine woman, who is a “hardened,” “dried out” lady that spoke Indian (71). These three tribal elders embody significant traditional native values in these works while also presenting them in a way that is unique to their
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story.
The loss of Abel’s Indian identity is a struggle that is faced throughout House Made of Dawn. Abel yearns to find a position in society that would ultimately give him some sense of identity. Through the act of storytelling the “old man, Fransisco” made efforts to try and guide a path for Abel to follow his native traditions. But at a young age, Abel found it nearly impossible to conform to the ideas and traditions of the “Pueblo people” (34) He did not want to label himself as something he saw no identity in (34). However, when Abel grew “old enough,” and Francisco grew elderly, the teachings he enforced upon Abel began to sink in and become “clear” because he came back to the reservations to take on caring for Francisco (156). During this time they spent together, Francisco mentioned a spiritual tradition
referred to as “the race of the dead” (163). It is during Francisco’s burial when one can analyze the impact Francisco had on Abel. “He was alone and running on. All of his being was concentrated in the sheer motion of running on, and he was past caring about the pain...he could see the sky without having to think” (168). Abel was seeing things he’s never thought twice about before, “he could see the canyon and the mountains and the sky... the rain and the river and the fields beyond... the dark hills” (168). Most importantly he was able to sing the “words of a song” (168). Abel is taking part in this “race of the dead” showing that his coming back to the reservation played a more important role than just taking care of Francisco. It showed that the path in which Francisco set up for him through his storytelling eventually gave Abel a reason to identify as a Pueblo. Like Francisco and Abel, the grandmother and unnamed narrator in Winter in the Blood help guide the readers in understanding the growth of one's Indian Identity. Within the very beginning of the novel, the idea of distance is brought about, “..the distance I felt came not from country or people; it came from within me. I was as distant from myself as a hawk from the moon” and because of this, the narrator felt “no particular feeling toward [his] mother and grandmother” (2). Belonging to a world where he feels “a distance as deep as it was empty” results in a loss of his Indian identity. The narrator's grandmother told many stories that would be beneficial to the upcoming generations such as the older generations thoughts of the “crees,” but the narrator didn’t care much for what his grandmother was saying because to him, she was just an “old lady” that “snored in her cot”(37). Distancing himself from his grandmother did a disservice to the narrator because she is the only true connection he has with this traditional Indian identity. However, it is only after Grandma Ignatia Thunder used her power to pass on native traditions in a different way than Francisco. Although others had major roles throughout The Round House, Grandma Thunder showed a representation of Indian grandma’s that is not normally seen. “There are Indian grandmas who get too much church and Indian grandmas where the church doesn’t take” (70). Grandma Thunder was the second kind of grandma. “She spoke Indian” and knew the traditional ways of Ojibwe, but didn’t express them through a story (71). Rather she expressed it through “old-time medicine” (322). When Joe wakes up abruptly screaming Cappy’s name yet again, he explains how he need the native medicine, the “Ojibwe medicine”(322). The “old-time medicine” holds much importance in native traditions in efforts to healing. Grandma Thunder embodies the spiritual healing of native traditions through her performance of medicine. This broadens the idea that native traditions are more than just stories being told by earlier generations. The elders such as Francisco, the unnamed narrator's grandmother, and Grandma Thunder, the Indian traditions seem to make strong efforts to live on. It is through building a broader analysis of Indian traditions when one has the ability to see the impact tribal elders have on the upcoming generations. In these three novels, traditions are found to live on through storytelling and the “old-time medicine” (322).
Essay Topic: Representations of animals (domestic and/or wild). Native American literature often times displays spirituality through the mention of animals. In The Woman Who Fell From the Sky, Joy Harjo connects birds to traditional spirituality. Bearheart by Geral Vizenor discusses an idea of bears which links to a spiritual understanding of native identity. Acknowledging the role animals play in Harjo’s poem contributes a better understanding of the role a bear plays in Vizenor’s novel, building on spiritual traditions that are significant to a native identity. Birds are often times served as a messenger from a higher figure in Native American mythology. Harjo explains in her poem that some people say that God is represented as a lot of things, including a “murderer” a “father of saints or a/ mother of demons” (76-78). God is neither a “male nor female” (76-79). The proof of God is lies within natural beauty. This natural beauty is found in all things animals, such as a “flock of birds” (81). Essentially, Harjo’s meaning of this is that representation of animals in the natural world is where natives find the proof that God is there. God is not represented as evil or corrupt, rather through animals, he is the delicacy of the Indian spiritual tradition. Harjo’s belief that God's existence was proven through the spirits of animals contributes to a deeper analysis of Native American tradition. Bears and crows commonly represent the existence of the “fourth world,” a spiritual realm in which Native Americans plan to enter after their journey (248). A way in which pilgrims can go over into this so called, “fourth world” is thus by entering “as bears” (242). There contains a brief explanation of why bears are significant throughout the novel, explaining that they have “ceremonial powers” (16). However, the question arises of how a bear can so wholly represent spiritual tradition to Native Americans. It is because of this ability of the bear to represent a spiritual being that they hold a significant place to the Indian identity. “The power of the human spirit is carried in the heart not in histories and materials” (217). Bears, in many Native American cultures represent protection and strength; it is even believed that they have the ability to heal. This analyzation can provide a deeper meaning to Vizenors novel because a spiritual understanding of the bear corresponds to an Indian identity being strong and protective of their roots. Harjo allows a reader to build on a deeper meaning of the bear in Bearheart. Her poem led the way to a closer, in-depth analysis showing that animals play a significant role in the Native American culture. Knowing what a bear represents to the natives helps build a path of understanding their traditions and their Indian identity.
story.
The loss of Abel’s Indian identity is a struggle that is faced throughout House Made of Dawn. Abel yearns to find a position in society that would ultimately give him some sense of identity. Through the act of storytelling the “old man, Fransisco” made efforts to try and guide a path for Abel to follow his native traditions. But at a young age, Abel found it nearly impossible to conform to the ideas and traditions of the “Pueblo people” (34) He did not want to label himself as something he saw no identity in (34). However, when Abel grew “old enough,” and Francisco grew elderly, the teachings he enforced upon Abel began to sink in and become “clear” because he came back to the reservations to take on caring for Francisco (156). During this time they spent together, Francisco mentioned a spiritual tradition
referred to as “the race of the dead” (163). It is during Francisco’s burial when one can analyze the impact Francisco had on Abel. “He was alone and running on. All of his being was concentrated in the sheer motion of running on, and he was past caring about the pain...he could see the sky without having to think” (168). Abel was seeing things he’s never thought twice about before, “he could see the canyon and the mountains and the sky... the rain and the river and the fields beyond... the dark hills” (168). Most importantly he was able to sing the “words of a song” (168). Abel is taking part in this “race of the dead” showing that his coming back to the reservation played a more important role than just taking care of Francisco. It showed that the path in which Francisco set up for him through his storytelling eventually gave Abel a reason to identify as a Pueblo. Like Francisco and Abel, the grandmother and unnamed narrator in Winter in the Blood help guide the readers in understanding the growth of one's Indian Identity. Within the very beginning of the novel, the idea of distance is brought about, “..the distance I felt came not from country or people; it came from within me. I was as distant from myself as a hawk from the moon” and because of this, the narrator felt “no particular feeling toward [his] mother and grandmother” (2). Belonging to a world where he feels “a distance as deep as it was empty” results in a loss of his Indian identity. The narrator's grandmother told many stories that would be beneficial to the upcoming generations such as the older generations thoughts of the “crees,” but the narrator didn’t care much for what his grandmother was saying because to him, she was just an “old lady” that “snored in her cot”(37). Distancing himself from his grandmother did a disservice to the narrator because she is the only true connection he has with this traditional Indian identity. However, it is only after Grandma Ignatia Thunder used her power to pass on native traditions in a different way than Francisco. Although others had major roles throughout The Round House, Grandma Thunder showed a representation of Indian grandma’s that is not normally seen. “There are Indian grandmas who get too much church and Indian grandmas where the church doesn’t take” (70). Grandma Thunder was the second kind of grandma. “She spoke Indian” and knew the traditional ways of Ojibwe, but didn’t express them through a story (71). Rather she expressed it through “old-time medicine” (322). When Joe wakes up abruptly screaming Cappy’s name yet again, he explains how he need the native medicine, the “Ojibwe medicine”(322). The “old-time medicine” holds much importance in native traditions in efforts to healing. Grandma Thunder embodies the spiritual healing of native traditions through her performance of medicine. This broadens the idea that native traditions are more than just stories being told by earlier generations. The elders such as Francisco, the unnamed narrator's grandmother, and Grandma Thunder, the Indian traditions seem to make strong efforts to live on. It is through building a broader analysis of Indian traditions when one has the ability to see the impact tribal elders have on the upcoming generations. In these three novels, traditions are found to live on through storytelling and the “old-time medicine” (322).
Essay Topic: Representations of animals (domestic and/or wild). Native American literature often times displays spirituality through the mention of animals. In The Woman Who Fell From the Sky, Joy Harjo connects birds to traditional spirituality. Bearheart by Geral Vizenor discusses an idea of bears which links to a spiritual understanding of native identity. Acknowledging the role animals play in Harjo’s poem contributes a better understanding of the role a bear plays in Vizenor’s novel, building on spiritual traditions that are significant to a native identity. Birds are often times served as a messenger from a higher figure in Native American mythology. Harjo explains in her poem that some people say that God is represented as a lot of things, including a “murderer” a “father of saints or a/ mother of demons” (76-78). God is neither a “male nor female” (76-79). The proof of God is lies within natural beauty. This natural beauty is found in all things animals, such as a “flock of birds” (81). Essentially, Harjo’s meaning of this is that representation of animals in the natural world is where natives find the proof that God is there. God is not represented as evil or corrupt, rather through animals, he is the delicacy of the Indian spiritual tradition. Harjo’s belief that God's existence was proven through the spirits of animals contributes to a deeper analysis of Native American tradition. Bears and crows commonly represent the existence of the “fourth world,” a spiritual realm in which Native Americans plan to enter after their journey (248). A way in which pilgrims can go over into this so called, “fourth world” is thus by entering “as bears” (242). There contains a brief explanation of why bears are significant throughout the novel, explaining that they have “ceremonial powers” (16). However, the question arises of how a bear can so wholly represent spiritual tradition to Native Americans. It is because of this ability of the bear to represent a spiritual being that they hold a significant place to the Indian identity. “The power of the human spirit is carried in the heart not in histories and materials” (217). Bears, in many Native American cultures represent protection and strength; it is even believed that they have the ability to heal. This analyzation can provide a deeper meaning to Vizenors novel because a spiritual understanding of the bear corresponds to an Indian identity being strong and protective of their roots. Harjo allows a reader to build on a deeper meaning of the bear in Bearheart. Her poem led the way to a closer, in-depth analysis showing that animals play a significant role in the Native American culture. Knowing what a bear represents to the natives helps build a path of understanding their traditions and their Indian identity.