Professor Dr.Selitto
Enc 1101 W50
2/18/2014
“Alone on the Hilltop”
In Lame Deers story “ Alone on the Hilltop” he recalls the moment in life when his first hanblechia occurred at the age of 16. The first scene begins on the hilltop where Lame Deer had been brought by
Chest, the medicine man. Lame Deer has been left all alone on the hilltop for 4 days nights with no water or food. The only thing that he had with him where his star blanket which his grandmother had knitted for him, a pipe with kinnickinnick, and gourd which contained forty pieces of his grandmothers flesh and tiny stones picked up from an ant heap. Lame Deer knew though that after all of this was over he would no longer be a child, he would be a man and he would be given a man's name. He started to smoke the pipe he began to feel comforted and his fear started to diminish. He describes that he felt like his forefathers, whom this pipe once belonged to, where with him on the hilltop and that he was no longer alone. The thought of not being able to have vision still worried Lame Deer though. He wanted to be able to become a yuwipi but he knew that he could only become that was what his vision was. If he dreamt of Thunder Beings then that would make him a heyoka , a clown. Night time had arrived and began to feel the overwhelming presence of a big bird. He became overwhelmed by the feeling of the bird touching him and grasped the rattle in order to calm his fears. Then he began to smoke from his pipe and began to sing and pray. He felt himself change, and began to hear human voices that were not ordinary. A voice began to speak to him and he felt comforted by them, he then saw his greatgrandfather Lame Deer and he understood that his grandfather wanted him to bear his name. After this
Lame Deer described feeling his nagi inside of him and a power surging throughout his body. Lame deer knew his vision had been fulfilled and that he would become a wicasa wakan. Time