Summary Of The Man Made Of Words By Momaday

Storytelling gives us the ability to take a step into a different time and place for a moment and see the world through another person’s eyes. Stories from the past are significant for newer generations; they help people grow and connect with their elders. Without these stories, there would be little knowledge about the past’s people, their passions, wisdom and lifestyle. Particularly, authors, Momaday, Fixico and Wallace, transport us into a different world through their stories and they explain their peculiar take on the value of these stories. In Momaday’s “The Man Made of Words”, he makes a striking statement about oral tradition and its importance. Oral tradition, according to Momaday, is the “…myths, legends, tales, and lore of people…preserved
Native Americans take a very holistic approach on the world. The circular philosophy states that “…all things are related and involved in the broad scope of Indian life” (Fixico 42). Indigenous people are said to form their living arrangements and societies into large circles. At the center of the circle is the fire for worship, celebration and storytelling. Furthermore, the center of their lives involves these stories passed down from generation to generation. Though the circular philosophy is always changing in a cyclical rotation, we believe that nothing changes and resist change as a western society. Fixico states that stories that we remember being told are fabrications of the truth, having been passed down through many generations (Fixico 44). It is striking to think about the constant change society faces while the same stories are passed down for several years. Though time changes and seasons change, the stories are not lost from memory, showing their importance in native
Chief Glenna Wallace talks in a brief recording about a story from her childhood as well as an old tale about huntsman and a beloved bear paw. Essentially, the bear paw was cooking overnight for the hunters to eat in the morning. However, a few of the men ate the best part of the paw overnight and left the rest for the other men. In the end, the men were kicked out of the tribe and started their own. Wallace speaks about the importance of these stories getting passed down. Listeners get a good sense of the morals and values of each tribe. Wallace also tells her own story about eating chicken with her family as a child and never trying anything but the feet because the changing order of lines every time. Her story tells the audience about the customs at the time and the humorous irony of never getting the delectable part of the chicken. Though these two stories are very different, they also resemble each other greatly. The audience gets a sense of the culture of the time with talk about cooking the whole animal so there are parts that aren’t as appealing. For example, the front part of the bear paw is the delicacy and the thigh and legs of the chicken are more appealing. There is also a strong sense of community and sharing amongst the tribe and the family with the two stories. In all, these two very different stories are ones that speak about customs and cultures of society at the