Bird Summary

In summarizing Gloria Bird’s article one notices immediately that Bird is using her personal life experience and the American Indian’s experience to draw from Silko’s novel “Ceremony”. In her article she focuses on topic colonization in both the story and in the lives of herself and her family which she parallels to the experiences of Tayo in ceremony. Using the story as a tool Bird tries to define the experience of colonization and gain a better understanding of it and its byproduct.

In Bird’s article she also introduces this idea of there being multiple dual consciousnesses throughout the book and in Native American thinking that all stem from the American Indian Experience in the United States. One of the first examples Bird gives of there being a dual consciousness is in the mind. She says that the only way to undo the process of colonization is through decolonizing the mind at the same time she thinks of her people as a dying people like the process intended for the American Indians to think.

Another example she give is language and how it was used as a key tool to enforce colonization. Bird acknowledges the fact that she too like Tayo in “Ceremony” has a lack of knowledge and understanding of their languages and must struggle to gather meaning of it. She identifies this as a second kind of consciousness. This being a kind of guilt because of your lack of knowledge but at the same time liberation because of your new confidence in knowing that the blame comes from that process of colonization. Through the entire article she uses many other examples but mainly focuses on the affects of the consciousness of colonization and decolonization as a way of understanding the American Indians struggle.

Ceremony for Tuesday

We get poetic installments of the Hummingbird tale on p. 42-45, 49-50, 65-66, 76, 97, 104-105, 140 (to this point) How might you relate this story to Tayo’s?

The story relates to Tayo because he can be identified with it's message and with the story as a whole. In the story the people allow themselves to be tricked by an outside influence and that causes them to neglect their own beliefs and work they do. In a reaction to the peoples disobedience their god takes away vital elements they need to survive. So the people enlist the help of the hummingbird that can fly from world to world and talk with the mother god. She tells the bird how to help the people get back what they have lost.

Much like Tayo he feels and knows that he has angered the god or spirits and it has affected not only him but his people and the land. He feels his decisions have directly effected the world and like the hummingbird and the people they he is searching and trying to find a way to make things right.


P. 62-63 covers the theme of Christianity as a coercive force of assimilation. By what means does this occur and what feelings does it evoke?

The theme of Christianity occurs from the white man. It is used to confuse the Indian people and steal their identity. One example the text gives is how the Indian names that everything has get European names which cause confusion and strips the land and people of their heritage. It act as a divider and works to separate the people through it's messages. Christianity evokes many feelings among the people. Feelings of resentment and anger. Also feelings regret, pity, and sadness. It also cause individuality which goes against the Indian traditon of family and wholeness. This the narrator feels is attributed to the message of Jesus Christ and being able to only save the individuals soul.



The long story.poem, p. 122-128, is of how "witchery" created whites and the onslaught of Europeans and all the destruction they brought. Gloss this poem to identify how the story represents Europeans and their relationship with the world. Consider also: what is the point of Betonie emphasizing the American Indian role in the destruction? What IS his point? Why does he think it is important for Tayo to think about it in this way?

The poem identifies the relationship between the Europeans and the world as being careless and destructive to the world. They have no value or care for the earth and it's features and feel no connection at all. THe text say that, "The `trees and rivers are not alive. The mountains and stones are not alive." It also say if they fear something the destroy it. That includes the earth and the Indian people they will soon encounter. The text also say they will bring with them sickness and disease and that will lead to the destruction of the indian people. They will poison the water the poem says.

The role Betonie say the American Indians had in the destruction is in the poem about how the witches of every Indian tribe gather and created such an evil force that they caused the European to come, thir evil magic brang the white people to them. The poem said that it was because of the witches foolish competition and them trying to one up one another that they got carried away and it could not be undone. I think his point is that their people must be careful. I'm not quite sure why it's important for him to think about it in that way. I think it has something to do with deception and neglecting to pay attention to how your action may cause things to happen that will not only hurt you but also hurt other. I could be way off.

Ceremonies and Ethnicity

Ceremonies and Ethnicity

Carefully re-read the pages that involve the old medicine man, Ku’oosh, p. 31-34. Explain the significance of how Ku’oosh speaks, chooses words, and of his point about the fragility of the world.

In pages 31 to 34 Ku'oosh the medicine man has come to see Tayo. His grandmother has been concerned about him and his change in behavior. Ku'oosh speak in a concern yet understanding tone with Tayo and is careful not to offend him with his words. He uses native word and English word because he knows Tayo doesn't fully understand his vocabulary. Tayo has been traumatized by his involvement in the war. The fragility of the world to me represents the state that Tayo is in and how he thinks and sees the world, which is unbalanced and uneasy.

Describe, as best as you can, Auntie’s attitudes about Tayo, mixed blood, and religion.

Auntie doesn't fully seem too accepting of Tayo because he is half white. She care about him but doesn't try to force any of their cultural aspect on him because of that. She seems very ashamed of her sister and how the people around her view her family. She also doesn't try and force the religion on him because she feels he may not truly understand it or accept it because he is a half blooded. So sending for the medicine man was out of the question to her she felt it wouldn't even matter.