Ceremony-pgs. 58-142

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 Hummingbird tale is that of redemption and forgiveness. The people in the Hummingbird story were punished Mother Earth, Nau'ts'ity'i, for playing around with magic and thinking that this would give life to the plants and animals. Therefore, Mother Earth takes away the plants, grass and the rainclouds and will not give them back until they have proven to her that they are worthy. The Hummingbird, Fly, old Buzzard, and Caterpillar all help the people complete various task for Mother Nature since they all felt sorry for all of the skinny hungry people. The people are suffering and need the help from the animals to get their plants and rainclouds back. They know that they have done wrong and now seek to redeem themselves in Mother Earth's eyes. Tayo is also going through a similar struggle as the people who disrespected Mother Earth. He feels guilty for not taking care of Rocky and bringing him back home safely and he also feels guilty about not staying with his Uncle Josiah to help tend the cattle. Tayo feels like he was wronged many people, especially his family. When he went to war, he felt like it was his obligation to keep Rocky, Auntie's son, safe since Auntie had taken him in and raised him when she did not have to. In returning home without Rocky, he has not only disappointed his Aunt, but also himself. Tayo struggles to forgive himself for what he is done and his story parallels the Hummingbird story in many ways. The people in the Hummingbird story seek forgiveness from Mother Earth, just as Tayo seeks forgiveness from himself and his family. In both stories, there are things they must do first before they can be forgiven. In the Hummingbird story the animals must gather dirt, corn flower and tobacco, while Tayo must get help from the medicine man, Betonie, and find out what is really wrong with him. In the end, the animals end up collecting everything Mother Earth has asked for and the people are forgiven. I see this as a foreshadowing of what is to come later in the novel. Tayo is already beginning to heal by the end of this section and come to terms with what has happened in the past. I believe that by the end of the novel he will finally be able to forgive himself and move on with his life.

We are also introduced to Josiah’s Mexican lover, the Flamenco dancer, Night Swan. What do we find out about her? What significance attaches to her character? What’s with all the blue? How does what she tells Tayo connect with elements that come up in other parts of the novel?

We first see Night Swan outside a bar that Josiah goes to one night. He gives her a cigarette and forgets his sack of beer. He returns the next day for the beer and finds Night Swann there again. She takes him upstairs to her room and after that night, Josiah spends almost every night with her. She is a dancer, a very promiscuous one at that, and captivates every man that watches her. She continues to dance even though she is much older than when she first started, but she continues to have the same effect on all men. Not only is Josiah attracted to her, but Tayo finds himself drawn to Night Swan both sexually and emotionally. She is a beautiful woman, however, there is something about Night Swan's presence that makes Tayo nervous and curious at the same time, as if she has a secret that he is not letting him in on. Night Swan has obviously experienced a very full life and her knowledge of the world helps Tayo understand that there is nothing wrong with being Indian. He tells Night Swan that he "always wished I had dark eyes like other people", but she tells Tayo that the white people are intimidated by him and he should never wish to be anyone he is not. She calls the white people "fools" who blame the Indians "the ones who look different" for what has happened in the world, instead of accepting that they are the ones that did wrong. Tayo struggles throughout the novel to come to terms with his lineage and his race and this moment in the novel is pivotal. Tayo begins to understand more about his heritage and how white people are not any better than Indians. He realizes that the blame that has been placed on him for everything that has happened in the past is not his fault, but the white men, because they refuse to see that they did anything wrong.

All the references to the color blue in the passages with Night Swan are difficult to interpret, however, I think that "blue" could relate to the blue corn that is so important in the Pueblo culture. In some Pueblo stories, there is a Blue Corn Maiden that is referred to. She is said to be the prettiest of all the corn maidens and incredibly kind and gentle. She was a symbol of the springtime and rebirth. Night Swan and the Blue Corn Maiden have many things in common, including their beauty and their willingness to help others. Night Swan could also be seen as a symbol of rebirth for Tayo, as Night Swan encourages him to not be afraid of who he is and to embrace his culture. This is a new beginning for Tayo and he only achieves this fresh start with the help of Night Swan.

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?

This story shows colonization from the perspective of the Indians and how they Europeans seemed barbaric and savage-like to them. The Europeans are personified as inhuman and brutal. They are careless and do not care what happens to the animals and plants or to the world in general. They have no respect for anyone or anything. They have no relationship with anything in the world, except for themselves and other white men. They are killing machines who murder and devastation everywhere. I think the poem makes a good point when it says that white men "fear the world. They destroy what they fear. They fear themselves." This statement shows that, although the white men destroy everything in their paths, ultimately, they are cowards who are scared of everything. Unlike the Indians though, they do not try to become one with what they do not understand, they get rid of it so they do not have to deal with their problems.

Betonie does mention, however, that the American Indians played a role in the destruction in order for Tayo to see that all people, regardless of race or skin color is to blame for what the world is like today. He wants Tayo to see that even though he is mixed, this does not mean that it makes him any less human. Tayo is just like everyone else because everyone else is guilty of the same crime.