Given what you have read so far (esp. the Pueblo stories, the Hopi film, and Silko essays), what connections can you draw between the first few pages (the poems) of Ceremony and these materials?

From reading the beginning of Ceremony, I have come to the conclusion that land and animals were, and still are, a big part of the indian heritage.  As we were watching the film and class and reading the Silko essays, I have come to the realization that these people need these animals to survive.  In the beginning of the novel, there is a part that talk about Tayo gaining a sense of calmness from thinking of a deer in his mind.  In the readings that we did, the animals provided a sense of comfort because they meant that the people would have all the food that they needed.  Also, in Ceremony, there is a drought and none of the food is growing and the animals are starving becuase there is no grass or anthing for them to consume.  In the readings, there was a sense of understanding that if there was no way to feed the animals, there was no way for them to feed themselves.  In the origin myth story, the sisters were not able to make more seeds because there was not yet enough food for the new animals to consume.  These things are a big factor in the way of life for these people.

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

Auntie seems to be a very self-conscience person that worries about what everyone else thinks.  She is ashamed that her nephew is a biracial person and she is embarassed of her sister for having Tayo with a man from a different race.  She comes off as thinking that she is a very christian woman but I can't help but think that she is not because it is not a christian-like attitude to be ashamed of your own family.  She looks down on people that have mixed blood.  She acts as a martyr but does not show it justly.