The-Way-to-Rainy-Mountain-by-N.-Scott-Momaday

TheWaytoRainyMountainbyN.ScottMomadayAsingleknollrisesoutoftheplaininOklahoma,northandwestoftheWichitaRange.Formypeople,theKiowas,itisanoldlandmark,andtheygaveitthenameRainyMountain.Thehardestweatherintheworldisthere.Winterbringsblizzards,hottornadicwindsariseinthespring,andinsummertheprairieisananvil'sedge.Thegrassturnsbrittleandbrown,anditcracksbeneathyourfeet.Therearegreenbeltsalongtheriversandcreeks,lineargrovesofhickoryandpecan,willowandwitchhazel.AtadistanceinJulyorAugustthesteamingfoliageseemsalmosttowritheinfire.Greatgreenandyellowgrasshoppersareeverywhereinthetallgrass,poppinguplikecorntostingtheflesh,andtortoisescrawlaboutontheredearth,goingnowhereintheplentyoftime.Lonelinessisanaspectoftheland.Allthingsintheplainareisolate;thereisnoconfusionofobjectsintheeye,butonehilloronetreeoroneman.Tolookuponthatlandscapeintheearlymorning,withthesunatyourback,istolosethesenseofproportion.Yourimaginationcomestolife,andthis,youthink,iswhereCreationwasbegun.IreturnedtoRainyMountaininJuly.Mygrandmotherhaddiedinthespring,andIwantedtobeathergrave.Shehadlivedtobeveryoldandatlastinfirm.Heronlylivingdaughterwaswithherwhenshedied,andIwastoldthatindeathherfacewasthatofachild.Iliketothinkofherasachild.Whenshewasborn,theKiowaswerelivingthelastgreatmomentoftheirhistory.FormorethanahundredyearstheyhadcontrolledtheopenrangefromtheSmokyHillRivertotheRed,fromtheheadwatersoftheCanadiantotheforkoftheArkansasandCimarron.InalliancewiththeComanches,theyhadruledthewholeofthesouthernPlains.Warwastheirsacredbusiness,andtheywereamongthefinesthorsementheworldhaseverknown.ButwarfarefortheKiowaswaspreeminentlyamatterofdispositionratherthanofsurvival,andtheyneverunderstoodthegrim,unrelentingadvanceoftheU.S.Cavalry.Whenatlast,dividedandillprovisioned,theyweredrivenontotheStakedPlainsinthecoldrainsofautumn,theyfellintopanic.InPaloDuroCanyontheyabandonedtheircrucialstorestopillageandhadnothingthenbuttheirlives.Inordertosavethemselves,theysurrenderedtothesoldiersatFortSillandwereimprisonedintheoldstonecorralthatnowstandsasamilitarymuseum.Mygrandmotherwassparedthehumiliationofthosehighgraywallsbyeightortenyears,butshemusthaveknownfrombirththeafflictionofdefeat,thedarkbroodingofoldwarriors.HernamewasAho,andshebelongedtothelastculturetoevolveinNorthAmerica.HerforebearscamedownfromthehighcountryinwesternMontananearlythreecenturiesago.Theywereamountainpeople,amysterioustribeofhunterswhoselanguagehasneverbeenpositivelyclassifiedinanymajorgroup.Inthelateseventeenthcenturytheybeganalongmigrationtothesouthandeast.Itwasajourneytowardthedawn,anditledtoagoldenage.AlongthewaytheKiowaswerebefriendedbytheCrows,whogavethemthecultureandreligionofthePlains.Theyacquiredhorses,andtheirancientnomadicspiritwassuddenlyfreeoftheground.TheyacquiredTai-me,thesacredSunDancedoll,fromthatmomenttheobjectandsymboloftheirworship,andsosharedinthedivinityofthesun.Notleast,theyacquiredthesenseofdestiny,thereforecourageandpride.WhentheyentereduponthesouthernPlainstheyhadbeentransformed.Nolongerweretheyslavestothesimplenecessityofsurvival;theywerealordlyanddangeroussocietyoffightersandthieves,huntersandpriestsofthesun.Accordingtotheiroriginmyth,theyenteredtheworldthroughahollowlog.Fromonepointofview,theirmigrationwasthefruitofanoldprophecy,forindeedtheyemergedfromasunlessworld.AlthoughmygrandmotherlivedoutherlonglifeintheshadowofRainyMountain,theimmenselandscapeofthecontinentalinteriorlaylikememoryinherblood.ShecouldtelloftheCrows,whomshehadneverseen,andoftheBlackHills,whereshehadneverbeen.Iwantedtoseeinrealitywhatshehadseenmoreperfectlyinthemind'seye,andtraveledfifteenhundredmilestobeginmypilgrimage.Yellowstone,itseemedtome,wasthetopoftheworld,aregionofdeeplakesanddarktimber,canyonsandwaterfalls.But,beautifulasitis,onemighthavethesenseofconfinementthere.Theskylineinalldirectionsiscloseathand,thehighwallofthewoodsanddeepcleavagesofshade.Thereisaperfectfreedominthemountains,butitbelongstotheeagleandtheelk,thebadgerandthebear.TheKiowasreckonedtheirstaturebythedistancetheycouldsee,andtheywerebentandblindinthewilderness.Descendingeastward,thehighlandmeadowsareastairwaytotheplain.InJulytheinlandslopeoftheRockiesisluxuriantwithflaxandbuckwheat,stonecropandlarkspur.Theearthunfoldsandthelimitofthelandrecedes.Clustersoftrees,andanimalsgrazingfarinthedistance,causethevisiontoreachawayandwondertobuilduponthemind.Thesunfollowsalongercourseintheday,andtheskyisimmensebeyondallcomparison.Thegreatbillowingcloudsthatsailuponitareshadowsthatmoveuponthegrainlikewater,dividinglight.Fartherdown,inthelandoftheCrowsandBlackfeet,theplainisyellow.Sweetclovertakesholdofthehillsandbendsuponitselftocoverandsealthesoil.TheretheKiowaspausedontheirway;theyhadcometotheplacewheretheymustchangetheirlives.Thesunisathomeontheplains.Preciselytheredoesithavethecertaincharacterofagod.WhentheKiowascametothelandoftheCrows,theycouldseethedarkleesofthehillsatdawnacrosstheBighornRiver,theprofusionoflightonthegrainshelves,theoldestdeityrangingafterthesolstices.Notyetwouldtheyveersouthwardtothecaldronofthelandthatlaybelow;th