Lesson-11-The-Way-to-Rainy-Mountain

TheWaytoRainyMountainScottMomaday•IsometimesthinkthecontemporarywhiteAmericanismoreculturallydeprivedthantheIndian.•TheAmericanliteraryworldoffersnogreaterawardthanthePulitzerPrize.In1969thePulitzerPrizeforFictionwenttoHouseMadeofDawn,afirstnovelfromanunknownauthor.Thiswasunusualenough;evenmoresurprisingly,tosomeobservers,thewinnerwasaKiowaIndianwhohadgrownuplargelyinthereservationsandpueblosoftheSouthwest,farfromsupposedcentersoflearningandletters.MOMADAY,N.SCOTT(1934-)•NavarreScottMomaday,oneofthemostimaginativesouthwestAmericanIndianwriters,wasbornonFebruary27,1934,attheKiowaandComancheIndianHospitalinLawton,Oklahoma,toAlfredMomaday,aKiowapainter,andNatacheeScott,apart-Cherokeewomanwhomherhusband'sKiowapeopleperceivedasanunwelcomedoutsider.ThefamilylatermovedtoNewMexicoandArizonatoliveontheNavajo,Apache,andPuebloreservations,wheretheparentstaughtschool.AsachildgrowingupamongvariousIndiantribesinArizona,ScottMomadaydevelopedanappreciationforthehealingpowerofstoriesandtheirwords.N.ScottMomaday'sparents,AlfredandNatachee,aboutthetimeoftheirmarriagein1933.(CourtesyofN.ScottMomaday)•Afterreceivingabachelor'sdegreeinpoliticalsciencefromtheUniversityofNewMexico,hesubmittedafewpoemstoacreativewritingcontestsponsoredbyStanfordUniversity.ThereIvorWinters,professorandestablishedpoet,securedascholarshipfortheyoungmanandbecamehismentor.MomadayremainedatStanfordtoearnamaster'sandPh.D.inEnglishandcontinuedtowritefictionandpoetry.•Momaday'sautobiographicalworksincludeTheJourneyofTai-me(1967),TheWaytoRainyMountain(1969),andTheNames:AMemoir(1976),allofwhichdrawuponKiowastories,tales,myths,andmemorabiliatobuildarecordoffamilyandtribalhistory.Histwonovels,HouseMadeofDawn(1968)andTheAncientChild(1989),exploretheproblemofmarginalizationthatAmericanIndianssuffered,alongwiththeirattemptstomediatetheirinternalstrugglesbyreconnectingwiththeirtribalheritage.HouseMadeofDawn,whichintroducedanewtechniqueintheAmericanIndiannarrativestyle,quicklyelevatedhimtoaprominentpositioninAmericanlettersandwonhimthePulitzerPrizeforFictionin1969.Momaday'spoetryreflectshisinterestinIndiancultures.Inparticular,theworksAngleofGeeseandOtherPoems(1974),TheGourdDancer(1976),InthePresenceoftheSun:StoriesandPoems,1961-1991(1992),andIntheBear'sHouse(1999),reflecthiscontinuingconcernforKiowaculture,history,song,ceremony,andmythandalsorevealthepost-symbolisttechniquethathelearnedfromhisStanfordmentor,IvorWinters.TheculminationofMomaday'spoeticachievementismostapparentintheBear'sHousecollection,whichrevealshisdeepfascinationwiththebearfigure,aKiowahealingforcethatoftenmediatesbetweenthehumanandspiritworlds.IntheBear'sHouseisamontage-likeselectionofpoetry,dialogue,drawings,andpaintingsrelatedtoKiowabearmyths.MomadayblendsKiowaandChristianspiritualitiesinanefforttosuperimposethepastuponthepresent,creatingaremarkablefusionoftwoseeminglydivergentcultures.•AttheendofthetwentiethcenturyN.ScottMomadayservedasRegentsProfessorofEnglishattheUniversityofArizona.TherehecontinuedtowritestoriesandpoemsabouttheAmericanIndianexperience.TheWaytoRainyMountainbyN.ScottMomaday,auniqueblendofhistory,folklore,andpoeticmemoir,waspublishedin1969.IttakesthereaderthroughauthorN.ScottMomaday’sownjourneyofdiscoveringhisKiowabackgroundandidentity.Thejourneyistoldinthreeseparatevoices:Thefirstvoice,theancestralvoice,tellsabouttheKiowabyusingoraltraditionsandmyths;•thesecondvoiceisahistoricalcommentary;andfinally,thethirdvoiceisMomaday’spoeticmemoirofhisexperiences.AllthreevoicestogetherteachabouttheKiowa’sorigin,beliefs,traditions,morals,andconflicts.NotonlydoesthejourneyrecountedinthisbookhelpMomadaybetterunderstandhisancestry,italsoteachesabouttheKiowatribe’shistory.•Theuniquenessofthistext,however,hasbeenanissueforsomereaders;theyclaimitisconfusingtofollowanddiscombobulating.Othersfinditeasiertounderstandbyreadingeachindividualvoiceconsecutivelyinsteadofalternatingfromonevoicetoanotherasthebookiswritten.TheWaytoRainyMountaincontinuestobeanentrypointtoKiowahistoryandawaytoopendiscussionsaboutwhatconstitutesanyhistoryofapeople.ExpeditionOklahoma•Tuesday,October19,2010•personaljourneythroughthegreatstateofOklahomaandbeyond.Exploringcommunities,StateParks,NationalParksandHistoricSites.Allimages©JoyFranklin;[e-mail]•Inthesummerof2008,IhadtheopportunitytotraveltoFargo,NorthDakotaandstudyTheGreatPlainswithDr.TomIsernwithagroupofexceptionalteacherswhowerealsofascinatedwiththeplains.AmongthereadingswereTheWayToRainyMountainbyN.ScottMomaday.Hewritesinapoeticproseshortverse,personalreflectionsinterspersedwithhistory,oraltraditionandmemories.Imagesstandstarklyinblackandwhiteinthisillustratedstory.AtributetoMomaday'sheritage.RainyMountain•ThefirsttimeIvisitedRainyMountainwasinJuneof2009withaclosefriendthatImadeattheseminar.WhenyoudrivetoRainyMountainonHighway54nearGotebo,Oklahoma.ItisnotamountaininthesenseoftheWichitaMountains,itisahill,agentlyslopingmoundonthehorizon.Itisindistinctyetitstandsoutonthelandscapeformilesaround.Inawayitremindsmeoftheundisturbedruinsofthe