Momaday recalls when the Kiowas surrendered to soldiers at Fort Sill, how the Kiowas adopted the Crows religion and culture in the Plains, and the last Sun Dance performed by the Kiowas.
Why does Momaday tell the story of the Kiowas?
By
telling of Aho's life
, Momaday is actually telling the story of the tribe. This type of storytelling shows that the grand and intimate moments of history are not separate from each other, and that history is not an abstract concept, but rather a past that lives within real people.
What elements of Kiowa traditional beliefs were part of the grandmother life?
The author relates that these summer gatherings were a tradition of the Kiowa people. His grandmother retained her traditional belief in
the strength and resilience of her Kiowa community during her last years on earth
.
What natural phenomenon does the Kiowa legend explain?
The two natural phenomena explained by the Kiowa legend about the seven sisters and their brother in The Way to Rainy Mountain are
a rock formation called Devil's Tower and the star constellation known as the Big Dipper
.
Why Momaday considers his grandmother a living embodiment of Kiowa history?
When Momaday mentions that his grandmother, Aho,
belonged to “the last culture to evolve in North America
,” he is referring to her heritage in the Kiowa tribe of Native Americans. There are many quotations that show Aho's devotion both to the Kiowa heritage and the Kiowa religion.
What important events in Kiowa history does Momaday recount?
The last Sun Dance was held in 1887 on the Washita River above Rainy
Mountain Creek. A group of men set out to Texas to get a buffalo bill for the ceremony, but did not find what they were looking for.
Where did Kiowa people come from?
Kiowa, North American Indians of Kiowa-Tanoan linguistic stock who are believed to have migrated from
what is now southwestern Montana into the southern Great Plains
in the 18th century.
Why does the grandmother spider worries about raising the sun's child?
Grandmother Spider is worried about the Sun's child
because she knows how powerful he is, as a diving being
, and worries that she will not be able to control any aspect of his behavior. His constant disobedience shows how right she was. … Grandmother Spider now has two disobedient children to raise.
Why did the narrator want to visit his grandmother's grave?
Momaday wants to visit Aho's grave
and remember and pay respect to Aho's life
, so he travels 1500 miles to her grave. How did the Kiowas feel about warfare? It was their sacred business.
How was Momaday's grandmother able to describe people she had never seen and places she has never been?
In The Way to Rainy Mountain, Momaday's grandmother is able to describe people she has never seen and places to which she has never been
because the landscape of the continental interior lies like memory in her blood
.
Why does momaday return there?
In The Way to Rainy Mountain, Rainy Mountain is a feature of the natural landscape that has deep historical, cultural, and religious significance to the Kiowa people. Momaday returns there
because he wants to be at the grave of his grandmother, who recently passed away
.
What does momaday mean when he says of the hollow log origin story?
According to The Way to Rainy Mountain, this phrase means that
the Kiowa tribe of Native Americans has a very interesting creation myth
. … The general Kiowa creation myth is that the Kiowa tribe originated inside the earth and emerged onto the surface through a hollow log.
What eventually happened to the Kiowas?
The US Calvary are what happened to the Kiowa, ending the last great period of their history. …
Many of the Kiowa warriors surrendered at Fort Sill
. They were imprisoned, and their weapons and horses were confiscated. The loss of the horses was a major reason the Kiowa tribe did not survive.
What does momaday say about his grandmother?
Momaday's grandmother is a very significant presence in his personal narrative, even though she has died. It is her death that brings him home again, prompting the story itself. His memories of her are strong, and his love for her is deep. As he writes,
“I wanted to be at her grave.”
How did his knowledge of Kiowa history impact his view of his grandmother?
How did his knowledge of Kiowa history impact his view of his grandmother? …
Momaday makes it his personal journey after Aho passes away with the Kiowa culture
. She was his last living link to the culture and his ancestors.
What does Momaday's grandmother's house symbolize?
Housing in this part of the world, especially the narrator's grandmother's house, symbolizes
the intimate connection between the tribe and its ancient lands
. … Houses are like sentinels in teh plain, old keepers of the weather watch. There, in a very little while, wood takes on the appearance of great age.
