Brianne Cook

Dr. Andrew Auge

Literature of Oppression and Resistance
3 May 2014
Leslie Marmon Silkos Ceremony. A Cross-Cultural Approach to Universal Issues
How can people of different cultureswith fundamentally different beliefs, traditions
and practicesseek solutions to global issues, including the exploitation of natural resources?
One approach to facing such large-scale challenges suggested by author Leslie Marmon Silko in
her novel Ceremony, involves the incorporation of rich cultural perspectives and traditions. By
presenting her novel in the context of the Laguna Pueblo culture and her deep-seated belief in
interconnectedness, Silko creates a basis upon which broader issues of humanity can be
recognized and confronted. Through Tayos story, Silko identifies Tayos illness along with its
greater associated social implications. The story might seem to exclude some cultures in specific
circumstances, however in the greater context, her ceremony or cure, which has many dynamic
qualities, encourages people of different cultures to connect on the basic level of humanity, to
engage in dialogue and work together, and to seek solutions to widespread social issues.
Tayo suffers a significant number of hardships upon his return from serving in the army
during World War II, including and as a consequence of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Unrecognized at that time, Tayos mental condition had been left untreated, and thus he struggles
daily to cope with the effects of this illness in addition to the death of his cousin in the war. The
symptoms of Tayos illness are directly described through his behaviors; he frequently
experiences nausea, flashbacks, delusions (such as seeing Josiah with the Japanese army),
extreme emotional outbursts, difficulty sleeping, and general anxiety. Tayo also tends to drink

alcohol, although not completely voluntarily, as his friends who also fought in the war (Harley,
Leroy, Pinky and Emo) pressure him into drinking in his ill state. The effects of Tayos illness, on
an individual basis, are also portrayed through the style of the text. Initially, the story is told in a
very disconnected, unclear manner representing the flashbacks and struggles to cope with and
maintain focus on the present. These conditions, however, only represent the immediate, surface
manifestations of Tayos illness.
The origins of Tayos illness extend beyond immediate, physical effects of World War II
and post-traumatic stress disorder. Tayos mixed blood (white and Laguna Pueblo) status has
imposed certain hardships growing up and at the present, both within his family and the Pueblo
community. Tayo is often treated as less than a full member of his family and community
because of this status. Auntie treats Tayo with less care, dignity and respect because of his status;
she simply attempts to keep him hidden from the public as, in Aunties mind, Tayo represents
only the shame which has been conferred upon the family. She expected her son Rocky to attend
college and attain great success, while Tayo remained on the farm hidden from public. When
Tayo returns, Auntie continues her dominant attitude, considering Tayo another unforturnate
burden which provedshe was a Christian woman (Silko 26). Emo, in a similar way, calls Tayo
half-breed and takes every opportunity to ridicule Tayo because of his heritage (Silko 52).
Tayos struggles as an individual are increased and encircled by social restraints placed by his
family and culture.
Silko also reveals that social expectations of the dominant, Euro-American culture
contribute to the illness suffered by Tayo and by humanity in general. People outside of the
Pueblo community treat Tayo in the same or perhaps more dehumanizing manner seen within his
community. Store clerks double check his money because of his race, and road construction

workers recognize and laugh about his mixed blood status (Silko 53). The negative influence of
Euro-American culture is exhibited in the lives of other characters as well. Holly Martin, author
of a comparison analysis including Ceremony, explains Living within the borderline contact
point of two polarized cultures, individuals may experience an inversion of their cultural norms
(134). Several characters of the novel, including Rocky, Emo, and Tayos mother, are drawn
away from the Laguna Pueblo culture by the allures and false promises of western culture.
Negative consequences ensue in each case where these characters renounce their cultural
heritage. In gaining a stronger understanding of the sciences and technology, Rocky interacts
with his elders with utter disrespect. While admittedly gaining this knowledge could be
beneficial, Rocky only uses this information to act with arrogance and mock the traditional
rituals, such as after hunting when respect is shown to the deer by placing cornmeal on its nose
(Silko 47). Much to the anger of Tayo, Emo regularly shows disrespect for nature, and
comments at one time that Heres the Indians mother earth! Old dried-up thing! (Silko 23).
Tayos mother especially faced many difficult consequences, alcoholism, poverty, shame and
ultimately an early death, in coming into contact with western culture. Women of all cultural
heritages, white, Mexican, and Native American, face discrimination and are seen to be
pressured into prostitution in this border region as well. Tayos illness extends to the greater
physical and symbolic landscape in which two very different cultures have collided resulting in
social injustices and identity confusion within both cultures.
In opposition to the cure suggested by Leslie Marmon Silko in Ceremony, the healing of
the ceremony could be argued to be limited to Native Americans and other minority groups while
excluding Euro-American culture. White, Euro-American culture is described in the myth of the
destroyers as a product of the witchery. Later Tayo expands upon this myth, describing how

white culture feed[s] off the vitality of other cultures and is as Hollow and lifeless as a
witchery figure (Silko 190). Incorporating a culture, identified as a creation of evil, into a cure
for said evil could be challenging. The ceremony also borders on the blending of distinct cultures
(those in which people have light-colored skin) into the singular white, Euro-American culture.
Ann-Louise Keating expresses such a concern in regards to replacing whiteness with white
people:

It draws on false generalizations and implies that all human beings classified as
white automatically exhibit the traits associated with whiteness: They are, by
nature, insidious, superior, empty, terrible, terrifying, and so on (907).

Furthermore, the story is narrated from the perspective of a single character. This could also be
used as evidence against Silkos cure as inclusive to all cultures in that the narration by and of an
individual who has grown up within the Pueblo Laguna culture might suggest the cure only
functions on the level of the individual, and cannot be extended to facilitate widespread cultural
and social change. People from western culture could struggle to relate to the Native American
mythology and traditions, based on specific beliefs and teachings. This exclusion of EuroAmerican culture seems to contradict Silkos intention of developing an all-inclusive healing
ceremony.
Further consideration and analysis of Silkos Ceremony reveals that her cure functions at
a deeper, more symbolic level than of that expressed in the previous points of critique. The
ceremony described by Silko has many dynamic qualities which allow the cure to be
incorporated among cultures and for generations to come. Characters of various cultural

backgrounds, for example, assist Tayo in the healing process, including Betonie
(Navajo/Mexican), Night Swan (Mexican), and Josiah (Laguna Pueblo).
Betonie, who provides Tayo with the most successful cure to his illness, highly
emphasizes the necessity for change and transition in preserving ones cultural identity while
adapting to the modern world. There are balances and harmonies always shifting, always
necessary to maintainIt is a matter of transition, you see; the changing, the becoming must be
cared for closely (Silko 120) Preserving the central values and ideas of a culture does not entail
keeping every detail the same, for as Betonie mentions the only things that do not shift or grow
are dead things (Silko 116). Life is comprised of growth and change (a series of cycles); a
ceremony to heal individuals and humanity as a whole, must therefore take into account the
events and core values of the past while introducing new ideas from the present to place the
ceremony within the context of modern society. In addition, Neither western medicine nor
traditional methods alone could be used to effectively heal Tayos illness, thus revealing that an
effective cure to Tayos illness, along with greater social ailments, must include elements of
Euro-American, Native American, and other minority cultures. These elements are best
exemplified in the text by Betonies junk collections. Tayo notices the strange assortment of
items including stacks of calendars and shopping bags, but is further taken aback when he
realizes the sense of organization incorporated around the hogan, how each item has a particular
place (Silko 111). Healing after a clash between cultures requires the fusion of cultures, of ideas
from both the past and present.
Facilitating the fusion of two conflicting cultures may seem paradoxical, yet perhaps it
can begin to be set in motion once people on either side of cultural divide examine how they
connect to one another on the basic level of humanity. On the level of shared humanity, people

can begin to recognize fundamental flaws inherent to all people. Silko does not identify white
culture as the source of evil, but as one of the products of witchery. She does not do this in order
exclude white culture, but simply to show that white culture is not the not the image of perfection
as so many Native Americans have imagined and into which they have strived to assimilate. Both
cultures, however, with struggle with similar forms of witchery; prejudice towards the opposite
culture is present on both sides of the cultural divide. Pueblo Laguna Native Americans often
encounter prejudice from Euro-American society, which in the text is represented by the
undebated theft of Native American land and livestock, and again in the dehumanizing manner
the Texan cowboy treats Tayo upon finding him trespassing on the ranch (Silko 186).
Conversely, Aunties favored treatment of Rocky (fully Laguna Pueblo) over Tayo, (mixed blood
status) illustrates the Native American prejudice towards Euro-American culture. Both cultures
face the challenges of witchery and have at times faltered. Silko emphasizes that The destroyers
had tricked the white people as completely as they had fooled the Indians (190). If people are
able to recognize the imperfections of human nature, they may be able to begin to see others and
the world as they really exist and perhaps also find humor in light of ironies of human nature. In
her analysis, author Evasdaughter discusses how Betonie and Tayo express a type of black
[dark] humorwhich includes hatred and white oppression in its world view without allowing
them to monopolize the world and is consequently death-paralyzing (86). Evasdaughter
develops this idea that this subtle form of comic relief used by Silko assists Tayo in realizing and
rejecting the evils in society. By taking a realistic, if slightly humorous perspective it may be
possible for people to find acceptance within and between cultures.
Night Swan encourages Tayo to fully accept and embrace his mixed-blood status. In their
encounter, she notices his lighter colored eyes and offers him advice when he begins to express

shame regarding his heritage. Night Swan explains these people who mock and ridicule Tayo for
his heritage are only expressing their fear of change, and act unwisely in placing blame on those
of hybrid status. These people, as Night Swan says, are avoiding seeing what has happened
inside themselves, which is the development of ignorance and hate (Silko 92). In Silkos cure,
each individual must be able to recognize the value of his or her culture and heritage, and then
take a step further to understand the value of the cultures within the community. Likewise, the
community as a whole must recognize the value of the individual cultures and the benefits of
interactions between cultures.
In connecting on the level of humanity, people might also start to notice how each person
is shaped by stories and traditions with common themes. The interwoven story of ThoughtWomen and pieces of poetry play key roles in clarifying Silkos proposed ceremony. These forms
of Native American and Euro-American literature include central themes of Silkos cure, such as
the destructiveness of technological will-to-power, along with the importance of humility and
reconnecting to the people of ones community and nature. Though the context, style, importance
of stories might vary depending on cultures, stories remain an inextricable part of life regardless
of heritage. By becoming more aware of and understanding the stories and their broader themes,
people may begin to show greater respect for and more fully recognize the inherent dignity of
human life.
Josiah taught Tayo this respect for life in a simple lesson. As a young child, Tayo was
killing flies one day and proudly showed his work to Josiah. Josiah responded with an expression
of disgust and explained to Tayo the myth in which a greenbottle fly, a humble creature that
asked for forgiveness for the actions of people that had prompted the mother of the people to take
all water and life from the land (Silko 93). Josiah showed to Tayo that every life, even if

seemingly insignificant, has a role to play in the world, and that even those considered
insignificant may play important roles. This theme of humility and respect for all people (and all
creatures in nature) is continued in the story of Hummingbird, Fly, and Buzzard who have
similar pivotal roles in the story of the Thought-Woman (Silko 97). This story-telling experience
exemplifies one way in which Josiah introduced Tayo to Laguna Pueblo culture, and expressed
sincere concern for Tayo and his understanding of the positive values of this culture. Recognition
and understanding of such values, which broaden ones perspective of the world, can assist
forming connections between cultures on the level of humanity.
Forming this sense of shared humanity and all that it entails could be brought about by
individuals and communities engaging in dialogue and working together to create social change.
Through such efforts, people can counteract the evil of the destroyers who strive to see how
much can be lost, how much can be forgotten, and destroy the feeling people have for
each other (Silko 213). By participating in multicultural dialogue, people may be able to listen,
share, and learn about different cultures, including their stories, teachings and beliefs. The
benefit of the meeting of cultures in this inclusive atmosphere is best symbolized in Ceremony by
Tayos and Josiahs hybid cattle. These cattle have beneficial characteristics of each of the
parents: the meat of Hereford cattle crossed with the hardiness of Mexican cattle. On the level of
the storys plot, Tayo similarly learns to distinguish the benefits of white and Laguna Pueblo
culture through his journey, and is able to reconnect with his family, community, and the land.
Through dialogue, people may be able to share their distinct cultural perspectives, which may
help to find solutions in resolving broader social issues. Each culture will bring into the
discussion distinct viewpoints and tools which may allow them to approach issues from different

angles. Together in dialogue, people may find improved solutions to social issues and may gain a
greater understanding of different cultures.
In her novel Ceremony, Silko reveals how Tayos illness extends beyond the level of the
individual, with implications on the levels of community and society as a whole. Though the
Silkos healing ceremony, in limited sense, seems to exclude Euro-American culture, in the
greater context, her ceremony has many dynamic characteristics which encourage the formation
of connections on the level of humanity. Such connections can be formed by engaging in
dialogue and working together to facilitate widespread cultural and social change. Silko
effectively creates a cure which allows for the recognition and confrontation of social issues by
presenting the novel, a cure in itself, in the context of the Laguna Pueblo culture and strong
belief in interconnectedness.

Works Cited
Evasdaughter, Elizabeth N. "Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony: Healing Ethnic Hatred." MELUS
15.1 (Spring 1988): 83-94. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale,
2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 2 May 2014.
Keating, Ann L. Interrogating Whiteness. (De)Constructing Race. College English 57.8
(Dec. 1995): 901-918. http://www.jstor.org/stable/378620.
Martin, Holly. Hybrid Landscapes as Catalysts for Cultural Reconciliation in Leslie Marmon
Silkos Cermony and Rudolfo Anayas Bless Me Ultima. Atenea 26.1 (June 2006): 131149. Web. 2 May 2014.
Silko, Leslie M. Ceremony. New York: Penguin Books, 2007. Print.