Reason 1:My memories Evidence1We stood together

entangle themselves oddly in a great ceremonial loop of

among the roots of several
cultures
our humanity, in our need to
remember our ancestors and
the lives they lived, together
in our desire o immerse
ourselves in their honor, to
always carry those memories
forward with us, to be
ourselves somehow made
holy by the ritual of those
memories

Reason2: We stood, all of us Evidence1: Perhaps the

—those descended from Memorial Days of those early
settlers of Norwegian, years have become
German, or other European one of the watermarks[3] of
origins, and those descended my life because they brought
from Anishinaabe or other to ceremonial focus the many
Indian people. tellings of the past that filled
up the hours and days of my
childhood.
Reason3: No matter how long Evidence1 But for my other
our lives, no matter how far education, practical and
our experience takes us from spiritual, I have no grades or
our origins, our lives remain degrees, no certificates to
connected, always loop back commemorate the annual
to that center of our identity, rituals. I have some tangibles
our spirit. of those processes—a jingle
dress, fans of feathers,
sometimes photos—but
mostly I have stories, dreams,
and memories.
Claim: I believe we belong to the circle and, for our survival, we will return in one way or
another to renew those rhythms of life out of which our sense of self has emerged. Some of us
have a physical0020place and a people we return to

Counterclaim: “Indians,” Ed Castillo says, “can hold more than one thing sacred.”With school
began my double life. I went to Catholic grade school, where I earned a reputation for being quiet,
obedient, pious, and bright. I learned my Baltimore Catechism

Luis Guillermo Castro and Maria Alejandra Penagos 8a