In Silko’s “Ceremony,” women are associated with the birthing and the rebirth of man-kind and nature. In many cases, the creation of man-kind and nature has been directly linked to a higher power of God, so in a sense, women are the equivalent of a sort of spiritual hero. We seem to grasp a strong sense of the all-powerful female role by the strong feminist theme that Silko introduces us to upon the opening of the text when she recounts a native poem, “Ts’its’nako, Thought-Woman, is sitting in her room and whatever she thinks about appears. She thought of her sisters… and together they created the Universe this world and the four worlds below. Thought Woman, the spider, named things and as she named them they appeared.” (1) This poem is offering
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Old Betonie had given rise to the image of female power. He explained to Tayo that there will be a ‘woman,’ cattle, and stars that he must watch out for during his quest for completion of his ceremony. In a way, Old Betonie is also is opening our thoughts to foreshadow the coming events and the absolute fact that no ceremony is complete without the power of a woman’s ‘touch’ and wisdom. As the story progresses, we learn that Ts’eh could possibly be the woman Old Betonie is referring to because her home is in a location that points out the symbolic group of stars that Tayo was told to watch out for on his journey. Tayo had encountered other females in the text, but seemed to be able to vividly grasp the understanding that Ts’eh was the true ‘woman’ referred to by Old Betonie in his vision in fulfilling the ceremonial quest. One of the many things that stood out to Tayo when he refers to and reflects back on Ts’eh was her powerful association with essential forces of nature. When the Hunter states “You better fold up the blanket before the snow breaks the branches (208),” this serves as further evidence that Ts’eh possesses God-like capacities such as the weather, by being able to provoke and control snow storms with the spreading of her storm- patterned
Old Betonie had given rise to the image of female power. He explained to Tayo that there will be a ‘woman,’ cattle, and stars that he must watch out for during his quest for completion of his ceremony. In a way, Old Betonie is also is opening our thoughts to foreshadow the coming events and the absolute fact that no ceremony is complete without the power of a woman’s ‘touch’ and wisdom. As the story progresses, we learn that Ts’eh could possibly be the woman Old Betonie is referring to because her home is in a location that points out the symbolic group of stars that Tayo was told to watch out for on his journey. Tayo had encountered other females in the text, but seemed to be able to vividly grasp the understanding that Ts’eh was the true ‘woman’ referred to by Old Betonie in his vision in fulfilling the ceremonial quest. One of the many things that stood out to Tayo when he refers to and reflects back on Ts’eh was her powerful association with essential forces of nature. When the Hunter states “You better fold up the blanket before the snow breaks the branches (208),” this serves as further evidence that Ts’eh possesses God-like capacities such as the weather, by being able to provoke and control snow storms with the spreading of her storm- patterned