For Tayo, his recovery of his indigenous roots is all about memory and what feels right. He remembers the stories that were told to him as a child, and remembering what a prayer or greeting was like. “The things he did seemed right, as he imagined with his heart the rituals the cloud priests performed during a drought.” (p. 94) He also acknowledged the side of him that he disliked, the white side, but focused on the people who raised him and who were his true family. Tayo might not know everything about being Laguna because so much has been forcibly erased, forgotten or not taught to him, but he still remembers and tries. Tayo connects with his indigenous roots whenever he feels moved or reflective, and does things based on his instincts. “He
…show more content…
In understanding that the movement out West did not only affect European Americans but also the people in someone like Tayo’s family is important in acknowledging and fixing my shadow material and that of my culture. Like Tayo, I identify strongly with one side of my family than the other, but I don’t know much about the customs and culture of that group. However, like Tayo’s knowledge of his culture, (to a lesser extent) my Irish and Polish ancestry doesn’t give a lot of information about pre-invasion culture. Despite that, Tayo uses what he remembers and his instincts to connect back to his indigenous roots, and that can help me uncover my own. Through research, memory and storytelling I can get back to why my indigenous roots are like (Through my genealogical research, my family has indigenous roots in Europe ranging from Poland all the way to Ireland, and Norway all the way to France). Tayo uses healing ceremonies, stories, songs and praying in nature to connect back to his indigenous roots. I might not live in a similar place that my ancestors lived in for thousands of years like Tayo, but I can still learn stories, recipes, history, dances and songs from the places my family is from. With inspiration from Ceremony, the recovery of my ancestral and indigenous roots uncovered shadow material and helped me grasp a better idea of what I still need to
In understanding that the movement out West did not only affect European Americans but also the people in someone like Tayo’s family is important in acknowledging and fixing my shadow material and that of my culture. Like Tayo, I identify strongly with one side of my family than the other, but I don’t know much about the customs and culture of that group. However, like Tayo’s knowledge of his culture, (to a lesser extent) my Irish and Polish ancestry doesn’t give a lot of information about pre-invasion culture. Despite that, Tayo uses what he remembers and his instincts to connect back to his indigenous roots, and that can help me uncover my own. Through research, memory and storytelling I can get back to why my indigenous roots are like (Through my genealogical research, my family has indigenous roots in Europe ranging from Poland all the way to Ireland, and Norway all the way to France). Tayo uses healing ceremonies, stories, songs and praying in nature to connect back to his indigenous roots. I might not live in a similar place that my ancestors lived in for thousands of years like Tayo, but I can still learn stories, recipes, history, dances and songs from the places my family is from. With inspiration from Ceremony, the recovery of my ancestral and indigenous roots uncovered shadow material and helped me grasp a better idea of what I still need to