Baed off of the book "The Way To Rainy Mountain" By N. Scott Momaday can you answer these questions and include citing textual evidence to support your claims.
1. Momaday tells at least three stories in "The Way to Rainy Mountain" - his, his grandmother's, and that of the Kiowa people. Why does he tell them together?
2. Where does Momaday's journey begin? Where does it end?
1. Momaday tells his story, his grandmother's story, and the story of the Kiowa people together in "The Way to Rainy Mountain" to showcase the interconnectedness and continuity of the Kiowa culture and to emphasize the importance of preserving their historical and cultural heritage.
One example of textual evidence that supports this claim is found in the opening lines of the book: "A single knoll rises out of the plain in Oklahoma, north and west of the Wichita Range. For my people, the Kiowas, it is an old landmark, and they gave it the name Rainy Mountain" (Momaday 1). Here, Momaday connects his personal story of growing up in Oklahoma to the ancestral lands of the Kiowa people. This sets the foundation for intertwining his own experiences with those of his grandmother and the larger Kiowa community.
Another example can be found when Momaday explains the significance of the Rainy Mountain in his tribe's mythology: "Here are the myths of origin... the sacred narratives that tell of their emergence from a hole in the earth, from the grave of a dead grandmother... They are a history of a people in relation to their own sacred land" (Momaday 2). By including the myths and legends of the Kiowa people alongside his personal and his grandmother's stories, Momaday emphasizes the importance of the land to their cultural identity.
Additionally, Momaday weaves these three stories together to illustrate the complex layers of cultural identity and the role that storytelling plays in preserving and honoring that identity. As he states, "The storyteller is more than a teller of tales... These are the voices of my people, and I shall continue in this way" (Momaday 3).
2. Momaday's journey in "The Way to Rainy Mountain" begins in Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico, where he currently lives. From there, he travels to Rainy Mountain, in Oklahoma, which marks the ancestral homeland of the Kiowa people.
The textual evidence that supports this can be found throughout the book as Momaday describes his travel route and the places he visits. For example, he writes, "I went westward through New Mexico, up through the Panhandle of Texas... I drove all day and late into the evening, crossing the Red River just after dark, and at Little Robe Creek I turned north into the states of the Cheyenne and the Arapaho" (Momaday 5). These descriptions confirm that the journey begins in Jemez Pueblo and takes him through various locations before reaching Rainy Mountain.
Furthermore, the ending of Momaday's journey is explicitly stated towards the end of the book: "I rose and turned south. The horizon darkened and I drove into a storm of rain. I drove to Rainy Mountain... I stood there for a while, neither coming nor going" (Momaday 89). This passage confirms that the journey concludes at Rainy Mountain, where Momaday finds himself reflecting on the significance of the place and its role in the Kiowa culture.
1. Momaday tells these three stories together in "The Way to Rainy Mountain" to explore the connection between his personal history, his grandmother's oral tradition, and the larger narrative of the Kiowa people. By intertwining these narratives, Momaday highlights the importance of storytelling in preserving cultural heritage and passing down knowledge.
Textual evidence to support this claim:
"In considering the manner of their telling I have included them all in a kind of harmony, a counterpoint of themes and motifs...yet all form a single vision of experience" (Momaday, p. 5).
This quote suggests that Momaday intentionally weaves together these different stories to create a cohesive and unified vision of the Kiowa people's experience. By presenting his own personal story alongside his grandmother's and the collective history of the Kiowa, he seeks to convey the interconnectedness of their individual narratives.
2. Momaday's journey in "The Way to Rainy Mountain" begins in Oklahoma, specifically in the town of Lawton where he grew up. He then embarks on a physical and spiritual journey to Rainy Mountain, the ancestral homeland of the Kiowa people. The journey ends with his arrival at Rainy Mountain.
Textual evidence to support this claim:
"I returned to Rainy Mountain in July. My grandmother had recently died...I wanted to see the grave again and to be where she had been" (Momaday, p. 19).
This passage indicates that Momaday's journey starts with his desire to visit his grandmother's grave at Rainy Mountain. Through this journey, Momaday reconnects with his heritage and gains a deeper understanding of his own identity as a Kiowa.