“Their horses and weapons were confiscated, and they were imprisoned. In a field just west of post, the Indian ponies were destroyed.”
At the core, the novel expresses the tragic history of Native Americans that took place following the surrender at Fort Sill. The quotation highlights the unfair treatment and injustice that faced the Native culture, specifically Momaday’s Kiowa tribe. The book speaks volumes in terms of placing into context the brutality Native cultures have faced in the hands of their oppressors. Momaday handles the cost of imperialism, including the subsequent human suffering and the demise of a sacred cultural heritage.
“A word has power in and of itself. It comes from nothing into sound and meaning; it gives origin to all things.”
The entirety of the novel puts an effort to use language to bring to life the Kiowa cultural history and heritage. Momaday places emphasis on the significance of words towards cultural survival and thus incorporates various voices in the narratives. The assertion illustrates the connection built through folklore, history, and point of view in resurrecting cultural history. Momaday creates this linkage successfully by showing the power of words in connecting the spiritual essence and nature or the material world.
