N. Scott Momaday: Oral Tradition

In the Native American culture, oral tradition has proven to be an imperative aspect that contributes to the continuation and spread of their beliefs among future generations. In both Tracks by Louise Erdrich and The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday, there is a representation of how oral tradition contributes to being Native American. Each novel has its own unique portrayal of this; however, both novels are illustrations of the different ways that oral tradition strengthens one’s feeling of belonging to the Native American culture. In the essay, “The Man made of Words” by N. Scott Momaday, he says that “there is no way in which we can exist apart from the morality of a verbal dimension”. Essentially, he says that a story’s, tradition’s, and culture’s existence is dependent on the verbal telling of it and this is prevalent in the two novels being discussed. The novel The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday is written in a very unique format, in which he uses three separate voices. One voice is the cultural viewpoint, another is the historical perspective, and the last adds a personal touch to the novel by including things actual experiences by Momaday himself. This novel is almost

Lulu, Fleur’s daughter and Nanapush’s granddaughter, was sent away to a boarding school and this hurt her relationship with her mother. Nanapush is attempting to mend their relationship by explaining what led Fleur to her decision and in order to do so he must tell the whole truth. Pauline, on the other hand, was never trusted to be telling the whole truth and this affected her life to the point where it changed her identity. In The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday, he clearly portrays the being a part of the Kiowa tribe and the oral tradition that comes along with it has shaped his identity and the way he looks at life itself. In chapter sixteen, Momaday