Flashcards for Ceremony

Auntie

Auntie (Thelma) is a Laguna Pueblo woman who takes on the role of Tayo's primary caretaker after his mother leaves him.

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Betonie

Betonie is a Navajo-Chicano medicine man residing on the outskirts of Gallup, New Mexico.

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Emo

Emo is the main antagonist in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, representing the destructive witchery that threatens both Tayo and the Laguna community.

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Harley

Harley is a Laguna Pueblo veteran and one of Tayo's closest friends from wartime.

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Ku'oosh

Ku'oosh is the traditional medicine man of the Laguna Pueblo who appears early in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony as the community's first effort to help Tayo after his return from World War II.

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Night Swan

Night Swan is an intriguing, liminal character in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony — a Mexican dancer and former cantina performer who has retired to Cubero and become involved with Josiah, Tayo's uncle.

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Old Grandma

Old Grandma is a minor yet symbolically significant character in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony.

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Rocky

Rocky is Tayo's cousin and Auntie's son, both growing up in the same household on the Laguna Pueblo reservation.

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Tayo

Tayo is the mixed-race Laguna Pueblo protagonist of Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony (1977), and his journey of psychological and spiritual recovery from World War II trauma is the novel's central focus.

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Ts'eh

Ts'eh is a captivating and radiant presence in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, appearing to Tayo in the expansive mountain landscape after he follows the cattle north.

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“Witchery works to scare people, to make them fear growth. But it has always been necessary, and more than that, it has always been possible.”

This passage is from Leslie Marmon Silko's novel Ceremony (1977), spoken by Betonie, a mixed-heritage Navajo medicine man, during his healing sessions with the protagonist Tayo.

Betonie

“I will tell you something about stories, / [he said] / They aren't just entertainment. / Don't be fooled. / They are all we have, you see, / all we have to fight off / illness and death.”

This passage appears near the opening of Leslie Marmon Silko's novel Ceremony (1977), delivered through Thought-Woman's storytelling voice — represented by the character Betonie or framed within the novel's mythic prologue poetry.

Narrative/storytelling voice (Thought-Woman's frame) · Prologue / Opening poem

“The world was already complete even without him.”

This line comes from Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony (1977), a novel that follows Tayo, a mixed-heritage Laguna Pueblo veteran grappling with trauma and a sense of spiritual disconnection after World War II.

Narrator (reflecting Tayo's interiority) · Early narrative section

“The only cure / I know / is a good ceremony, / that's what she said.”

This quote is from Leslie Marmon Silko's 1977 novel Ceremony, delivered through the novel's framing voice that draws heavily from Laguna Pueblo oral tradition.

Narrative/framing voice (attributed to ancestral/feminine wisdom) · Prologue / opening pages

“Everywhere he looked, he saw a world made of stories, the long ago, time immemorial stories, as old Grandma called them.”

This line is from Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony (1977), a pivotal piece of Native American literature.

Narrator (focalized through Tayo) · Middle section of the novel (no numbered chapters)

“As long as you remember what you have seen, then nothing is gone. As long as you remember, it is part of this story we have together.”

This line is spoken by Thought-Woman, the storyteller figure, and echoed through Betonie and the novel's narrative voice in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony (1977).

Narrative/Storyteller voice (Thought-Woman)

“Nothing was all good or all bad either; it all depended.”

This line is from Leslie Marmon Silko's novel Ceremony (1977), expressed through the thoughts of the protagonist Tayo as he navigates his healing journey after returning from World War II.

Tayo (narrative consciousness) · Prose narrative section (non-poem)

“They want us to believe all evil resides with white people. Then we will look no further to see what is really happening.”

This line is delivered by Betonie, a mixed-heritage Navajo medicine man, during a key conversation with Tayo in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony (1977).

Betonie

“He cried the relief he felt at finally seeing the pattern, the way all the stories fit together—the old stories, the war, the drought, the one for the cattle, and the one he still had to complete.”

This passage is from Leslie Marmon Silko's 1977 novel Ceremony, narrated in close third person as it explores the protagonist Tayo's emotional breakthrough near the climax.

Tayo (narrative consciousness / third-person narrator) · Climax / late narrative section

“He had arrived at a convergence of patterns; he could see them clearly now.”

This line comes from Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony (1977), spoken from the close third-person perspective of Tayo, the Laguna Pueblo protagonist, as he approaches the climax of his healing journey.

Tayo (narrative perspective)

Sand Paintings

In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, sand paintings embody the vibrant, restorative power of Indigenous healing traditions.

The Ceremony

In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony (1977), the ceremony itself represents healing, continuity, and restoring balance among individuals, communities, and the natural world.

The Spotted Cattle

In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, the spotted cattle represent the resilience and revival of Native identity through the fusion of traditional and contemporary elements.

The Stars

In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, the stars reflect the enduring structure of Native cosmology and the ongoing tradition of indigenous storytelling.

Ts'eh as Supernatural Woman

In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, Ts'eh represents the supernatural feminine force that upholds Laguna Pueblo beliefs and aids Tayo's healing journey.

Witchery

In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, witchery represents the harmful forces—both supernatural and historical—that disrupt the balance of life for Native peoples and the broader world.

Extended Metaphor

The novel's main extended metaphor draws a parallel between storytelling and healing.

Prose Poem

Silko integrates italicized verse passages inspired by Laguna Pueblo oral tradition throughout the prose.

Motif

Drought and rain stand out as the novel's most persistent theme.

Symbolism

The spotted cattle Tayo searches for across the mountains carry deep meaning.

Narrative Poem

Silko intentionally breaks away from a straightforward narrative to reflect the fragmented mind of someone who has experienced trauma, mimicking the non-linear style found in oral ceremonial traditions.

Imagery

Silko's imagery is deeply connected to the textures of the Southwestern landscape: the scent of sage after rain, the shifting colors of sandstone throughout the day, and the chill of high-altitude air.

Allusion

The novel makes numerous references to Laguna Pueblo ceremonial traditions, Navajo Beautyway and Enemyway chants, and Southwestern creation myths.

Personification

The land in the novel isn’t just a backdrop; it plays an active role.

Juxtaposition

Silko contrasts the mythic verse with the raw prose of Tayo's life today—bar fights in Gallup, the grim reality of the veterans' hospital, and the racism he faces—creating a powerful impact.

Irony

A deep irony runs throughout the novel's depiction of Tayo's military service.

Repetition

Key phrases and images come back with the force of ritual incantation.

Paradox

The novel's central paradox is that Tayo needs to embrace tradition to move forward.