Sherman Alexie: This Is What It Means To Say Pheonix, Arizona

In this short story, Sherman Alexie writes about the way which the main character Victor deals with the death of his father. This is a unique situation because it not only describes Victor's struggle mourning for his father's death, but also his struggle to find forgiveness for his father's mistakes. Living on the Spokane Reservation in Washington, Victor travels with his childhood friend Thomas to Phoenix to retrieve his father's remains.

The ceremony in this story is the process of learning to forgive and say goodbye. Victor struggles to do this because he had little empathy for his abusive alcoholic father, who ran away and was absent for most of his life. In order to accomplish this, Victor and Thomas talked about the old days and their different experiences with Victor's father, and the memories they had with him. The ceremony is completed when Victor gives Thomas half of his father's ashes, and they release them over the Spokane Falls. This ceremony is concluded by Thomas when he says,

"I'm going to travel to Spokane Falls one last time and toss these ashes into the water. And your father will rise like a salmon, leap over the bridge, over me, and find his way home. It will be beautiful. His teeth will shine like silber, like a rainbow. He will rise, Victor, he will rise"(Alexie, 74).

Leslie Marmon Silko: Ceremony

Many native cultures use oral tradition as a way to maintain and preserve cultural identity. In the novel Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko uses oral tradition to show the connection between human identity and the land. The novel tells the story of Tayo, a young native american war veteran, and his struggle to overcome post traumatic stress disorder. Tayo goes to a mental institution, and a traditional medicine man, before finding health with Betonie, a more progressive medicine man. Betonie preforms a scalp ceremony, which rids Tayo of the memories of the Japanese that had been haunting him. Betonie's ceremony differs from the first medicine man Tayo saw because Betonie understood societal advancements and worked with the progression of society. Betonie explains this to Tayo on page 116:

"The people nowadays have an idea about the ceremonies. They think the ceremonies must be performed exactly as they have always been done, maybe because one slip-up or mistake and the whole ceremony must be stopped and the sand painting destroyed. That much is true. They think that if a singer tampers with any part of the ritual, great harm can be done, great power unleashed... That much can be true also. But long ago when the people were given these ceremonies, the changing began, if only in the aging of the yellow gourd rattle or the shrinking of the skin around the eagle's claw, if only in the different voices from generation to generation, singing the chants. You see, in many ways, the ceremonies have always been changing...At one time, the ceremonies as they had been performed were enough for the way the world was then. But after the white people came, elements in this world began to shift; and it became necessary to create new ceremonies. I have made changes in the rituals. the people mistrust this greatly, but only this growth keeps the ceremonies strong"(Ceremony, 116)

After the scalp ceremony, Betonie helps Tayo realize the importance of connecting to his environment. Tayo completes the ceremony by finding and recapturing Josiah's cattle, meeting the woman, and traveling through the uranium mine as he watched his friends kill one of their friends. Through all of these actions, Tayo journeys across the reservation and reconnects to the land. Tayo is reminded that the community he belongs to includes animals, earth, elements, and finds solace in their everlasting presence. Silko describes Tayo's reconnection to the land,

"The magnetism of the center spread over him smoothly like rainwater down his neck and shoulders; the vacant cool sensation glided over the pain like feather-down wings. It was pulling him back, close to the earth, where the core was cool and silent as mountain stone, and even with the noise and pain in his head he knew how it would be: a returning rather than a separation" (Ceremony, 187).

This passage shows the deep connection between man and the earth, and the importance of being aware of this connection.

Rudolfo Anaya: Bless Me, Ultima

"I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful, Antonio. Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle nd the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you-" (Anaya, p. 261)

Ultima's job as a curandera is to heal. In the novel, Bless Me, Ultima, Ultima uses this power twice to save the lives of family and friends of Antonio's family. Ultima's magic to save Uncle Lucas is preformed through a ceremony. The ceremony begins with Ultima creating a potion that Uncle Lucas struggles to drink. Antonio feels his struggle, and uses his innocence to help him heal. In order toc ompletely rid the body of the evil spirit, Uncle Lucas must vomit it out. Ultima mixes herbs and allows them to simmer on the stove, creating a healing potion. She also creates three clay dolls, which she covers with melted wax (creating the illusion of flesh), and dresses the dolls with bits of cloth. Ultima then spoke to the dolls, "You have done evil/ But good is stronger than evil,/ And what you sought to do will undo you..."(p. 101). After this chant, Antonio is surprised to see the dolls squirm and appear to take life. Ultima then dipped three pins into the potion, and stuck them a pin into each doll. She then forced Uncle Lucas to drink the remaining potion, which caused him to scream and shake. Uncle Lucas continued to be sick, and scream, until he eventually cries out "¡Dios Mio!"and vomits "a huge ball of hair...hot and steaming and wiggling like live snakes" (p. 103) Ultima completes the ceremony by burning the hair, vomit, and other remains created during the ceremony in the dark field which the three sister's curse was originally cast.



Ultima also uses her power to help the Téllez family rid their home of cursed ghosts. Ultima tells Antonio how the spirits who haunt the house were the three Comanche Indians Téllez's grandfather hung. The three men were not given a proper cultural burial, and thus their spirits were left to roam the land. Their spirits were manipulated by brujas (witches). In order to break the curse, Ultima had to provide the spirits with a proper burial. Ultima had Antonio and his father erect a platform from juniper branches. Ultima also gathered and created a mix of herbs. Ultima placed three mysteriously heavy bags on the platform, and burned them all to white ash. This mimicked the original death ceremony the spirits should have originally received, freeing them, and making them one with the dirt once again.

Background info: Curandera or Shamen

Philosophy:
We are of the same body as other people, animals, fish, plants, stone, minerals, the earth, and all life in the universe. The body is a manifestation of the soul and of spirit. Illness will occur when one does not live in balance with all these aspects of self and earth. The curandera or shaman has the knowledge to guide the client back to balance.

Practice:
Clearing and balancing, also known as Limpia, is the technique that helps bring energy back to balance, allowing one to think more clearly and be centered. Feelings of tension, anger, discomfort, or fear affect the energy body and influences mental and physical symptoms. A shamanic clearing helps rid the body of heavy energies and helps one regain emotional, physical, spiritual and mental balance. Moon ceremonies help maintain our relationship with nature, and should be used regularly to keep our bodies and minds in balance. Plant medicine helps to naturally balance one's body, and allows one's body to balance itself through muscle testing. Illumination and soul retrieval are other techniques used to help heal great emotional or physical wounds.

Moon Ceremony:
Following the phases of the moon helps us to tune ourselves with Nature. The moon ceremony is one way which healers even chose to heal themselves and the Earth. By observing the moon while doing Peruvian breath exercises, or meditation techniques one will connect to the earth and them self, completing a circle of healing power.



Plant Medicine:
Muscle testing allows ones own body to speak its strengths and weaknesses, and pick out a plant that will help most through the healing process. Coming from traditions present in Mexico, Peru, America and India, Ayurveda, the science of life, is the oldest continually practiced medical system in the world. Offering a complete system of health and healing, it has been practiced for over 5,000 years by millions of people.

Illumination:
Every emotional, karmic and genetic imprint in our luminous energy field is linked to a chakra through which it releases its information into the central nervous system. The imprint in the energy field is the guidelines from which the chakras create their energy. The energy's vibration is then released through the nervous system. Illumination therapy clears negative energy and recurring patterns by riding heavy energy and deposits which attach to the chakra. Negative energies often originate in ones thoughts, or the thoughts of others. Spirits who have not transitioned will attach themselves to a person's chakra, and drain their energy. To rid the body of this toxic energy, the Curandera must remove energies from the affected chakra and flood the chakra with Divine Light. This process clears the way for our physical, emotional and spiritual healing to take place. Once lessons caused by emotional wounds are learned and released, it is unnecessary to relive painful experiences. Our perception of reality is able to shift, and healing becomes a gift of love and strength to our world.



Soul Retrieval:
Before doing a Soul Retrieval one must have gone through an Illumination. Soul Retrieval is the process of bringing back parts of one self that have been lost from to abuse or trauma. Situations that tend to soul loss can be anything from a fearful child watching parents fighting, a traumatic accident or experience, unexpressed grief over a loved one's departure, or even lovers or a mother giving a part of her soul away. It is possible for someone to "borrow" a part of your soul unknowingly, however, no one can take a part of your soul without your consent. In some cases, the soul will return on its own. Unfortunately,sometimes the person may live a lifetime without being fully present. A shaman can assist the return of that missing piece. The shaman or curandera journeys on behalf of the client to retrieve the missing soul parts which are then reintegrated into the client. Time must be spent after the ceremony to help one understand and welcome back the lost part of the soul.

"Her eyes swept the surrounding hills and through them I saw for the first time the wild beauty of our hills and the magic of the green river. My nostrils quivered as I felt the song of the mockingbirds and the drone of the grasshoppers mingle with the pulse of the earth. the four directions of the llano met in me, and the white sun shone on my soul." - Rudolfo Anaya



People are of the earth, created of dirt, sun, air, and water. All to often, we think we own the earth and its elements, but in reality the earth owns us. As our fathers before us, and their fathers before them, we can use the stars to help guide us both metaphorically and literally. If we are of the earth, when we feel lost isn't it natural to find ourselves through nature?

Across all cultures, there are natural ways to heal. The chemical medicine used in our modern day society works, but it is not a method of healing used in our past.

Traditionally, native people of the America's (native american's and chicano's) used herbs and energy to offset physical or mental illness. Medicine men, curanderas, and even priests have been used for centuries to heal the soul and repel evil spirits that may cause harm to the body or mind. Such energy was used extremely cautiously, for native people understood the extreme power such medicine held.

"You must understand that when anybody, bruja or curandera, priest or sinner, tampers with the fate of a man that sometimes a chain of events is set into motion over which no one will have ultimate control. You must be willing to accept this responsibility." - (Bless Me, Ultima p. 85)

Although tampering with spiritual energy may have many consequences, there are many personal and safe ways one can heal one self. Introspective techniques are also ways one can heal themselves by connecting their mind and body with their surroundings. Characters in Sherman Alexie, Rudolfo Anaya, and Silko's stories show how they heal by reconnecting their identity with the land.

People find their identity through their morals, cultural, social, and environmental surroundings. Such elements combined create unique traditions practiced by different societies around the world. Ceremonies are formal religious or public occasions, typically celebrating events or anniversaries. Ceremonies are used to continue or celebrate tradition, and can range from celebrating Christmas to using herbal remedies to heal.

Sherman Alexie

Practicing ceremonies help one find their identity by uniting them with their beliefs (religious, spiritual, etc) and allows them to put such beliefs practical, or celebratory use. Such practices usually encourage one to learn about their heritage and bring them closer to surrounding people, ultimately causing one to learn more about oneself and ones own identity.

Rudolfo Anaya

Ceremonies are often controversial since many stem from religious or cultural backgrounds. An example of a controversial ceremonies are the healing spells Ultima preforms in the novel, Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. Ultima's ceremonies confuse many of the towns people, and cause them to believe she is a witch. However, many ceremonies are processes of one growing and learning about themselves. In the novel, Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko, Silko shows the transformation of the main character Tayo through multiple ceremonies he endures trying to find health. Tayo endures many internal ceremonies, and two formal ceremonies preformed by medicine men. Although the ceremonies Tayo goes through eventually restore his health, they would be considered controversial by many (particularly modern day) societies. In Sherman Alexie's short story, "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona," the main character Victor goes through the internal ceremony of letting go of his father by releasing his ashes.

Leslie Marmon Silko

Ceremonies can bring people together, or push them apart; they can create controversy, or help heal.