Ceremony

Ceremony

• Genre: Fiction; historical
• Originally Published: 1977
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 890L; college/adult
• Structure/Length: Unnamed, unnumbered sections of prose and verse; approx. 262 pages; approx. 9 hours, 6 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: A young Indigenous American named Tayo returns to the Laguna Pueblo Reservation after a stay in a veteran’s hospital. His recent experience as a WWII prisoner of war has left him traumatized; he seeks hope, answers, and consolation in the traditional stories, myths, and history of his Indigenous culture.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racism; prejudice, discrimination; wartime trauma; alienation; alcohol abuse; physical violence; profanity; sexual content

Leslie Marmon Silko, Author

• Bio: Born 1948 in Albuquerque, New Mexico; raised on the Laguna Pueblo reservation; attended the University of New Mexico; considered law as a profession but chose writing instead as a way to convey truth and justice; after publishing short stories and other short works, met with positive critical acclaim with Ceremony; focuses on Indigenous cultural traditions and history in her work; known as a key writer in the “Native American Renaissance”
• Other Works: Laguna Woman: Poems (1974); Almanac of the Dead (1991); Gardens in the Dunes (2000); The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir (2010)
• Awards: American Book Award (1980); Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award (1994); Robert Kirsch Award (2020)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Power of Stories
• Adapting Tradition to the Present
• Alienation and Isolation in Post-WWII America

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the socio-cultural and historical context around anti-Indigenous racism as they inform Tayo’s journey.
• Discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Power of Stories, Adapting Tradition to the Present, and Alienation and Isolation in Post-WIII America.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the narrative roles of women, what “witchery” means in the context of the novel, and other topics.