788 Momaday, N. scott
aspects not only establish a basis for identity, but also
provide a connection among the people. However,
there is also a juxtaposition of the old and modern
ways, as seen through Abel. Modern life has little
use for tradition, often leading to tradition’s aban-
donment. This often leads to a sense of loss and
despair. Thus, a return to tradition also brings about
healing and understanding.
Tradition’s importance is illustrated through
the Pueblo story of the Bahkyula people, a people
whom murder and disease nearly eradicated. Less
than 20 survived, joining the Pueblo community, yet
they brought with them both ceremonial (it is from
them the Eagle Watcher Society comes) and oral
traditions. The survival of these traditions means the
survival of the people. As Momaday writes, “after
the intervening years and generations, the ancient
blood of this forgotten tribe still ran in the veins of
men.” Without tradition, the people, their history
and heritage would have disappeared long ago into
the Pueblo community with whom they joined.
Through the oral tradition that permeates the
novel, we also see the significance and fragil-
ity of history and heritage. As Native Americans
are forced off the reservation and scattered, oral
tradition becomes one of the few ways of retain-
ing heritage. Describing his grandmother’s stories,
Tosamah says, “[s]he was asking me to go with her
to the confrontation of something that was sacred
and eternal. . . . her words were medicine; they were
magic and invisible. They came from nothing into
sound and meaning. They were beyond price; they
could neither be bought nor sold.” The stories, such
as that of Tai-me, the Big Dipper’s formation, and
the Bear are permanent reminders of history, provid-
ing connection to the past. While words also cannot
be taken away from the people, they are vulnerable,
always on the verge of extinction, as both Tosamah
and Francisco note. Therefore, the transmission of
stories from generation to generation signifies the
unbreakable bonds among the people.
On the other hand, disconnection from tradition
leads to loss and despair, as Abel reveals. His par-
ticipation in the Eagle Watcher Society’s ceremonial
hunt first shows his discomfort with the old ways.
According to tradition, a sacred eagle is captured
and kept in the village. While Abel willingly and
gladly participates in the hunt for a new eagle, he
soon finds that the thought of the captured bird, a
creature so beautiful and graceful in the sky, yet ugly
and ungainly caged, revolts him. Unable to under-
stand the tradition, he kills the bird. This not only
severs his ties to the community, but also initiates his
self-destructive downward spiral; it is after this that
Abel leaves, experiencing atrocities during war for
which he is completely unprepared.
Upon his return to Walatowa, he is lost, estranged
from his people and heritage. This is displayed
through his awkward participation in the rooster
ceremony during the Feast of Santiago. The other
riders throw themselves into the event. They tumble
from their horses, to the crowd’s delight, as they
reach for the rooster buried in the ground. Abel,
on the other hand “made a poor showing, full of
caution and gesture.” Sitting clumsily in his saddle,
the albino who grabs the rooster makes a mockery
of Abel, beating him with it. Abel, incapable of
escaping, is left cornered, hanging onto his horse
until the rooster is dead and dismembered. From
this point forward, violence, alcohol, and despair
consume his life. He murders the albino, is sent
to prison, then relocated after his release to Los
Angeles. Even more ill-fitted for life in Los Angeles
and detached from the old ways, Abel has nowhere
to go. His inability to adapt leads to more drinking
and violence, until he is beaten and left unconscious
on the beach.
It is tradition, then, that also brings about heal-
ing. Understanding this, Benally sings a song of
healing and recovery for Abel. Knowing that Abel
cannot help himself, Benally invokes the prayer
song’s power. Returning home, it is only after his
grandfather’s death that Abel embraces tradition.
In his sorrow, he ceremonially prepares his grand-
father’s body. It is at this point he undertakes the
traditional dawn running. Emphasized throughout
the novel, running reaffirms the connection between
the people and the land, a spiritual connection that
embodies their heritage. In fact, running shapes the
novel, both the opening prologue and end showing
Abel running and reconnecting with tradition and
history. As exhaustion sets in, Abel finally “could
see at last without having to think. He could see the
canyon and the mountains and the sky. He could