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The Way To Rainy Mountain Essay

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Environmentalist Aldo Leopold once wrote, “ We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” This refers to us that land gives the power to stay safe and secure; we should also love our land. Although we practise to use it as we trait for it, but there would have been no action without land. We deal with the land as per our own way. Notably, indigenous people around the world often have very different sets of beliefs and traditions, a special bond with the land is a common factor. Indians tribe Mandan respect their the cultural hero. Whereas Momaday's return back to home reminds him of his grandmother's identity on that land. …show more content…

In The Way to Rainy Mountain author writes about his grandmother, “When she was born, the Kiowas were living the last great moment of their history. For more than a hundred years they had controlled the open range from the Smoky Hill River to the Red, from the headwaters of the Canadian to the fork of the Arkansas and Cimarron. In alliance with the Comanches, they had ruled the whole of the southern Plains.”( The Way to Rainy Mountain) This shows that even after many years of her death, the land defines the people ruled on them. The wide range of lands was given her and her family the identity of its ruler. Similarly the connection fells during the visit of Zion National Park author writes, “ There are moments that define a existence. For two hours I exit with only Brady and Tyler….we share a experience” This argues that land gives people the feel of their existence. Both the national park and wide range of land gives the authors to feel as it's the land that make them feel be present in the earth. Identity makes a person complete and individuality. Either way land gives people its identity by spending time on that land and feel close …show more content…

According to the information of Lewis and Clark, A sacred cedar post stood at the center of the Mandan village, symbolizing the tribe’s primary cultural hero. The post was surrounded by an open plaza, and at the north end of the plaza was the village’s primary medicine lodge. Forty or fifty additional lodges populated the plaza. The more powerful a family was, or the more significant that family’s ceremonial duties were, the closer its lodge would be to the center. Throughout most of the year, the Mandans lived in these permanent lodges. But in the winter, to avoid brutal storms, they constructed temporary lodges in wooded, low-lying areas adjacent to the river. Indeed Mandans becomes more closer when they are powerful. They also moves together in any situation. People lives in different lodges but yet supported each other because religion hold them together. There is also a class divided due to the power fact. It might differentiate them but in both ways they come closer to the sacred cedar post. This shows the relationship of sacredness puts them together to function as an

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