Ceremony: Christianity, Cattle, and a Mexican Lover

P. 62-63 covers the theme of Christianity as a coercive force of assimilation. By what means does this occur and what feelings does it evoke?

On these pages, it is expressed that one of the ways the white men began to destroy the cultural web of the Indians was with their Christianity.  Clan names were omitted, leaving identity to be personal.  This way, they would become subject to salvation, as Jesus only saves souls individually.  Jesus is then compared with the Mother, who loved and guarded them collectively as her children, her family.  It is suggested that perhaps the white man uses the spread of Christianity as more of a tool of authority, not of good or spiritual moral.  For instance, it was described that, “The Catholic priest shook his finger at the drunkenness and lust, but the people felt something deeper: they were losing her, they were losing part of themselves.”  Clearly, as the relatives mourn the loss of a member, a sense of clan unity is notable.  Whereas, with the Christians, sin is not necessarily something to grieve over, it is something to be condemned, corrected, most importantly, controlled.  Furthermore, Christians viewed their dedicated mission as “doing good” for and “helping” the Indians; however, these same people were the ones who forced the Indian’s out of their homeland, deceitfully in the name of Christ.

 

We learn of Josiah’s new cattle business and of the almost wild Mexican cattle he buys. What symbolic associations do the Mexican cattle carry? (Consider breeds and breeding, contrast with Herefords, where they go, and relation to nature, fences etc).

 Josiah invests in a herd of cattle from Mexico, contrary to acquiring the traditional Hereford type.  By breeding offspring from both the cattle varieties, Josiah hoped to"genetically engineer" his way to cattle with an abundant supply of milk and meat that maintain health during a time of drought.  As it was discovered that his new herd had headed south after breaking through a fence, the occurrence suggests that Josiah’s wish to fuse different “ethnic” and “cultural” types, as it could be analogized, was not a practical expectation.  Furthermore, the fact that the Mexican cattle moved south hints that people of different groups should not be forced to merge with one another because their only home and identity lies amongst themselves in their native land.

 

We are also introduced to Josiah’s Mexican lover, the Flamenco dancer, Night Swan. What do we find out about her? What significance attaches to her character? What’s with all the blue? How does what she tells Tayo connect with elements that come up in other parts of the novel?

Upon becoming acquainted with Night Swan on a beer run, Josiah fell in love with her.  She soon invited him upstairs and danced flamenco for him, reminiscing about how this dance would force men to fall in love with her in her younger years.  Indeed she was a grandmother when Josiah met her and explains that in her old age she only dances flamenco for her granddaughters.  As her character is conveyed as rather wise and seductive, she also shares a similarity with Tayo: mixed ethnicity.  She seduces Tayo, but at the same time stands as a teacher figure, assuring him that most people fear change, which is the main cause of their discrimination: “They are fools.  They blame us, the ones who look different.  That way they don’t have to think about what has happened inside themselves.”