h successive generations to maintain and transmit an entire culture, a worldview complete with proven strategies for survival” (“Landscape, History, and the Pueblo Imagination” 1007). For this reason, it is vital that multiple points of view are provided throughout the story to reflect how the Laguna Pueblo tribe tells the story. One of these narrative shifts can be seen when Tayo is at the bar and Emo picks up the story and begins to explain, “White women never looked at me until I put on that uniform…” (Ceremony 40). Suddenly, at that moment, Emo is added to Tayo's war experience. Immediately following Emo's story, Tayo's account provides yet another view of the same situation: "The first day in Oakland he and Rocky were walking down the street... and an old white woman rolled down her window and said, 'God bless you, God bless you,” but it was the uniform, not them, that blessed” (Ceremony 41). The combination of these scenes exemplifies the tradition of collective memory. Furthermore, Silko intertwines Emo's story with that of Tayo to show, once again, how the Western world has the potential to poison the Native American experience, Emo being a prime example of this tainted identity. Tayo is also tainted by the Western world, but in a different way than Emo Emo glorifies his war experiences seen in his retelling of stories of sexual experiences with white women (Ceremony 57-59), Tayo is forced to return to painful memories of casual combat While the others “repeated stories of the good times spent at Oakland and San Diego” in the bar, Tayo couldn't help but cry when remembering Rocky's death (Ceremony 43-44). These moments also give a unique voice to the Laguna Pueblo American Indian experience, as many fought in World War II and later suffered debilitating psychological trauma. Even seemingly innocent moments in his daily life, such as hearing Harley eat the seeds, have the potential to trigger Tayo because "the sound of crushing made him sick... He didn't want to hear Harley crushing the seeds" (Ceremony 45). The way Tayo experiences many moments of his life in the form of quick flashes is analogous to the way PTSD victims are often brought back to the moments that caused their trauma. However, Silko makes clear that Tayo's trauma is not permanent through another convention of Laguna Pueblo storytelling: the inclusion of traditional poems that detail timeless experiences. These poems are used to provide explanations about modern events, such as war or drought that is occurring throughout history. Silko aligns the characters in Tayo's story with the characters in the poems in a way that emphasizes the Laguna Pueblo tribe's idea that time is circular and that stories are repetitive. For example, the drought that Tayo believes he creates as a result of his "prayer against the rain" (Ceremony 12) during the war is juxtaposed with a poem describing a fight between Iktoa'ak'o'ya Reed Woman and her sister, Corn Woman. The poem explains: “Reed Woman / was always bathing… Corn Woman got tired of that… scolded / her sister / for bathing all day. / Iktoa'ak'o'ya Cane Woman / left then… And then there was no more rain” (Ceremony 13). By aligning the modern drought with this poem, it is made clear that what Tayo is experiencing is not unprecedented and that the drought is not his fault. Furthermore, American Indians' internalized shame about their roots aligns with that of the ancient Laguna Pueblos who “were / so busy / playing with that magic / Ck'o'yo / that.

Topic > h successive generations to maintain and transmit an entire culture, a worldview complete with proven strategies for survival” (“Landscape, History, and the Pueblo Imagination” 1007). For this reason, it is vital that multiple points of view are provided throughout the story to reflect how the Laguna Pueblo tribe tells the story. One of these narrative shifts can be seen when Tayo is at the bar and Emo picks up the story and begins to explain, “White women never looked at me until I put on that uniform…” (Ceremony 40). Suddenly, at that moment, Emo is added to Tayo's war experience. Immediately following Emo's story, Tayo's account provides yet another view of the same situation: "The first day in Oakland he and Rocky were walking down the street... and an old white woman rolled down her window and said, 'God bless you, God bless you,” but it was the uniform, not them, that blessed” (Ceremony 41). The combination of these scenes exemplifies the tradition of collective memory. Furthermore, Silko intertwines Emo's story with that of Tayo to show, once again, how the Western world has the potential to poison the Native American experience, Emo being a prime example of this tainted identity. Tayo is also tainted by the Western world, but in a different way than Emo Emo glorifies his war experiences seen in his retelling of stories of sexual experiences with white women (Ceremony 57-59), Tayo is forced to return to painful memories of casual combat While the others “repeated stories of the good times spent at Oakland and San Diego” in the bar, Tayo couldn't help but cry when remembering Rocky's death (Ceremony 43-44). These moments also give a unique voice to the Laguna Pueblo American Indian experience, as many fought in World War II and later suffered debilitating psychological trauma. Even seemingly innocent moments in his daily life, such as hearing Harley eat the seeds, have the potential to trigger Tayo because "the sound of crushing made him sick... He didn't want to hear Harley crushing the seeds" (Ceremony 45). The way Tayo experiences many moments of his life in the form of quick flashes is analogous to the way PTSD victims are often brought back to the moments that caused their trauma. However, Silko makes clear that Tayo's trauma is not permanent through another convention of Laguna Pueblo storytelling: the inclusion of traditional poems that detail timeless experiences. These poems are used to provide explanations about modern events, such as war or drought that is occurring throughout history. Silko aligns the characters in Tayo's story with the characters in the poems in a way that emphasizes the Laguna Pueblo tribe's idea that time is circular and that stories are repetitive. For example, the drought that Tayo believes he creates as a result of his "prayer against the rain" (Ceremony 12) during the war is juxtaposed with a poem describing a fight between Iktoa'ak'o'ya Reed Woman and her sister, Corn Woman. The poem explains: “Reed Woman / was always bathing… Corn Woman got tired of that… scolded / her sister / for bathing all day. / Iktoa'ak'o'ya Cane Woman / left then… And then there was no more rain” (Ceremony 13). By aligning the modern drought with this poem, it is made clear that what Tayo is experiencing is not unprecedented and that the drought is not his fault. Furthermore, American Indians' internalized shame about their roots aligns with that of the ancient Laguna Pueblos who “were / so busy / playing with that magic / Ck'o'yo / that.