Question

How is the theme of the relationship between humans and nature discussed in each piece? "the way to rainy mountain" and ''How the world was made"?

Answer 1

1. The Way to Rainy Mountain is the story of the Kiowa Tribe. The Kiowa tribe relied on hunting for sustenance. Their history says that they emerged from a log. Their existence is very spontaneous and natural. The tribe was also decimated by natural disasters. The tribe didn't last long. Thus, the human-nature relationship in this literary piece is that Humans cannot exist without nature. Nature decided the longevity of the tribe. Nature dictated who will survive to this day as with natural selection.

2. In the piece "How the World was Made" there is one central character, Maheo. Maheo is all powerful and was responsible for all creation. The human-nature relationship in this story is that of a creator and his creation. Here, Maheo created nature and decided their fate.

The two literary pieces are opposites when it comes the their relationship with nature. Both present great contrasts into how each tribe regarded nature.

Answer 2

Momaday’s story describes how the Kiowas attached a lot of importance to nature, which they believed was crucial to their survival. They worshipped forces of nature, such as the Sun:

They acquired Tai-me, the sacred Sun Dance doll, from that moment the object and symbol of their worship, and so shared in the divinity of the sun. My grandmother had a reverence for the sun, a holy regard that now is all but gone out of mankind.

The Cherokee creation story also stresses the importance of the role of nature. According to the story, the world was first home to plants and animals. A water beetle was responsible for creating solid land. He brought mud to the surface of the water, “which began to grow and spread on every side until it became an island which we call earth.” Humans arrived after the animals and plants inhabited the earth.