Read the passage from “The Beginnings of the Maasai.” Our relationship with Enkai is essential to the tribe. Enkai is neither ma
le nor female. The sky god is powerful, but can change from nurturing to vengeful depending on our behavior. Sometimes Enkai is Enkai Narok, the Black God, happy with us and blanketing the sky with dark clouds that pour out rain to nourish the plains. When angry, though, Enkai becomes Enkai Nonyokie—the Red God. In these times, the sun grows incredibly hot until the earth dries up and becomes barren. Because of this, we work to keep Enkai happy. Why is this excerpt a good example of a feature often found in a myth? It features a reference to the earth. It features a reference to the sky. It features a reference to the origin of the tribe. It features a reference to a supernatural being.
Explanation: a 1929 novel by Oliver La Farge about the struggles of the Navajo in Southwestern United States to reconcile their culture with that of the United States. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1930. It was adapted as a film of the same name, released in 1934.
