N. Scott Momaday

N. Scott Momaday, "The Way to Rainy Mountain"

N. Scott Momaday (1934- ) was born in Lawton, Oklahoma and earned an A.B. from the University of New Mexico in 1958, and both an A.M. (1960) and a Ph.D. (1963) from Stanford University. He has taught at Stanford, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Arizona, Tucson. His books include Angle of Geese and Other Poems (1974), the novel The Ancient Child (1989), and The Man Made of Words: Essays, Stories, Passages (1997). Momaday's poems, stories, novels, and essays frequently show a deep bond with, and respect for, Native American traditions. Among his awards and honors, Momaday has won an Academy of American Poets prize, a Guggenheim fellowship, and a Pulitzer Prize for the novel House Made of Dawn (1969). "The Way to Rainy Mountain" is an excerpt about the author's grandmother—and the author's people—from the 1969 book of the same name.

CONTENT

1. Describe the weather on Rainy Mountain.
2. Why does the author return to Rainy Mountain?
3. What was the relationship between the Kiowas and warfare? What did this relationship lead to?
4. How does the author react upon seeing Devil's Tower?
5. Why did a group of Kiowas make a journey to Texas in 1887? How had things changed for the worse three years later?
6. According to Momaday, why might someone think "Creation was begun" at Rainy Mountain?
7. Explain how the author links destiny with courage and pride.

STRATEGY AND STYLE

1. Discuss "The Way to Rainy Mountain" as a description essay. In what specific places does Momaday make an appeal to the senses? What makes it good description?
2. Early in paragraph six the author uses a simile to compare the land to something else. Complete the comparison. What mental image arises? How can you tie this into the author's feelings about the land?
3. Paragraph eleven contains an apparent oxymoron: cherished enmities. Explain the phrase and how it fits in with the author's views of the Kiowas.
4. Why do you think that the author mentions that he does "not speak Kiowa"? What does this say about his relationship with his relatives and ancestors?
5. Compare the introduction and the conclusion. How are they similar? How are they different? What does this say about the author's journey?

1. Recall a time when someone made a false assumption about you based upon your cultural background. How did it make you feel? What did you do about it? How can you relate your recollection to your experience reading this piece?
2. Do you prefer nature, or is your idea of a good time strolling through a big city? Are you somewhere in between? How did the answers to these questions affect your relationship with your reading?

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

1. Write a character study of Momaday's grandmother. What did she look like? What was her life like? What did she do? How long did she live? Where? What does the author think of her?
2. Write an essay exploring the author's shifting sense of perception. You might want to concentrate on the shifting sizes of things from his point of view.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Do some research about the various names given to Devil's Tower. Who gave it its present name? Based upon what? What are some of the other things it has been called over the years? Does its current name jibe with the legend the Kiowas formed around it? Explain.

WEB CONNECTION

Interested in putting this author's work into a cultural and social context? Here are some Native American author links from Voices of the Shuttle that are sure to provide a lot of help.

LINKS

Biographical

Here's a good Momaday start page from PAL, which contains bibliographies and links.

This is a brief bio of the author with photos and links, from the American Academy of Achievement. How reliable do you think this information is? How comfortable would you be using this material in a paper about Momaday?

Bibliographical

Did you know that this author has contributed to films? Here are some comments by Momaday about the PBS film The West.

This is an Academy of Achievement interview with Momaday, in which he discusses growing up into a writing life, and what he thinks the future might hold.

Here's an excerpt from The Names, a memoir by Momaday. How reliable do you believe this text to be? How did you come to your conclusion?

Cultural

Here is the citation for Momaday's Pulitzer Prize for House Made of Dawn. Do you recognize any of the other authors on this page? How would you go about finding out about them?

For further multicultural information, but on a cautionary note: This is an article from the Smithsonian Institution about avoiding Native American stereotypes.

Would you like to narrow the focus of your research? This is the homepage of a website about the Kiowas, Momaday's ancestral tribe.