An Exploration of Reconnection in Silko's 'Ceremony' Anonymous College

Leslie Marmon Silko can be considered a key figure within the Native American cultural renaissance that took place within the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century, within which increasing amounts of Native Americans – having been encouraged to move out of reservation land and into big cities – sought to reconnect with the traditions and beliefs of their ancestors.[1] This came within a political climate that saw the formation of numerous Native American advocacy groups, and a rising number of trials against the federal government for their part in minimizing Native American populations and land.[2] Silko explores this theme of reconnection within her novel, Ceremony (1977).

Silko makes use of numerous aspects of Laguna Pueblo linguistic traditions within the novel; she mimics the tradition of spoken word storytelling, interspersing prose with poetry, and often writing in a fashion that emulates the way these poems would have been read aloud, alongside stories such as that of her protagonist – Tayo – at Native American gatherings of the past. Silko also uses a non-chronological structure, a technique she has since discussed in relation to Pueblo linguistic expression;

‘For those of you accustomed to being...