American Indian Studies: The Works of Paula Gunn Allen

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American Indian Studies
In her writings, Allen collects and interprets Native American mythology. In the Sacred Hoop. Spider Woman’s Granddaughters, Allen presents a collection of tales by Leslie Marmon Silko, Linda Hogan, Louis Erdrich, Anna Lee Waters, Pretty Shield, and other Native American Women. Allen uses this tells in an attempt to introduce the literature of tribal women to non-native readers. The book is meant to help the American Indian women out of historical maltreatments and help them realize that they are at war for their own liberation. The tales in the novel are linked by tradition and are written out of their experience as women and as Indians. The book is divided into three sections, namely The Warriors, The Casualties, and The Resistance. However, the term “war” in the book is defined as a ritual path that encompasses spiritual discipline, honor, selflessness, and devotion. It is a kind of war that puts a warrior in a closer and powerful relationship with the earth and the supernatural. Therefore, the paper analyses some of the readings in Allen’s Sacred Hoop. Spider Woman’s Granddaughter and use them to illustrate how oral traditions support American Indian national sovereignty.
Using the several tales, Allen explores the history and spiritual heritage of Native American women. Through the voices of other female authors, the collection addresses the sacred traditions that interrelate on the basis of tribal identity and co-exist in their spiritual beings. The tales also illustrate the importance of families and relatives. Throughout the narrations, the themes of war, captivity, separation, and loss and how they affected the people for decades are clear. They depict the oral tradition as it transforms into its modern form, to bring forth sacred attributes that are significant to tribal women and their people in general. . The Native American perception could present a huge impact if adopted in all sociopolitical aspects because it would require recognition by Americans and the entire American society. Although, the literature presented in the book is purely contributed by women, Allen suggests that the stories should not be perceived as women literature which can be equated to modern feminist writing. She refers the book’s literature as tribal women’s literature.
In most cases, women are victimized and betrayed by men. However, the women will find ways of loving and respecting the men regardless of how they treat them. In The Warriors, for example, presents the story of Uncle Ralph, a drunk and a vagrant. Although he is a war loser, his sister and children still love and respect him. He is a disillusioned homeless alcoholic but the two young sisters find him as a source of pride in their Pawnee heritage. There are numerous occasions in the book where women are depicted as supportive to one another. They talk and stay together, while sharing their ideas and feelings and keep the tale going. “The Casualties” closes with “Grace” by Vicki Sears and “Making Do” by Linda Hogan. “Making Do” is a story about a woman who loses her children and is characterized by moments...