Theme of Harmony in Native American Literature
             Mostly, the theme of the Native American stories focuses in harmonious relationship between men and nature. We have read stories such as; House made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday, Bear Country by Leslie Marmon Silko, and Canyon de Chelly by Simon Ortiz that relates to the theme. Oftentimes, these stories affect the lives of men.
             We see traditions of Native Americans being passed down to their children. An example of this "tradition" can be seen in the book, House Made of Dawn, by N. Scott Momaday. This story shows that they passed stories down to the next generation through oral speaking. They do this because they believe that this will give better images in the listeners' mind rather than if they read about it. This is the reason why they did not even bother to learn to read and write. In the story, Momaday wants the reader to know the importance of word weaving, of weaving the words to form a beautiful picture that can heal souls if spoken correctly. He shows this when Tosamah was speaking about his Grandmother. He says, "You see, for her words were medicine; they were magic and invisible. They came from nothing into sound and meaning. They were beyond price; they could neither be bought nor sold. And she never threw words away." He forces the idea that language can also cure not only the mind, but also the heart. This shows how much weight the way they speak puts on whatever they does say. When a speaker talks and the listener understands, it will be good enough for the listener; then is no need for interpretation because everything is already understood.
             In the story, Bear Country, by Leslie Marmon Silko, the theme of harmony can most likely be seen in lines 24-26. Unlike the passing of stories through verbally as a tradition, this story shows how Native Americans finds peace with nature. In this story, the poet gives readers an image of beauty that wou...