To understand the legend of the Yellow Woman you must first have an understanding of the Laguna Pueblo tribe and their belief, in regard to, the Ka’tsina spirit. The Laguna Pueblo believed that the Ka’tsina spirits were nature spirits that would bless them through harvest (Legends of America). The tribes would perform ritual dances and chants to praise the spirits and ask for their blessings. Mythical and supernatural beliefs are strong themes in Native American culture. Since childhood, the narrator heard stories of the Ka’tsina spirit and The Yellow Woman who was taken by an evil Ka’tsina spirit and then later returned (Silko, 1974).
Nature plays an important role in the story of Yellow Woman. The wind is representative of the narrator's internal struggle. It is always present and tries to keep her connected to her other life. The life she has with her husband and child. When she hears the wind, she thinks. She thinks about her past and her family. The wind surrounds her as if a shield to keep her sane. As the landscape on the journey changes, she is drawn deeper into this man’s gripe. He guides her further and further into the mountains and she follows as though she’s in a trance. He asks her “Can you see the Pueblo?” She responds with a shake of her head “We’re too far away” (Silko, 1974). The narrator has many chances to make her escape, but she doesn’t. Why does she not go? Does she really think she is the Yellow Woman??
Is the narrator a lonely and overwhelmed housewife caught up by an attractive man’s attentions or has she been seduced by a mythical spirit? What would make her turn her back on her family duty? Does she yearn for something exciting and then allows her desire to overshadow her duty? She remembers the stories her grandfather once told about the Yellow Woman and believes that her family will also believe the tale she is to tell. She will tell them she was kidnapped by the Ka’tsina and fought her way back. Was she really abducted? Did she momentarily lose her sense? What would make a woman leave everything after a chance encounter?
Lesson #1 - Discuss the importance of folklore in culture.
1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Pass out a folklore reading from a different culture to each group.
3. Have the students work together to decide the main theme of their story.
4. Have them then work individually to create a comic book or slideshow to share with the class.
Lesson #2 - Discussion
1. Read and discuss the first three paragraphs of the Yellow Woman story.
2. Ask your students how the author engages the reader.
3. What strategies are used to tell the story. Are these strategies effective? Why or Why not?
Lesson #3 – Write an essay.
1. Have your students write a five-paragraph essay about cultural expectations and how myths are represented.
2. Some questions to ask are what kind of story is this? Is it an adventure story, a romantic story, or a mythological story? How does nature play a role in the story of Yellow Woman? What is the narrator’s mental state like? Is she lucid? In a dream or trance? How does culture influence expectations? Why is the narrator sad her grandfather is not around to hear her tell her story?
Lesson # 4 - Have your students listen to a reading of Yellow Woman.
1. Discuss the differences between reading the story of Yellow Woman and listening to the story.
Readings from ENG-355 for Topic 4 - Native American Literature found in Norton Anthology of World Literature.
The Conquest of Mexico from book 12, Florentine Codex, Volume 1
The Night Chant from Navajo Ceremony, Volume 1
Yellow Woman by Leslie Marmon Silko, Volume 2
Works Cited:
The Norton Anthology of World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, Shorter 3rd ed., Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 2013.
Comments