Chapter 1 and 4 - Pt. 1 WINTER IN ....

I liked your comments about Native American Mythology, and how actually all people have had some sort of Mythology, religion, government, structure, or what ever to keep life in perspective, to give their group meaning. I like how James Welch brings us into the life of one family on a reservation, showing how the "old ways" have been abandoned and how the family has adopted many of the "white man's ways". It is not really a negative life unless one constantly looks back to the way Indians used to live in America. The main character sees good in nature and searches for the past to help him make it in the present. Their history is not as it was in ancient days, but their family has its own history and survival as a family comes first. He at least has his memories and stays on the ranch, constantly returning to it.

See page 8 - where he even sees hope and life in a tadpole he saves from the washtub. Small details in his life give him pleasure like recalling the good times with his brother when they used to ride calves for fun until their father caught them. Much is revealed through what the protagonist notices. The author does not try to overwhelm us with complex prose. He just presents the story and lets us decide what is important. The life this family leads on the reservation is how it is, even though the past keeps popping up. We know the main character keeps bringing up his bad knee, keeps explaining what type of man his father was, visits Yellow Calf for a reason.

Questions: What is the "borrow pit" and why does Lame Bull not acknowledge the main character's comments about how old he was on pages 6-7 when he says he was twenty? Lame Bull seems to just ignore the comments. Also, why does he call his mother "Teresa" sometimes instead of "mother" or "mom"?