Author(s): Muharrem ÜNEY, Bülent Cercis TANRITANIR
If it is asked what the strongest aspect of Native Americans is, the answer is probably ‘their culture’. Dating back thousands of years before the Europeans invaded their lands, indigenous culture has reached the brink of extinction due to repression and prohibitions. But, just like a Phoenix, it was reborn from its ashes with rich and highquality literary works given from 1950s onward. Writers and poets like Leslie Marmon Silko, Joy Harjo, Luci Tapahonso, Simon Ortiz, Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, and Geary Hobson are the artists of a Renaissance for Native Americans in the field of literature. The person who is accepted to have started the renaissance is N. Scott Momaday. With his critically acclaimed novel House Made of Dawn, he and his native culture attracted too much attention. In his masterpiece, he tells the story of Abel, who is excluded by both his society and the white men. The story told contains many elements from Native American cultures, such as various legends, celebrations, dances, and religious ceremonies. In this study, some religious rituals, legends and images of the indigenous culture in House Made of Dawn will be examined in the light of the existing literature.
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