The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions

then one must accept “devil” worship or “witchcraft” with the
same reverence and respect as one accepts other rites. This is
something that Francisco is able to do throughout his life, but it
is beyond Abel’s ability without his first suffering greatly for his
psychological inflexibility.
Colonization does not, after all, affect people only
economically. More fundamentally, it affects a people’s
understanding of their universe, their place within that universe,
the kinds of values they must embrace and actions they must
make to remain safe and whole within that universe. In short,
colonization alters both the individual’s and the group’s sense of
identity. Loss of identity is a major dimension of alienation, and
when severe enough it can lead to individual and group death.
When an individual’s sense of self is, like Abel’s, distorted by
the impact of contradictory points of view, colonization and its
terrible effects will not be assuaged by mere retention of land
rights or economic self-sufficiency. The whites either fear
paganism greatly (Fray Nicolas) or simply dismiss it as
superstition (Fr. Olguin and even Tosamah). Faced with an
assessment of his tribal identity that either damns or discounts it,
Abel reacts to socially induced loss of identity with growing
violence. First he murders the pagan albino. Then he antagonizes
the Los Angeles cop into nearly killing him.
Abel must come to terms with the reality of paganism and its
requirements so that the terror that has haunted him and the rage
that is his response to it can be harmonized into their proper
form and he can take his proper place in the universe. In the end,
Abel understands and accepts the ancient tribal order, its beauty,
its fearfulness, its significance, and its pattern. And in the end, as
he runs to join the Runners-After-Evil, whom Momaday also
calls the Dawn Runners, he backs up his understanding with
action, demonstrating that he is truly restored to wholeness, to
health.