2. The Man to Send Rain Clouds
1.The season of the year in which a story takes place is sometimes an important part of the
story’s setting. At what time of year does this story take place? How is the season important to
the story?
2.To prepare Teofilo’s body for burial, Leon and Ken perform a traditional ceremony. Why do
they perform this ritual?
3.Father Paul tells Leon and Ken that they shouldn’t allow Teofilo to stay at the sheep camp
alone. Why is their response ironic, or the opposite of what we would expect?
4.For the Laguna people as well and the Franciscan priest, water is an important part of the
burial ceremony. Why do Leon and Ken change their minds about involving Father Paul?
5.When Father Paul sprinkles the holy water on the grave, it falls “through the light from the sun
down like August rain….” How does this image symbolize, or represent, the events of the story?
6.What evidence in the story suggests that the Laguna move in two worlds- the world of the
Christian workers and that of their traditional culture? What does this story suggest lies at “the
heart of the matter” for the Laguna characters?
7.What is the narrator’s attitude toward these characters and their differing cultures? Do you
think the story is told with sympathy for all the characters?
3. Stereotypes: What do you envision when you hear the term, Native
American? What is the impact of these stereotypes?
“What’s in a Name?”: Read as a class & Create a Top Three.
Contemporary Issues (Gambling, Health Care, Drugs, Stereotypes, Repatriation)
1. Meet with group.
2. Discuss article. (Round Robin)
4. Issues Today: PowerPoint
Create a movie or PowerPoint that illustrates one of the following issues:
1. Leonard Peltier
2. Wounded Knee (Big Foot Massacre and 1970s standoff)
3. AIM (American Indian Movement)
4. Indian Schools
5. Daily Writing: Apologies
Should the U.S. government apologize for the past? Why or Why not?
19 Dec 2009: President Obama signed the Native American Apology
Resolution. The Apology Resolution states that the United States,
“apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native
Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect
inflicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the United States.” The
Apology Resolution also “urges the President to acknowledge the
wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in the history of the
United States in order to bring healing to this land.” The Apology
Resolution comes with a disclaimer that nothing in the Resolution
authorizes or supports any legal claims against the United States and
that the Resolution does not settle any claims against the United
States.
Experiences Chart-Native Americans
