LITR 4332 American Minority Literature Model Assignments Final Exam Submissions 2013

Jennifer Longoria

The Similar yet Unique cultures of the Mexican American and Native American

Previous to this class, I defined any ethnicity or race that was not considered white as a minority culture. However, I was unaware that there are many other factors that determine a minority culture. A minority culture did not migrate to this land. They are defined as a culture that was brought here forcibly or was here before America began. Also, a minority culture does not assimilate. This fact is evident in many of the minority texts that we have read in class this semester. Katie Raney’s essay “Minority Perspectives” elaborates on what defined a minority culture even further. One of her main points that I did not think of is that the minority culture is often defined as voiceless and choiceless. Though times have changed, in the beginning these people had no rights. They were forced to work, they were forced to give up their land, and they were forced to convert. All of these factors make the minority voice both unique and the similar at the same time. In this essay, I will show the similarities between the Native American and Mexican-American and how these two cultures, both a minority, as unique in their own voice.

            The similarities between these two cultures may be the easiest to point out but one must note that these two cultures are as similar as they are different. Even from the origin stories of these two cultures, we are able to see how alike they are. The creation stories of these two cultures both have focus on the women in the tale. In the Iroquois creation story, Sky Woman falls from the heavens and is caught by a turtle. As she cannot go back up, Sky Woman begins life on land instead. With the Mexican-American culture, the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe is a sort of creation story. Here, the Virgin uses her influence to have a temple resurrected in her name in order to help heal and guide the people of the land. Though it may seem arbitrary, it seems almost fitting that these two cultures, both that rely heavily on the foundations of community and family, should have such a strong female presence in their creation stories. This is as opposed to the Christian creation story where the female in the narrative, Eve, becomes the reason why man first betrays God. These two creation stories begin a long tradition of family with a strong female presence. The men of the house rule the nest; however, they are equal to the women in their lives. The women often hold as much power and influence over the household. This is evident with both Marie in Love Medicine and the similarly named Maria in Bless Me Ultima. Both seemingly live under the reign of their husbands and yet hold as much, is not more so, power than their male counterparts. There is a strong sense of co-dependence in both cultures that stems from their creation stories. However, the women in Love Medicine seem to have a much stronger and independent presence, separate from the males in the text, than the Mexican American women in Bless Me Ultima. Between Albertine physically fighting off King when he was drunk, Lulu who has no qualms or shame in admitting that she loves to love and she loves a lot, and Maria who manipulates not only her husband but her church before that, the females in this narrative have a much stronger role equal to or greater than the men. They show their love in a much harsher and subtle way than the women in Bless Me Ultima. These women are characterized more through their strong yet nurturing habits.

            With the sense of co-dependence both cultures have, a similar family structure is created in both cultures. Even though the young and the old may not get along, there is respect between the two ages that binds them. It seems apparent that in a white culture, the individual is favored more than the community. With this mentality, their elders are often shuttled off into nursing homes to begin a new community among the elderly. Please note that this is not always the case, nor is it only a transition that the white culture takes part in. However, it seems to me that the Native American and Mexican American cultures tend to understand that their elderly should be revered and taken care of by the family as they once took care of the family themselves. Because the family is more tight-knit, it is easier for their culture and traditions to get passed down from generation to generation. As their young go out into the world and become active members in society, their parents always welcome them home to same foods and traditions the generation before them experienced. Again, between these two cultures the similarities are as evident as the contrasting aspects. Take Rushes Bear and Ultima for example. With the Native American narrative there appears to be more conflicts between the women that ultimately creates a powerful bond. Rushes Bear never approved of Marie to be her son’s wife, mostly because her Indian genes had been diluted. Because of this, Rushes Bear and Marie live their lives trying to respect each other while also silently admonishing the other at every turn. However, once Rushes Bear witnesses Marie taking on all the pain of childbirth without the aid of her husband and without complaint, Rushes Bear finally gives Marie the honor of taking her in as a true daughter. Marie had to first prove herself worthy to Rushes Bear for the ultimate bond between the two to be formed. In Mari’s case, Ultima had been by her side during the birth of all three of her sons. As such, the moment Ultima was in need, Maria rushed to her aid, taking her in and caring for her until her last days.

            Both cultures also seem to rely heavily on the supernatural. There are many symbols that each narrative has within the text. While Love Medicine has many symbols dealing with fire, Bless Me Ultima deals with many symbols of water. Both symbols can mean many things. However, the most prevalent to me is the purging or cleansing of a sin or an individual. Fire seems to be a symbol for the Native American culture in general. Lulu’s house gets burned down and so ends her adulterous relationship with Nestor. The element of fire in regards to the Native American culture also shows up in Ultima. When a neighbor becomes cursed so badly that even the priest and church are not able to save him, Ultima comes to the rescue. She explains to Antonio that the man is being haunted by three Indians who were not provided a proper burial. As such, she lays three planks down and burns them, as is custom for Indian burials. The fire cleanses the spirits and the curse upon the man is lifted. As fire cleanses the Native American’s spirit, water seems to be the weapon of choice in cleansing the Mexican American. The element of water is heavy in Ultima. From communion to the notion that Antonio’s home is surrounded by water and will one day be purged of sin once the water that surrounds the town overtakes it, the cleansing of a spirit and sin has many Christian elements to it.

            Again, the Mexican American and Native American cultures are as alike as they are different. Both depend on a strong sense of family and community and the men and women of the household both have their own separate roles in the family as well as rely on a co-dependence between each other. With their own separate traditions and culture, these two races of people are both considered a minority culture. However, as minority cultures do not assimilate, these two people seem to take joy in being a minority in the sense that they are able to adapt to the American culture while also maintaining their own traditions and values in their household.