Analysis Of Luci Tapahonso

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You are here because of what happened to your great-grandmother long ago. With one sentence, Luci Tapahonso explains beautifully the historical generational trauma Native Americans have had to endure and are still enduring today. Luci Tapahonso, in her two poems, "The American Flag" and "In 1864," links Dine history to contemporary Native realities, and in doing so, provides intergenerational hope and instruction. In 1864 she tells a story within a story, at moments the poem is hard to read because of the horrific actions they were taken against the Navajo people during their forced removal of their homelands to In 1864, 8,354 Navajos were forced to walk three hundred miles, from Dinetah to Bosque Redondo which is located …show more content…

The way that Tapahonso describes the whole ordeal in detail is critical in describing the events in the poem but also in the format of oral story-telling. The author is telling a story to a daughter. A story that must have been passed down for generations and for generations to come. It is a important story that must be told because it explains the history of the Navajos and how the use of turquoise become a part of the traditional regalia. The story also tells how Navajo fry-bread become famous and is now considered a traditional food for all native tribes. Tapahonso gives strength and hope in 1864 to the younger generation by giving them education of their history. Luci Tapahonso uses the same format and them in her poem, "The American Flag" in that poem is describing what the American flag means to her, even though the American government had cause a lot of historical trauma for tribes. Tapahonso writes that the Navajo had taken on a new meaning to the flag, and it is not anger or hatred for the United States, as she states, Still, we watched for signs of compassion, as these soldiers had been born of a mother somewhere. Their mothers had been delighted to hear their first …show more content…

Her voice is one of kindness and thoughtfulness, that has not been heard from a native woman 's perceptive in native American literature that much in the past. There seems to be native male dominance in the past for native American literature. Tapahonso has chosen to use women 's strength in their culture as a major part in her poetry and uses her daughters in her writing as well. I have learned that Tapahonso only in native language of Navajo, and only translates for publishing purposes. She also prefers her work to be sang

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