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Ceremony Allusions & Cultural References

When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.

As you probably noticed, Ceremony references a lot of characters from Laguna Pueblo mythology. We've listed some of the most important figures below.

Literary and Philosophical References

  • Ts'its'tsi'nako, Thought-Woman, the spider (I, XXII)
  • Iktoa'ak'o'ya-Reed Woman and Corn Woman
  • Nau'ts'ity'i, our Mother (XXI.80)
  • The fifth world (IX.50, XXVI.28)
  • Tse-pi'na (aka Mount Taylor) (XI.17, XI.46)
  • Sun Man (XI.41, XXII)
  • Kaup'a'ta, the Gambler (XI.41, XXII, XXIV.29)
  • White House (XXVI.28)
  • Jesus Christ (IX.50)

Historical References

  • Wake Island (V.42, VI.8, VI.21)
  • Iwo Jima (VI.8, VI.21)
  • the Bataan Death March (VI.8)
  • MacArthur (VI.21)
  • Geronimo (IX.6, XI.32, XIII.34)
  • Hitler (XXI.66)

Pop Culture References

  • Hank Williams (VI.23, XXI.42)