earticle

영어

Native American women’s autobiographical works seem to be one of the most effective literary genre for white people to recognize the reality of Native American tribal society. Both men and women share the power, but women take the central position as leader, warrior, and medicine woman. Native American women’s autobiographical literature has a kind of multigenre form. For example, Linda Hogan’s Power consists of Omishito’s story of personal growth and Native American myth. As modern societies have lots of boundaries, Hogan insists on the necessity of crossing the boundaries to realize the true humanitarian society. Power is a bildungsroman of Omishito, a 16-year-old Native American girl. Aunt Ama takes an important role as her surrogate mother. In the American Indian creation myth, there is the repeated cyclical movement between the destruction of the old, suffering world and the creation of the new, harmonious world. Ama feels deeply sorry for the present Taiga people’s desperate situation, which is smbolized by the weak and sick animal, the panther that is regarded as the tribe’s holy ancestor and totem animal. After having a visionary dream of a panther who urges Ama to kill the panther itself as the true way-out from the tribal people’s present situation, she decides to sacrifice the panther. She also recognizes the potentiality of Omishto as a future tribal leader. At first Omishito just watches over the two worlds. However, Ama forces Omishto to participate in her expedition to capture a panther. After that, Omishto has to endure the tough situation of appearing as a witness in two courts scenes. The two courts represent westernized society and traditional tribal society. After recognizing Ama’s evaluation of them, Omishito finally decides to choose the Taiga tribal ways of life. Her decision is symbolized by her important role in a tribal religious ceremony in the last scene of the book. Native American women’s autobiographical literature always ends with the strong affirmation of their identities and value systems. Hogan’s Power offers a case in point. Native Americans have emphasized the importance of love as the true power for creating life. Hogan also insists that love is the mighty force for real humanitarian life, it has the power to deliver people from the physical violence that underlies the dominant power in modern society.