Ceremony and Intro to Betonie

   This section of the reading is one of the most important parts of the entire book. The introduction of Betonie is extremely important because he becomes a bridge for Tayo between two worlds and finally gets Tayo to open up and it allows Betonie to help Tayo. For so long Tayo allows his past and how he feels to turn him into somebody he's not and Betonie is able to help Tayo. When Tayo first meets Betonie with Robert he's suspicious of Betonie because of his appearance and the hogan he lived in on the side of mountain. "The old man was tall and his chest was wide; at one time he had been heavier, but old age was consuming everything but the bones. He kept his hair tied back neatly with red yarn in a chongo knot, like the oldtimers wore. He was sitting on an old tin bucket turned upside down by the doorway to his hogan." Betonie's hogan was secluded in a way from Gallup but it still overlooked the land. When asked about why he lives there Betonie said, "I tell them I want to keep track of the poeple". From the start Tayo questioned Betonie's ability to be a medicine man but that statement alone caught Tayo's attention. There is more to Betonie and Tayo quickly learns that. Betonie could connect with Tayo, like Tayo he was mixed raced and was judged for it also. Betonie was Navajo but that didn't interfere with any connection between Tayo and him. Betonie said, "My grandmother was a remarkable Mexican with green eyes". From this point on Tayo feels more comfortable with Betonie and begins to open up about his mixed background and everything he's been through.

Realistic and accurate idea of what Betonie could look like.

Gallup, New Mexico where Betonie's Hogan was located looking over the town.

  Something very special about Betonie was his Hogan and the possessions inside. "Tayo sat down, but he didn't take his eyes off the cardboard boxes that filled the big room; the sides of some boxes were broken down, sagging over with old clothing and rags spilling out; others were jammed with the antennas of dry roots and reddish willow twigs tied in neat bundles with old cotton strings". The description of Betonie's house and the picture Tayo paints of it describe it as a dump. Betonie's hogan was a not a dump though, everything had a specific meaning and every little aspect of the home fit in a unique and special way and Tayo later learns that. When Betonie's hogan is described is when the idea of integration is introduced and how the craziest things put together could still be extremely meaningful and that's what Betonie does. He uses the most of everything, nothing gets wasted and nothing goes unseen or without a deeper meaning. At first Tayo cannot understand Betonie and the deeper meaning of most the things he says but that changes. Betonie said, "Take it easy, don't try to see everything all at once". This is when Betonie and the deeper meaning comes into place because Tayo is quick to judge and overlook most of the things in Betonie's hogan but Betonie just laughs at him because he knows Tayo doesn't understand the deeper meaning yet. Some would say Betonie is a hoarder but everything in his home has a purpose. This connection Betonie builds with Tayo in the hogan is extremely important and plays a major role in Tayo's future in moving forward.

Idea of what a traditional hogan would look like

Things may appear unorganized but everything has a purpose. Especially with Betonie.