N. 스콧 모마데이의 『새벽으로 지은 집』

Trauma Recovery through Abel s Remembering Oral Tradition in N. Scott Momaday s House Made of Dawn

This paper examines Momaday’s idea of the Native’s survival in House Made of Dawn, paying attention to his representations of Abel (a Pueblo Jemez, war veteran, traumatized protagonist who has suffered from his loss of cultural identity). In this paper, I will argue that the writer highly suggests the reading public to be fully aware of the significance of storytelling, by exemplifying the psycho-somatically battered protagonist’s ordeal and recovery through his ‘remembering’ of the Native’s culture (language, songs, and stories). This paper focuses on the events of Abel’s consecutive meetings with three storytellers (Angela, Benally, and Francisco) who all support him to ‘recall’ his hereditary songs and stories. First, Abel hears from Angela the legend of the ‘bear’ of the Kiowa tribe, which symbolizes vitality and valor. Next, when Abel lives a hard life in a white man-centered city, he meets Benally who remembers the Navajo traditions and encounters the Navajo s traditional song, Night Chant. With this Night Chant, Abel gets closer to tribal traditions and feels the importance of traditional worldview and consciousness. Returning to his hometown, Abel takes care of his dying grandfather Francisco. Francisco tells him various traditional stories from his youth and stresses the importance of staying connected to Navajo’s traditions. Accepting Francisco’s lesson and wisdom, Abel finally participates in Jemez Pueblo s traditional ritual of ‘dawn running’ and sings Night Chant. This experience helps him to heal his cultural trauma and restores his bond with the earth.