I felt that the first presentation done by Nate was intriguing. After reading Ceremony, I have a better understanding of the meaning behind the
ceremonies. It was interesting to see the simplicity of the ceremony as well as the use of sage in such a primitive way. Yet, the smell of sage is so
powerful, even more so when burning. When he first mentioned smoke as a way to cleanse, it didn't make sense. After I thought about it, you inhale
smoke so it not only reaches the skin, but it reaches everything within as you breathe. Using the sage or local plant also makes one more connected to
the earth. I found it interesting that he spoke with the author, Denise Lind (? sp), and that she was also a "half breed" and that her stories were
similar to Leslie Marmon Silko's. I feel that even that American culture incorporates plants like soy, rose and lavender to name a few, into products
like lotions, aromatherapy and can! ! dles for cleansing, relieving stress or improving ones skin or hair. Of course, to wrap it up fresh out of the
ground is another story. Americans tend to add things that aren't so natural to products to keep them from "going bad" before one uses it. Its at least
an attempt to connect with nature.

i enjoyed ashley's presentation on the colors. In her presentation she highlighted an
aspect of the book that i did not notice myself. The was she used the color quotes and
then explained the meanings of the colors helped me see the depth in which silko wrote
her book. it made the writing of the book even seem like more of a ceremony to me

--elisa chapman

I thought that Ashley's presentation on the meaning of the colors in the
story was very interesting. It makes me want to go back and read the book
again so that I can notice these small details.

Kimberly Masculine

I thought it was really neat that Nate did some research into other Native
American ceremonies. The fact that he spoke to someone locally was
interesting. I enjoyed his demonstration and was glad that he did two
different ceremonies. His explanations were very clear. It was a nice
addition to use someone from the audience to help him demonstrate.
I also liked that Ashley used the audience. It made the presentation more
interesting. The story of how the crow came to be black was a good
introduction to the rest of the presentation. Her objectives with her project
were very clear.

Megan Cooper

Nate did a good job in his presentation of tying in the feather ceremony to
the book Ceremony. He compared the healing powers of various characters in
the novel with the healing powers of certain Native American rituals. I found
the approach to be very creative and original.

Samantha Yale

I enyoed the all of the presentaions. I like the ceremoy that Nate talked
about as well as his demonstration. His presentaion was packed with meaning.
The use of quotes and color from Ashlee was also really good. I like the use
of quotes and explainations about what each color ment.

Regina Zendejas

All presentations were excellent, and all of
them reflected a different aspect of the book.
Nate's presentation was very interesting and
creative. The way he gave an example of how
ceremonies are done, and it gave a clear and
vivid understanding of what a real ceremony was.
The fact he did the research with a person who
performs ceremonies that made the presentation
more real and interesting.

-Raquel Villalpando

really enjoyed Ashleigh's presentation on Ceremony and the use of color in descriptions. I had never really put much thought to the mood or
atmosphere a color sets up. However, after hearing her presentation and reviewing other parts of the book I was able to get a different feel and
understanding than the first time through.

Brian Appiano

Everyone did a great job on there presentations. I really enjoyed Jame's presentation of an Indian ritual. It help to visualize ceremonies such as the
ones Betonie would perform. Actually seeing and smelling desert sage helped bring reality to the paraphernalia that was referred to in the book. The
only thing missing was orginal indian garb while he performed the ceremony.

Emma

The presentation that Ashley gave for Ceremony was very good. She began by paraphrasing a short story titled "How the Crow Became Black." She
chose to read this story since it connected to Silko's style of writing of connecting items to their distinct colors. Ashley then had class or audience
participation by having some members in the class read quotes out of the book that illustrated how colors were used in the book. I found this too be
really interesting and good.

Alex Siegel

I thought Ashley's presentation on colors was very interesting. She explained
how colors are used quite frequently in the novel, as well she explained the
meanings of the colors. I myself had noticed that color was used quite
frequently in the novel, however I didn't realize the colors had specific
meaning, for instance the color yellow symbolizes happiness. I think she was
very clever to discover the hidden meaning behind these colors. Also Ashley did
a very good job of incorporating the class with her presentation.

- Brian Imhoff

Nate's presentation was awesome. I am glad to have experienced the workings
of a traditional ceremony firsthand; I feel thoroughly cleansed! It's
interesting that ceremonies are so versatile. Our one ceremony had multiple
functions based around the direction the smoke was moved. The ceremony could
be used to cure illness, on medicine men before they healed, and on returning
warriors. As Nate demonstrated the ceremony to us I imagined Ku'oosh doing the
ceremony on Betonie. The presentation was authentic, as seen in the Denise
Linn book he passed it around. Not that Nate looks suspicious, it just gives
him so much more authority in presenting this particular ceremony to us.
Nates presentaion definently brought the book to life for me!

Pennie

Ashley's color presentation was interesting and well thought out. The use
of color is continuous throughout the book. The meaning of each color was
very thought provoking.

-Jaime Stevens

I agree with a number of the points that Chris made in his presentation
regarding how the author portrays both Tayo and Rocky. Rocky was an
intelligent, rational human being, and the way that Silko paints him as a
chump who couldn't see the "big picture" painted by Indian mythology does not
do him or any other rational person justice. While it is obvious that the
stories and myths that are passed down are a key part of Indian culture,
coming to truly believe that people different than you were actually conjured
up by demonic forces is no healthier than wanting to simply fade away into the
whiteness of an Army hospital.

-Michael Bunting

Everyone did a good job and I enjoyed all the presentations. Ashley's story
about the crows, and Nate's explanation of how to perform a ceremony were
interested because they show the believes Native Americans have. Also, Jamie's
picture was interesting because she used dark colors; maybe to show sadness in
the town. Good job.

Anna Ramirez

I thought that both Nate and Ashley's presentations were interesting and creative. Nate's explanation of the purification ceremony and Ashley's
presentation of the short story and the interpretation of the colors were both infomative and enlightening. It was fun to learn some of the different
meanings behind colors. Good job! To the class: Good Luck on Finals!!!

Kelly Lopas

I particularly enjoyed the first presentation because
it was very informative. I like
the way the presenter demonstrated how two particular
ceremonies were done in the
Native American culture. The plants, the respect for
mother earth, and the simple words
use in the ceremonies which the presenter explained
are also is mentioned in the book
that we read in class. I also enjoyed the
presentation about colors and their significance
in the book. After the presentation, I realized why
author other uses particular colors
when describing particular passages in the book.

Aurea Dominguez

I really enjoyed Ashley's presentation on the description of color and how
color was used and mentioned throughout the book. The description of color
is a very dominate theme throughout the book. I was entertained by the way
Ashley selected the sections for the class to read, and then how she linked
the meaning of each color to how it was used in each section and then how
the color related to the character in that section. I found this entire
idea to be very cleaver!

Elaine Genasci

I was really impressed with Nate presentation last week. He really seemed to
get the whole classes attention. When read the book I enjoyed the Indian
culture that I read about so Nate gave me a lot more information to think
about. I also liked the fact that he seemed interested in what he was
explaining. I was jealous of the interview that he had with the lady that
taught him all about the culture. That was also very nice that she gave him a
feather.

Sandy Hansen

I think that James Cole's poem was very interesting. I think that it really
showed how he tried to truly capture the tone and texture of the book. I
also think that a poem is very appropriate for this book not just because
the book itself had poems in it, but because the process that on goes
through in order to write a poem can be considered a ceremony in itself.

Greg Blevins

I really enjoyed Nate’s presentation on Ceremony. I liked how he brought real
artifacts used in the ceremony process. I found interesting the references to
sage and its healing qualities, the simple ceremony to prepare for a ceremony,
returning warrior ceremony, and the idea that Indians used smoke because it
carried your thoughts up to the gods. Great job, Nate and all the other
presenters.

Michael Becerra

Response to Chris's Presentation

I think his argument with the author is valid, that the character of Rocky was made to seem that
of a traitor and he was penalized by not surviving the war. Wheras, Tayo, even though a half
breed, remained loyal to his culture and became a survivor and a leader in the end.
Nevertheless, the author's main intention in writing this book was to educate people about the
Indian way of life and how it is threatened by the majority population. I think she succeeded in
doing the same

Gufran Vanjara