FREE ESSAY ON WIKIASH

WIKIASH

Native American literature is, in general, not to my liking. I find that it is very often
too far-fetched for even my imagination. Most Native American pieces are more like
children's fairy tales, than serious accounts of Indian history. 
The tale of the first totem pole was no exception to this generalization. I found the
piece very slow and quite far-fetched. However, I enjoyed the piece from a fictional
literature standpoint.
"Wakiash and the First Totem Pole" is a story about a man named Wikiash, who has no dance
in his tribe and so, decides to go find one. He is taken to a house where he sees animals
(who have taken off their animal skin to reveal human bodies underneath) dancing around
the place. Wikiash befriends a small mouse and gets her to help him sneak up on the
animals in the house, so that he can learn a dance. Eventually, he bursts into the house
in the middle of a dance. The animals are so ashamed that he has seen them without their
animal skins that they will give him whatever he wants. He chooses to make them teach him
some dances. However, he also asks for the house, a totem pole that is out front, and a
mask. It was unclear to me why he asked for the latter 3 items, but ultimately he got
them and was happy about it. 
This story shows all the aspects of Native American religious and social beliefs.
Firstly, the aspect of the "circle of life", which is probably the most important part of
Native American religion, is not directly mentioned in the story. I have come to the
conclusion, after much reflection to symbolism in the that the "animals with their skin
off" that look like humans, are probably dead people who were reincarnated as animals, or
were somehow spiritually connected to each other through the earth and the environment.
Other than that, the Circle of Life is not an important part of "Wikiash and the First
Totem Pole".
The story shows the importance of dance in Native American culture. Wikiash was
practically an outcast until he learned the dances from the animals, then he was loved by
all. It is the Kwakiutl way of life to dance, and its an important part of all their
ceremonies, if I understand the symbolism in the story correctly.
Overall, the story of Wikiash was an enjoyable story, but, I would not like to read
stories like that all the time. The story, on a good note, was lighter on the symbolism
and complexly of ideas than other Native American literature that I have read. Despite
relatively little symbolism in this story, the ideas and beliefs that the story was
trying to portray about dance being important in Kwajiutl daily life was conveyed clearly
and well. This story gives the impression of a children's fairy-tale, rather than a
serious representation of Native American mythology and the first totem pole.