A major part of any culture is religion. Caught between two cultures, Tayo finds himself looking for answers through both Christianity and tribal religion. The whites and Christians in the novel warn Tayo about seeking relief in the tribal medicine and religion. They only see it as a form of witchery which will further warp his mind.
On the other hand, medicine man Old Betonie is skeptical of Christian belief and medicine because they are the ones who practice destruction. Old Betonie's religion relies on nature and life. The difference between the two practices mark the major problems whites and Indians have had coexisting and understanding each other. For the most part Christians refuse to acknowledge tribal religion as anything more than witchery. A web essay on Native American Spirituality contained this quote from Native American Religions:
".....the North American public remains ignorant about Native American religions. And this, despite the fact that hundreds of books and articles have been published by anthropologists, religionists and others about native beliefs......Little of this scholarly literature has found its way into popular books about Native American religion..."
The page is a very good source which explores the differences and similarities in Native American "religions" and Christian religion.
To find out more about the Laguna Pueblo people, this link will take you to a page which gives a brief overview and links to other Native American pages.
Here is a link to an essay by Leslie Marmon Silko I found on the web. It is called Fences Against Freedom and it discusses the issues of racism Silko faced as a child of mixed ancestry. It follows this same theme of ignorance and misunderstanding in dealing with Native American culture.
