34 pages • 1 hour read
Ella Cara DeloriaWaterlily
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1988A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Close Ties of Kinship
The concept of kinship is central to the Dakota way of life and also central to the novel. Kinship demands extreme closeness among members of a family and families within the camp circle. Having relatives is extremely important: “To be cast out from one’s relatives was literally to be lost” (20). Blue Bird feels lost in her adoptive camp circle as does Waterlily in hers since they are away from their relatives. However, there are “social parents” (186)who effectively adopt someone without relatives and treats her as their own. Waterlily is better able to relax around her social parents than she is around her in-laws.
Kinship also contains prescribed roles among members of a family. There is a special closeness between brothers and sisters, and they are always loyal to each other. The novel exemplifies this through the relationship between Waterlily and her stepbrother Little Chief. They are close, and it is Waterlily’s duty to bear the scalp of the first person Little Chief kills in a ceremonial parade. Blue Bird experiences this brother-sister closeness from an outsider perspective after she marries into Rainbow’s family: “A smart wife conducted herself circumspectly so that her sisters-in-law would approve of her entirely and would defend her” (59). A sister’s loyalty is to her brother, not her new sister-in-law. Thus, Blue Bird must respect this brother-sister bond in the new family and work her way around it. Finally, mothers-in-law must tend to their daughters-in-law, serving as support and protection in the new family. In the new family, Blue Bird grows close to Gloku in this way.
Kinship does not only apply to families but also extends to the whole camp circle. Families help each other out and tend to members who are in need. When Gloku dies, many members of the camp circle donate food and materials to her ghost bundle to show their respect for her. Additionally, there is the concept of fellowship—two unrelated people can form a bond and grow extremely close to each other. When talking about Rainbow and Palani’s fellowship, the author notes how “[t]he demand on fellows were somewhat greater even than those on natural brothers” (99). In this way, respect and closeness among members of the Dakota tribe is of utmost importance and forms the basis of kinship.
Female Repressive Tendencies of Kinship
Kinship also prescribes specific gender roles, which focus on repression of female sexuality and expression. Kinship controls speech: married women may not discuss their marriages in public lest they tarnish their husbands’ reputations. When describing Waterlily’s inability to discuss her marriage, the author states that “kinship once again wielded a controlling force here, in muzzling all idle talk about marital intimacy involving specific personalities” (180).A man’s honor matters more than a woman’s ability to express her feelings. Communication between members of the opposite sex is also limited. In fact, Rainbow does not speak directly to Waterlily until she is 7 years old. When socializing and attending ceremonies, members of the same sex generally gravitate towards one another, thus solidifying this separation through every day actions. Kinship also controls physical comportment, and this is exemplified through Waterlily’s social training. When girls and boys gather, the girls are “composed and prim and quite different from the pile of irrepressible small boys in continuous motion on the other side” (53). Females must restrain themselves while boys may move about according to their impulses.
In a similar vein, women may not express their sexuality outside of marriage, nor may they pursue men romantically. Blue Bird warns Waterlily: “Let a man show he wants to know you. It is unbecoming for you to seek him out or get in his way, and it is never safe” (136). While men may express their interest in women, the reverse is not true. After learning this, Waterlily becomes ashamed that she showed interest in Lowanla, so much so that she resolves to be a “perpetual virgin,” though this does not end up happening. This inequality extends to matters of sex. If two people elope, the man’s honor remains intact, and the situation ends “disastrously for the girl” (13). Her lack of virginity now soils her, though it in no way impacts the man’s. In this way, kinship regulates the way women act and are conceptualized.
The Importance of Speech in Kinship
Kinship dictates that Dakotas must be careful of their speech. With honor as such a prized commodity, members must never sully someone’s honor through speaking against them. As with Waterlily, she must never even discuss her husband in case she could say something that challenges his honor. One word out of place could be disastrous for a person’s reputation in the community. To this end, members of a family can regulate each other:“If a husband was going too far, his wife cut in and set him right, and vice versa” (189). Husbands and wives regulate each other in conversation.
If one makes a promise, it must be kept: “To give your word is to give yourself” (12). Bear Heart promises to give out his best horses at Gloku’s ghost keeping ceremony. However, this is an issue when the horses are killed. In order to help her uncle keep his promise, Waterlily accepts Sacred Horse’s two horses and gives them to her uncle. The weight of Bear Heart’s word is heavy, as is his niece’s commitment to uphold his honor. Through all of these instances, the weight of a Dakota’s word is significant.
