"Lullaby" by Leslie Marmon Silko

This short story is sad but captures the life styles of past Native Americans. As whites began to take over the land, they began forcing their culture upon the Native Americans. Ayah, the main character, was having trouble living in the whites' world by not knowing their language. In a way, Ayah did not want to learn the whites' culture and language to adapt to their lifestyle because the older Native Americans told her it was dangerous to learn. "the old ones always told her about learning their language or any of their ways: it endangered you." Knowing the language of the whites would allow Ayah to understand, but she would be tricked or persuaded because she wouldn't completely understand certain laws. A Native American that knows the language may be persuaded or tricked to give up land, but one that does not understand is not affected by the language because he or she cannot listen. Ayah's husband, Chato, has learned to speak and write English. Chato had taught Ayah to sign her name in English, and she regretted learning it. One day two doctors speaking English came to her house and Chato wasn't there to translate. Ayah couldn't understand them, but she realized they wanted her to sign some papers. "Ayah could see they wanted her to sign the papers, and Chato had taught her to sign her name...she only wanted them to go." She did not know what the papers were for but she signed so that they might go away. Then the men went to take her children, but she grabbed them and ran away. They came back later with a policeman and the papers and had the legal right to take her children and they did so. This just shows how unfair it is for a Native American to live on their land, then whites come over and change everything, even the language and take advantage of the Native Americans using the "law." The doctors wanted to take the children to bring them to a school. A special school for Native American children to learn English and English culture in order to wipe out the Native American language and culture. The children came back sometimes to visit, but they were changed. They barley new their own mother and could not relate to their own rich Native American culture. Ayah talked to her son in the native language, but "when he tried to answer her, he could not seem to remember and he spoke English words mixed with Navajo." This shows the tragic depletion of a rich native American culture. The doctors were purposely trying to erase the children's culture and replacing it with their own, "better" culture. Sadly, this fictional short story is an accurate representation of Native American assimilation and what happened to them during westward expansion.

Silko, Leslie Marmon. "Lullaby." Storyteller. New York, NY: Grove Press Inc., 1981. 43-55