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.
Symbols & Motifs
Ritual
Ritual figures heavily as a motif in Waterlily. Ritualistic practices, both small and large, are woven into the Dakota way of life. There are simple, every day rituals, like a man braiding his wife’s hair. This is a way for him to demonstrate his love and respect for her. There are also small rituals that maintain a balance with nature. For example, when gathering beans, Blue Bird’s grandmother says they must “leave a return gift for the mice when you take away their food” (9). This ritual maintains balance with the natural world. In small ways, these rituals reinforce core values of the community.
There are also larger rituals that hold significant importance for the Dakotas. When a baby is born, its placenta must be tied up and placed in a tree, and “[e]veryone knew that; it was ancient law” (6). This ritual marks the beginning of a new life. There is also the hunka ceremony, which is performed for Waterlily. Parents perform it to give thanks if their child makes it through a difficult period, as through Waterlily’s illness. After the ceremony, one becomes a beloved child, which increases his or her level of honor in the community. A ritual such as this affects the child throughout his or her whole life. There is also the Sun Dance, an especially important ritual which unites different tribes. In this practice, the Dakotas give thanks to nature and the Great Spirit. It is “the fulfillment of all the vows that men in their distress had made during the preceding year” (113). In this way, ritual underscores the lives of the Dakota.
Sacred Objects from Nature
Objects from nature take on a special significance according to their many individual functions. They point to the Dakotas’ close tie with nature and belief in nature’s power and importance. As a baby, Waterlily is given a turtle teething ring, and a piece of her placenta is sewn into the stuffing. It will act as a talisman later. A natural object, her own skin, lends significance to the teething ring. In preparation for Waterlily’s hunka ceremony, Dream Woman spends two years working on a special dress containing elk teeth. Everyone in the community helps, bringing teeth to Dream Woman that she sews onto the dress. The object of the tooth takes on a dual meaning. First, it symbolizes the Dakotas’ close connection to nature and animals, utilizing animal parts on the ceremonial dress. Second, it symbolizes the closeness of the community—they all pitch in to bring materials for Waterlily’s ceremonial dress.
Later in the novel, the ghost bundle acts as an important sacred object. At the root is an object from nature—Gloku’s hair. Her remains are at the core of its significance; it is, essentially, an extension of her persona. The bundle starts out small, and, over the course of months, members of the camp circle bring items to be added to the bundle. It must always be tended by the ghost keeper and kept in a position of honor in the tipi. At the final ceremony, the ghost bundle is dismantled, and “[t]he finest articles, which had been added to the ghost bundle from time to time, went to guest who had themselves kept a ghost” (159). This sacred object represents the importance of the deceased and the way in which she is revered and missed by the community. In all, these objects solidify the Dakotas’ symbolic tie with nature and also provide support for the community’s ritual practices.
The Color Red
The color red appears frequently in the novel and is often associated with the feelings of honor and respect, which are central to Dakota culture. It is used in both formal rituals as well as the every day. For example, when couples have been married for a long time, wives will sometimes apply ceremonial red paint to their husbands’ feet after they have had a long day. In this way, the red paint along with the action is “an unsolicited and spontaneous sign of wifely affection and appreciation” (183). Red paint solidifies the bond between husband and wife in a private ritual. The color red also gives added spiritual weight to an object. For example, when Gloku takes her grandchildren to Box Butte, they see stones covered in red paint, some vivid and others faded. In order to pay respect to the stones, Gloku tells them: “Before you handle holy things you must have sacred paint on your hands” (40). She paints their hands and stones, and they say prayers. The red paint is both a sign of respect and also an added signifier to the holy object.
Furthermore, red paint is used in ritualistic ceremonies in order to confer high honor to a participant. During Waterlily’s hunka ceremony, the officials paint red pencil lines on her face. From this time on, she can wear these lines on special occasions, and this would cause people to say: “There goes one whose family loved him so much that they gave a great feast and many presents to the people in his name” (77). In this instance, the red paint is a marker of Waterlily’s elevated status in the community, conferring on her an added layer of respect. Red, in this way, denotes honor and respect within the camp circle.
Animals
Animals are a continuous motif in the novel, and they hold special significance to the Dakotas. Rather than treating them as lesser than humans, the Dakota have a very respectful relationship with animals. At the Sun Dance, the priest makes an “Apology to the Birds”(115) when the community cuts down a tree to make the sacred pole. The priest respects the animals’ rights, not assuming he can just remove the birds’ home. Similarly, before going out to hunt, Gloku thanks the dogs and treats them as equals rather than as subordinates. She knows they will help her in her quest, and she acknowledges that. Furthermore, when speaking with Waterlily, Sacred Horse says: “‘You know, she must be some relation to the deer; she cried because I killed it.’ It was an indirect compliment, for in myth and belief the deer was the embodiment of feminine allure” (162). There is a strong connection between women and deer, thus suggesting a strong connection between humans and animals.
Horses appear frequently and carry importance in the community. To show her love, Gloku gives Waterlily a white mare to welcome her into the new camp circle. Little Chief also receives a pony as a young boy, showing that the family also values him. As a prelude to marriage, Sacred Horse buys Waterlily with two horses. In this way, horses are valuable on a practical and symbolic level for the Dakota.
