57 pages • 1-hour read
The Blessing Way
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism, graphic violence, death, and death by suicide.
Cultural Context: Navajo Spirituality and Rituals
Hillerman sets The Blessing Way primarily on the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Navajo spirituality and ritual practices play a central role in the mystery plot, and characters reference specific myths throughout the narrative to explain one another’s behaviors. The main myth alluded to is the Origin Myth, which details the creation of the physical world, the people, and their deities. The myth describes the creation of three lower spiritual worlds, in which the Holy People, Coyotes, First Man and First Woman, and other creatures emerge. First Man and First Woman beget the Navajo people, also known as The Diné or simply The People. These beings move up through the worlds together until they reach the Fourth World and form the mountains, sun, moon, and stars of the traditional Navajo lands. Here The People gain embodiment and mortality. Stories of the Fourth World describe the Navajo way of life, from hunting and hogan construction to relations between men and women (Gladd, Joel. “Navajo Dine Bahane.” Anthology of Earlier American Literature, 2019). The Origin Myth and other Navajo stories emphasize the importance of harmony among people, and between people and their environment. These principles guide how the Navajo people act, and the text illustrates that many characters try to adhere to these values in their daily lives.
Characters refer to the Origin Myth frequently to explain the origin of witchcraft, as when Leaphorn recalls this story for McKee: “You remember the Origin Myth, when First Woman sent the Heron diving back into the Fourth World to get the witchcraft bundle. She told him to swim down and bring back ‘the way to get money’” (264). Witchcraft has a deep association with greed, since the desire for excess is contrary to the Navajo way of life. Witches are associated with the dark spirit worlds and are said to use their evil magic to shapeshift into animals, like wolves. The Navajo Wolf figure haunts the narrative and frightens the Navajo people in the northern areas of the Nation. Characters argue about whether these figures are real supernatural beings, but regardless of their beliefs, they know that evil acts occur wherever the Wolf goes.
Navajo rituals also play a role in the text, particularly the Enemy Way ceremony performed to rid the Tsosie family of witchcraft. The Enemy Way is a two- or three-day ceremony that involves ritualistic singing and chanting. The ceremony is designed to free the participant of negative outside influence and return them to a life of harmony. The Tsosie family’s use of the Enemy Way indicates to Leaphorn that not only is someone terrorizing the family, but that that person is from outside out the community and can’t be understood through traditional Navajo behaviors. The titular Blessing Way ceremony doesn’t occur in the text, but it is a similar ceremony that incorporates rituals and chanting. Rather than seeking to rid a person of something, however, the Blessing Way seeks to invite blessings and prosperity from the Holy People. These rites and beliefs develop the cultural background of the text that characters must navigate as they uncover the mystery in the Many Ruins Canyon.
Historical Context: The US Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), established in 1824, was a US federal agency originally tasked with managing relations between the federal government and Indigenous nations. While its stated purpose was to oversee Indigenous affairs, the BIA became a central mechanism of cultural suppression, land dispossession, assimilation, and genocide. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it played a key role in implementing federal policies designed to dismantle Indigenous sovereignty and identity.
In the mid-19th century, the BIA managed the forced removal of Indigenous peoples from ancestral lands and imposed an allotment system, which broke up communal lands to promote private ownership—a direct attack on tribal governance and land-based culture. It also oversaw boarding schools that removed Indigenous children from their families, prohibited Indigenous languages and religions, and imposed Euro-American names, clothing, culture, and values on their students. These schools were sites of abuse and severed the continuity of Indigenous culture, causing lasting generational trauma. A corresponding element of assimilation and colonization was the BIA’s tribal police force, designed to decrease the power of Indigenous leaders within their jurisdictions.
In the 20th century, the BIA promoted policies aimed at dissolving tribal nations and further assimilating Indigenous people into US culture. The BIA conducted relocation projects, which, like the boarding schools, separated families and severed cultural ties. The BIA also pursued policies to eliminate the US government’s responsibilities vis-à-vis Indigenous nations. This led to protests and long legal battles over contested land and resources. This furthered the BIA’s function not to support Indigenous communities but to erase their autonomy and expand US colonial power under the guise of administration and support.
Today, the BIA remains a branch of the US federal government. Its stated function is to “enhance the quality of life, promote economic opportunities, and […] improve the trust assets of American Indians and Alaska Natives” (“Our Mission.” Bureau of Indian Affairs). Many continue to oppose the BIA, which has failed to address dire problems such as declining health and education rates, high rates of violence and death by suicide, water shortages, and the crisis of missing and murdered women in Indigenous communities. Another federal agency, the US Government Accountability Office, cites continued mismanagement of Indigenous lands and infrastructure by the BIA (“Indian Energy Development: Poor Management by BIA Has Hindered Energy Development on Indian Lands.” GAO, 2015).
Unlock all 57 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs