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In "The Man to Send Rain Clouds," what is the relationship between the two religions within the community?
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In "The Man to Send Rain Clouds," the relationship between the two religions is one of coexistence and mutual respect, despite differences. The Pueblo people and the Catholic priest each maintain their rituals, but they find common ground in certain practices, such as using holy water. This blend illustrates how the community allows for both traditional and Catholic customs, promoting harmony and collaboration despite their distinct beliefs.
"The Man to Send Rainclouds" opens with family elder Teofilo found deceased beneath a cottonwood tree by his two grandsons, Leon and Ken. The grandsons immediately give their grandfather traditional Laguna Pueblo death rituals such as attaching a feather to his hair and painting his face with different colored paints. However, when the catholic priest Father Paul who lives among them wants to perform the Catholic last rites on Teofila, Ken and Leon do not seek his services and rather move forward with the death ceremony their culture already has.
But when Leon asks Father Paul for holy water to be sprinkled on Teofila's grave—to prevent thirst—the two religions intersect. Father Paul does not want to sprinkle Teofila's body with holy water because it is not the proper order or use of the catholic last rites, but he ends up sprinkling the body nonetheless. This action reveals the...
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serious attempts of the Christian church to infiltrate the native religions of New Mexico by inserting themselves in any way to be useful to the native Laguna ceremonies. While the water represents "rain clouds" to the family of Teofila and provides them peace that their grandfather will not be thirsty, it represents the grace of a Christian god to Father Paul. While the two religions do not interpret the spiritualconnotation of water the same way, nor keep the same burial ceremonies, this final scene where native and Christian religions overlap reveals the Laguna people's ability to accept the Catholic priest, and the determination of the Catholic priest to aid the indigenous people whom he views as needing salvation.
Though the two religions in the book present a stark contrast of ideals and culture, they maintain a cold reverence for one another. The indigenous Pueblo group shows respect towards the Catholic newcomers, but refuses to convert to the religion of the settlers. The Catholics, as well, show care for the Pueblo people, but attempt to evangelize to and convert them throughout the story.
The funeral scene is a prime example of this contrast as the two religions both attempt to give their blessing over Teofilo's body. The Pueblo people wrap him in cloth painted with a face on it so that he will be recognized in the afterlife, while the Catholic priest anoints him with holy water. The two clans are respectful of each others' practices, and the priest is even pleased when the Pueblo people accept the holy water as a blessing, in spite of their belief that it will bring rain to the people.