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What is the meaning of "Blue Winds Dancing" and the narrator's definition of wisdom?
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The meaning of "Blue Winds Dancing" by Thomas Whitecloud centers on the narrator's cultural identity and the wisdom found in his Chippewa heritage. The narrator contrasts the materialistic, unsatisfied nature of white civilization with the contentment and communal values of his tribe. Wisdom, according to the narrator, lies in appreciating family, community, and nature, valuing personal relationships and craftsmanship over material pursuits, and living harmoniously with the world.
The narrator of Thomas Whitecloud's story finds wisdom in the way his Wisconsin Chippewa people live. True wisdom comes from their outlook on life.
The narrator writes of life during the Great Depression of the 1930s. He is a college student, heading back home for Christmas. He compares white civilization to the values of his people.
He thinks, white people are always dissatisfied, living in a "race that knows no ending," introspecting, making nature captive, and wanting more and more things. White civilization means doing what you don't want and never finding time for what you do want to do. It means living next door to neighbors you don't know and don't care about. The narrator wonders why his culture is considered inferior.
In contrast, the narrator finds wisdom in the peace and calm of the Chippewa. They live in the present moment, they know how to share what they...
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have with each other, they know how to sing, and they know how to make objects with their hands instead of buying them. They are not forever striving for a mountain when they have a hill: in other words, they are content with what they have.
Once home, the narrator finds wisdom in the happiness his people experience. They share a mood of joy and acceptance. In their wisdom, they understand they are all part of something universal.
The name of Thomas S. Whitecloud's short story is "Blue Winds Dancing," which represents an aspect of nature that the narrator associates with the Indian reservation in Wisconsin. Throughout the story, the narrator dreams of "blue winds dancing" over the mountains and trees. The blue color of the breeze depicts the pure, refreshing nature of the wind, which Whitecloud personifies by mentioning that it dances. The narrator comments that he can "feel" the wind, which gives the reader further insight into the symbolic meaning of the wind. The "blue wind dancing" essentially is the spirit of the narrator's tribe and a reflection of their reverence for nature. Throughout the story, the narrator comments on his uncomfortable life in the "white" world as he travels home to his Indian reservation. Along his journey, he contrasts the cultures of the white man and the Indians.
According to the narrator, wisdom is appreciating family, friends, and creation. His tribe values personal relationships, craftsmanship, and nature. True wisdom is not becoming a meaningless consumer who continually desires material objects to advance their social status. Essentially, wisdom is a genuine appreciation for life, family, friends, and nature.