The Significance Of Cattle In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony

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The portrayal of Josiah’s cattle in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony is a metaphor for Tayo’s struggle with his Native identity and the powerful barriers created when plunged into a hostile, white society. The cattle in Ceremony, which symbolize Tayo’s racial identity and the hardships Native peoples have experienced at the hands of whites, are a metaphor for Tayo’s seemingly “missing” native identity. Early parts of the book establish that they are a mix of “white” cows and “native” cattle (which draws a parallel to Tayo's white and Native heritage) but are frowned upon by white farmers since they do not fit the mold of what they expect from cattle. As it turns out, they walked out of Native land and into a white ranch, which Silko explains
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