76 pages 2 hours read

N. Scott Momaday

House Made of Dawn

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1968

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. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Part 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “The Priest of the Sun”

Chapter 8 Summary: “January 26”

Each summer along the southern California coast, “small, silversided fish” (54) spawn at high tide. The tiny fish struggle against the tide. In Los Angeles, a chapel hosts the Los Angeles Holiness Pan-Indian Rescue Mission. Reverend John Big Bluff Tosamah preaches at the chapel, which is barely more than a dimly lit room in a basement. The shaggy, catlike priest is stricken with a mixture of suffering and pride. During one sermon, he discusses the Gospel of John, the power of language, and the emptiness of a world without words. He blames certain Christians for corrupting the language of God and allowing people to communicate thoughtlessly. He blames the author of the Gospel of John for obfuscating the truth with excessive language when the word of God is actually simple. Tosamah warns his congregation of Indigenous American men that the white people seek to manipulate them through words with “a grace and sleight of hand” (56)—unless, he says, the congregation learns how to comprehend God’s word.

Tosamah’s sermon moves to a recollection about his Kiowa grandmother, Aho. Although she was illiterate, Aho told great stories. She held a reverence for “the power and beauty of words” (57) that has been lost in the corrupt, white American world.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 76 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools