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Green Eyes
Uncle Josiah buys spotted cattle that come from Mexican breeds crossed with the prestigious Hereford breed of northern America. These cattle are meant to be stronger, tougher, and smarter than any pure-bred cattle, making them more likely to survive drought years in the Southwest. With the athletic frame of the Mexican cattle and the stocky shoulders of the Hereford breed, these cows symbolize the advantages of cultural hybridity and are able to survive through extreme conditions, symbolizing how humans should also look to the many cultural influences in the Southwest to build a better future for the region. The cows’ coats, brown with white spots, pays homage to both the “brown” (that is, Mexican and Native American) and “white” (that is, Anglo-American or European) cultures of the Americas. The spotted cows, unlike the pure Herefords, also have the intelligence to look for water even if their farmer does not herd them in that direction. This shows how Native wisdom about how to live off the land is often more useful for human survival than the structure of Anglo-American farming techniques.
More than symbolizing the strength and survival advantage of cultural hybridity, the cows also symbolize Tayo’s connection to his family history and his homeland. Tayo was supposed to help his Uncle Josiah with the cattle before he left to enlist in the army, an act which forced Uncle Josiah to care for the cattle alone. While Tayo is overseas, Uncle Josiah dies and the cattle are stolen, symbolizing how Tayo has forsaken his duty to his family and the land where he was born. Tayo returns physically from the war, but is unable to return mentally and emotionally as long as the cattle are still gone from his late uncle’s ranch. Tayo’s search for the cattle mirrors his search for mental and emotional peace with his family after the traumas of the war and the drought. When Tayo finds the cattle and returns them back to the pastures of his family’s ranch, Tayo is able to restore his health and reconnect with the community of Pueblo Native Americans at New Laguna. By taking care of the cattle, Tayo both continues his uncle’s legacy and adds his own contribution of cultural hybridity to this heritage.
Hybrid Spotted Cattle Quotes in Ceremony
The Ceremony quotes below all refer to the symbol of Hybrid Spotted Cattle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Section 5
Quotes
It was a cure for that, and maybe for other things too. The spotted cattle wouldn't be lost any more, scattered through his dreams, driven by his hesitation to admit they had been stolen, that the land - all of it - had been stolen from them. The anticipation of what he might find was strung tight in his belly…
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Section 7
Quotes
…occasionally a calf bolted away bucking and leaping in a wide arc, returning finally to its mother when it tired of playing. Tayo's heart beat fast; he could see Josiah's vision emerging, he could see the story taking form in bone and muscle.
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Hybrid Spotted Cattle Symbol Timeline in Ceremony
The timeline below shows where the symbol Hybrid Spotted Cattle appears in Ceremony. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Section 3
...graduate high school, Josiah makes a $500 deal with Ulibarri, a Mexican rancher, to buy cattle. Tayo helps Josiah pick out 20 of the best cows and the two men start...
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Auntie is also angry about the cattle deal, thinking that Josiah has somehow been tricked by Ulibarri and a Mexican woman who...
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Josiah and Tayo unload the cows at their pasture and the herd nervously clumps as far from the truck as possible....
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That June, Josiah decides to brand the cattle, adding a small mark to the large butterfly brand that the Mexican ranch used. Some...
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...see the Mexican woman to thank her again for letting him know that Ulibarri had cattle to sell. Josiah had fallen in love with her the past spring, enchanted by her...
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The cattle take so much of Josiah’s time that he can no longer sneak away to see...
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Section 4
...that Uncle Josiah died because he had no one to help him care for his cattle with Rocky and Tayo gone at war. Betonie asks about Rocky but Tayo can only...
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Tayo falls asleep and dreams about speckled cattle that constantly outrun him, heading south. When he wakes up, Betonie and Shush are nowhere...
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...Tayo to remember this certain formation of stars, a woman, a mountain, and the spotted cattle. A poem-story describes how the witchery and its effect gradually leaves the coyote-man’s body and...
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Section 5
...thinks it is Betonie telling him to get on with the journey to find the cattle, but it is really the bartender throwing Tayo, Leroy, and Harley out after Harley got...
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...the traditional way. Tayo explains to her that he is looking for his uncle’s stolen cattle and the woman lets Tayo water his horse. The woman invites Tayo into her house...
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...gives in to the pleasure of their bodies. That night, he dreams of the spotted cattle and the woman whispering in his ear to make the cattle scatter. Tayo wakes feeling...
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Section 6
...respect that white people show for this delicate environment. Tayo hopes to find his lost cattle as they graze along the southern fence line of the Texan loggers, knowing that these...
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As Tayo rounds another ridge, he sees his uncle’s cows in the distance. Tayo knows that the cows will always head south, so he rides...
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...his hole in the fence. As Tayo cuts the wires, he wonders how his Uncle’s cattle ended up on Floyd Lee’s land. Tayo hesitates to call the cattle stolen, before realizing...
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As Tayo searches for the cattle, he realizes that he is completely within the present moment, not obsessing over his past...
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...back together the wires that he cut and ride into the hills, forgetting about the cattle and Betonie’s crazy Indian superstition about a ceremony. Tayo thinks of the army doctors telling...
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Tayo finally catches up to the cattle again and starts to follow them as they head relentlessly southeast. Tayo stays far back...
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...answer, hoping the patrolman will be so busy with him that they don’t notice the cattle slip through the hole in the fence over the next ridge.
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...a buck slung across his shoulders. Tayo tells the hunter that he is looking for cattle and the hunter tells Tayo to follow him to his house. In the hunter’s house,...
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...intimate with her. The woman laughs and teases Tayo about finding his horse and his cattle at her house. The cattle were herded into one of the woman’s paddocks after they...
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The woman goes into the paddock to pet the cows, though Tayo is afraid of the large, half-wild animals. Tayo explains that his uncle wanted...
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...the house and Tayo readies his horse to leave. The woman assures Tayo that the cattle will be safe here until next spring. Tayo wants to tell the woman what he...
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Section 7
The next spring, Robert and Tayo return to the woman’s house to collect the cattle, but the woman and the hunter are no where to be found. When Robert and...
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...as all different colors of the sky. As Ts’eh gathers seedlings, Tayo considers breeding his cattle with a yellow bull owned by Romero, one of Tayo’s cousins. The bull is a...
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As Tayo and Ts’eh watch the cows in the pasture, Ts’eh announces that they are coming to the end. She returns to...
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