Part 2 Section 1 Summary and Analysis

Part 2 of the book is titled "The World Around Us". The first section tells stories of how Indian peoples found their way to new homelands.

"How the People Came to the Middle Place" (Tewa) The introduction to this story indicates that the Tewa community is a part of the larger Pueblo community, in which the dominant socio-cultural trait was an achievement of a "middle" ground. No one individual strove to be greater in any way than another, with the result that both community and individual achieved a life of harmonious, peaceful balance.

At the beginning of the story, the People live in darkness underground (see "Quotes", p. 66). When they begin to wonder whether there is light life beyond what they already know, Mole offers to guide them to where the world feels different-he's blind and can't see, but senses...