The Upside-Down, Forward-Backward, Icy-Hot Contrary Summary and Analysis

The native American clown is a sacred individual, who is both humorous and powerful. One becomes a heyoka through a vision or dream of lightning and thunderbirds. The result is that the new clown must then do something personally embarrassing and then, as is the tradition, do everything backwards. This behavior can be a source of ridicule; however, the clown is seen as sacred, protecting his people from lightning and bringing laughter to a people who have endured so much loss and tragedy over the years.

According to legend, the thunderbird was once a great giant, who roamed the earth scooping out riverbeds, ruling over the waters, and lacking wings. When they died, they went to the sky and obtained wings. There are four huge thunderbirds who send thunder from their mouths and...