Summary

Chapter 36 is titled “Most Were Naked and Beautiful.” As they travel, China and the others become increasingly aware that they are being observed, and believe it is by Indians. For several days their awareness increases without them actually seeing anyone else. They are also aware of how strange they must look, “a procession led by a wagon carrying three people – a woman, a man, and a two-spirit … accompanied by a little black dog with amber eyes” (149) as well as a large herd of cattle, several horses, and a crate of chickens on the back of the wagon. China realizes that the procession looks unusual, but that probably they are all recognized as not being soldiers, whose identity and presence are all shaped by “their dry cruelty, the humiliation born of hierarchy” (149. Eventually, the travelers encounter a large group of...