Question

the way to rainy mountain
by n. scott momaday (excerpt)

she was ten when the kiowas came together for the last time as
a living sun dance culture. they could find no buffalo; they had to
hang an old hide from the sacred tree. before the dance could
begin, a company of soldiers rode out from fort sill under orders
to disperse the tribe. forbidden without cause the essential act of
their faith, having seen the wild herds slaughtered and left to rot
upon the ground, the kiowas backed away forever from the
medicine tree. that was july 20, 1890, at the great bend of the
washita. my grandmother was there. without bitterness, and for
as long as she lived, she bore a vision of decide.

now that i can have her only in memory, i see my grandmother in
the several postures that were peculiar to her: standing at the
wood stove on a winter morning and turning meat in a great iron
skillet; sitting at the south window, bent above her beadwork, and
afterwards, when her vision failed, looking down for a long time
into the fold of her hands; going out upon a cane, very slowly as
she did when the weight of age came upon her; praying. i
remember her most often at prayer. she made long, rambling
prayers out of suffering and hope, having seen many things. i
was never sure that i had the right to hear, so exclusive were they
of all mere custom and company. the last time i saw her she
prayed standing by the side of her bed at night, naked to the
waist, the light of a kerosene lamp moving upon her dark skin.
her long, black hair, always drawn and braided in the day, lay
upon her shoulders and against her breasts like a shawl. i do not
speak kiowa, and i never understood her prayers, but there was
something inherently sad in the sound, some merest hesitation
upon the syllables of sorrow. she began in a high and descending
pitch, exhausting her breath to silence; then again and again--
and always the same intensity of effort, of something that is, and
is not, like urgency in the human voice.

select the correct answer.

which aspect of the excerpt from the way to rainy mountain best exemplifies how american indian culture and themes can be passed down and changed over time?

a. the american soldiers destroying the ancient kiowa sun dance site
b. momaday seeing his grandmother standing at the wood stove on a winter morning and turning meat on a skillet
c. momaday watching and evaluating his grandmother praying in the traditional kiowa manner
d. the slaughter and loss of the buffalo on the american plains
e. momaday admiring his grandmother sitting at the south window, bent above her beadwork

Explanation:

This option shows the transmission of traditional Kiowa prayer practices (a core cultural element) from the grandmother to Momaday, who observes and reflects on this tradition. It illustrates how cultural themes and practices are passed down across generations, even as the context (Momaday not speaking Kiowa but still engaging with the tradition) shows subtle change over time. The other options focus on destruction of culture (A, D) or personal, non-transmission-focused moments (B, E) that do not exemplify cultural passing down and adaptation.

Answer:

C. Momaday watching and evaluating his grandmother praying in the traditional Kiowa manner