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The way to rainy mountain focuses both on the landscape of Momaday's childhood and on his Kiowa grandmother. It is set in Oklahoma, where his ancestors migrated from western Canada. Through their contact with the crow Indians, they came to worship the sun, and an annual sun dance brought various autonomous groups of Kiowa's together for weeks of ritual. They were famous for their intricate bead work and paintings of buffalo hides which depicts their culture, religion, and history. Since signing a treaty with the United States government in the 1800's, they are trying to embrace the heritage and traditions of their ancestors. I can relate a piece of myself to this story, because I too, like Scott Momaday, have ancestry related to the Cherokee and Apache Tribes. I constantly wonder how things would have been if I lived in a tribe like my ancestors, or what the land use to look like compared to now. I am very much for the environment and I believe that stems from my heritage and respect for nature. I have an amazing ability with my hands and creativity for art. The saying in the short story relating to Momaday's grandmother is true, that most people of that time period or background were known for their posture and working hard all day for little or no money. It states that his grandmother, even after years of retirement, still found solitude in cooking over a wood stove on a winter morning and turning meat in a great iron skillet, even though technology had changed. That goes to show that even though people conform or try to conform you will always be more comfortable with the origins of your heritage and the way of life that you were raised in and not giving up until your death. Today's generations are exactly the opposite for the most part. People don't work as hard or appreciate what little things they have in life, relying on technology for just about everything. The significance of the essay's title depicts the Kiowa's legends and folktales. It describes the...