An Illustrating Plea
In “An Indian Father’s Plea” Robert Lake says that his son, Wind Wolf, is not a slow learner. Lake starts by saying Wind Wolf’s teacher that he wants to introduce his son to him to make him realize he does not know Wind Wolf yet, that he has a short perception of him. “Wind-Wolf knows the names and migration patterns of more than 40 birds. He knows there are 13 feathers on a perfectly balanced eagle.” In addition, Lake ends his first sentences by stating that what his son really needs is a teacher who knows his measure.
One of the reasons and supporting evidence Lake uses to build his argument is that Wind Wolf was introduced to the world by bonding him to his mother and to the Mother Earth with a ceremony. This supporting evidence tells Wind wolf’s teacher that the boy was born with strong basis to start perceiving the world; in the Western cultures when the baby is baptized, when the baby is with his mother and father, it is believed that the baby has everything to start living in this world. Grizzlybear Lake was telling him with this argument that they have their own customs and ceremonies for their babies to start this world too, and that they might be stronger than the Western rituals to bring a baby to this world.
Furthermore, Grizzlybear Lake supports his arguments by explaining one of the most important ceremonies that their babies have when they are born. The babies are put in a specially designed Indian basket, their fathers and the medicine elders conduct a ceremony to bond their babies to the Great Spirit, the Grandfather Sun and the Grandmother Moon. Lake explains this ceremony to show that his son had an initiation ceremony to bond him into the spiritual world, another crucial aspect for all the babies worldwide.
One concession that Grizzlybear Lake does is that it takes a long time for his son to absorb all those experiences, and that perhaps for this reason his teacher thinks Wind Wolf is a slow learner. Moreover, Lake asks his son’s teacher to understand that Wind Wolf is adapting to his methods and tools, methods and tools that are new for him, but very common to his white classmates. Grizzlybear Lake hopes he is patient with his son, because adapting to a new cultural system takes time.
To conclude, Lake expresses he wants his son to succeed in life, he does not want his son to fail because he could not adapt to his new culture. Moreover, Grizzlybear Lake pleas for his son’s teacher help so that Wind Wolf can adapt to both cultures correctly. Lake makes a very important plea to his son’s teacher, and this is to work together so that his son can receive the best education possible. Lake expects Wind Wolf’s teacher to understand that his son is not an empty glass, “He is a full basket coming into a different environment and society with something special to share”.
