It was a rough road we traveled that day. Some might say there was no road at all. We were in the high mesa-country, open to the sky and the winds. Not much in the way of trees, mostly sagebrush and rock. The rough edge of the horizon was still, though a woodchuck, motionless and undetected just a moment before, darted from its perch as we passed. Even the clouds seemed suspended, fixed in the sky. Then the left wheel of our 4x4 hit a rock, and there was plenty of motion. We traveled on for some time, on our way to the "bison range."
Suddenly Marshall slammed on the brakes and jumped from the pick-up. His rifle was in hand, having lifted it from its window rack as he slid out the door. The rifle was aimed to the sky and the trigger pulled. The sound echoed in the silence. The bullet whisked past the eagle. After a pause, as we both watched the bird fly on, Marshall said, "The Eagle chose not to be shot, not to give itself to us this day!"
With his right hand raise from the steering wheel, palm to the sky and the flight of the bird, Marshall said in a whisper of a voice, ah'o, and we drove on in silence.
(The account of "The Eagle" was based upon a participant-observation made in the summer of 1974 on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana.)
An Interpretation: An Example
Let me offer the following, albeit brief, interpretation of the story text, "The Eagle." While I will apply the method just outlined, please keep in mind that this interpretation reflects my own engagement with the text. Your interpretation may differ.
Key symbols within the text could be interpreted as including: Marshall's statement, "The Eagle chose not to be shot, not to give itself to us this day!" and Marshall's action of raising his right hand from the steering wheel, palm to the sky and the flight of the bird, whispering, ah'o.
Based upon these two key symbols and my own understanding of the larger cultural contextual background, I would interpret the underlying cultural values as including: the Eagle and much of the Animal world has its own volition, a capacity to make choices and carry out their decisions. The world is animated with spiritual life and power. Humans should be respectful of the Eagle and Animal Peoples.