1.  “[Kicking Bird] would pull up at the edge of questions, the main one being whether or not Stands With A Fist truly belonged.” (p. 127; Chapter XVI, Part 2)

Do you think it is possible for someone from one culture to ever “truly belong” to another culture?  Can a person grow up (or become) truly bi-cultural?

a. First up, I think it is possible for someone from one culture to truly belong to another culture. In this story, Stands With A Fist  had been her nature and became more comfortable in the camp. A person can grow up truly bi-cultural, I think. In this generation, a person might have a chance to meet different cultures in his/her life. I mean, a person may be involved with one culture when he/she is young, then face another different culture when he/she goes abroad or  leaves his/her family.  A person who suffers in wartime may leave her/his original culture and go to live an in another culture. (Jennifer, 04/06/07) 

b.The possibility of truly belong to a second culture that is not yours could be probable. Nowadays, many people are bi-cultural for their own decision. That point of a free decision of take another culture as yours is something that make more credible that you are bi-cultural. (Flavia, 04/09/07)

c.  In my opinion, person who born and lived in a culture can not change to another culture as one used to his culture and habits but, in some cases people could live in biculture or even more than two culture because the world is so small now and every culture can be known easily from easily communication like Internet and satallite. (Mohamed, 04/09/07).

d. My answer is that truly belonging to another culture is impossible. For example, I have a Korean-American friend here. He cannot speak Korean very well because he came here when he was very young. People think that he is just American. However, he has an experience childhood. He always misses his Korean friend and he likes more Korean food than American food. I think he has a lot of problems. He usually says that he will go back Korea after graduating from University of Maryland although his parents don’t agree with him. (Dae Gun Kim, 12/04/07)

e. In my appinion, It depend on person. People can change their idea and maybe their culture. People who born in tow  culture they are bi-cultural person.(4/12/07 Nazanin)

f.Yes it depends on person to person ,it depends how a person sees life ,it is posssibe for some person to be bi culture,but some lilke to live a conservative life ,living in their own culture,and do not like to adopt to new culture.(shaheen(kashish)).

2.  The Comanches, and the medicine man in particular, gave great weight to signs, omens, and portents, such as the coming of Dunbar or the sparrow alighting on Stands With A Fist’s head (pp. 130-31).  We call this superstition.  Are you superstitious?  Are many people in your culture superstitious?  What kinds of signs are considered meaningful in your culture, if any?

a. I am superstitious in some things, such as for luck or important things. Most people in Taiwan are superstitious too. One of my culture's superstitions is to wear red clothing when we go to a wedding or celebration. Red means good fortune. Another supersition concerns the crow, which is considered a very unlucky animal. We believe that if you hear the crow's sound, then you will have a bad day. I don't like this one because there are a lot of crows in the U.S.A. I see them everyday !! (Jennifer, 04/06/07) I hope they won't bring you bad luck!

b. I am not superstitious. I don’t believe in those things. I respect people who believed in that but that doesn’t work for me. Peruvian culture is very superstitious, especially in the old towns. As a not believer, I don’t remember traditional signs, but the typical and I think that the most knowing for everybody are:  7 years of bad luck when you break a mirror, bad luck when you open an umbrella inside of one place, bad luck is a black cat pass in front of you, bad luck during Friday 13^th, bad luck for pass under a stepladder, and knock a wood if you don’t want that something that you said will occurs. I sometimes do the last one, it is just in case. Maybe I am becoming a little superstitious.  (Flavia, 04/09/07)

c. I am not superstitious at all. I don't beleives in such thing. In my culture some people like me do not influence by that thing but other person may influence. Some kinds of signs are like black cat, number 13, brocken glassesc and crows may be considered as sign for bad luck. (Mohamed, 04/09/07).

d.Sometimes I am superstitious, but usually I’m not superstitious. I don’t believe superstition. It is not reasonable. Usually, Korean women are interested in the superstition. For example, her mother visits fortune-teller before a woman marries to some guy. Also, her mother gives some information about her daughter such as her birth day and time, born place, and so on. Fortune-teller gives his or her opinion about her marriage. I think that people know it is not reasonable. However, parents always worry about their daughter and son. Although I don’t believe any superstition, I will visit a fortune teller before my son and daughter marries. This is because I hope they be happy. (Dae Gun Kim, 12/04/07)

f.Iam not at all supertitous ,i think thath everything happens for good ,and we have to ascept waht ever comes to us hapily ,well my religion too doesnot support supertiousness .we belive that everypersons life is already written ,and what ever comes to him  or her comes through god ,which one  have to aspect it.(shaheen(kashish)).

3.  Stands With A Fist was fourteen when she came to live among the Comanches.  Do you think it is possible for someone of that age to completely forget her native language and repress all memory of a former life?

a.  I think it is impossible for someone of fourteen to completely forget his/her native language. S/he might not speak it very well, but s/he will know how to speak his/her native language.  However, it is possible repress all memory of a former life because a person may want to have a different beginning. A person who represses his/her memory of former life could have many reasons from his/her mind. They could have an unhappy memory. (Jennifer, 04/06/07)

b. I think that it is possible. It your past had a traumatic experience, the mind can block it as a self-defense. If it is not the case, I think that it is impossible to forget her native language. As an example I can tell you my personal case. I lived three year in Brazil when I was a child, which means that Portuguese was like my native language.  I first learned Portuguese, and then Spanish. When a met to a Brazilian guy four years ago, I was scared to talk Portuguese. I could understand almost everything that he said, but I was scared to say a word. Then when I studied some courses with my father’s books that were in Portuguese, I could remember many words and be more confident about that language. I understood that Portuguese is part of my life and I will never forget. It is hidden in my mind and now it is coming back. (Flavia, 04/09/07)

c. I think it is impossible for someone of that age to completley forget her native language because fourteen is old enough to remember her native language. She may don't use her language but remain in her mind and can use it when she need it and call it back from memory. (Mohamed, 04/09/07).

d. I think that it is impossible to forget the pervious language and memory. People usually remember his or her good experience. When Stands With A Firs was fourteen, she came into the Comanches tribe. I think a fourteen year old girl is not young. At that time, she can remember character of her father and mother and cultural custom. My friend Jun, Korean-American guy, can understand what I say although he can speak Korean very well. (Dae Gun Kim 12/04/07)

 E.I think he was too young (14), so if he didn't speak with any body in his languages, it is possible to forget his languages, but in my appinion it's very important for us to know our languages maybe he dosn't care about that, and it was not important to him.(4/12/07)nazanin

f. fourteen is a age where one grows much older in thoughts a teenage ,where one starts understanding life ,and so it is no waythat one would forget previous language and memeory ,may be time been if u stop using it you may forget using it fluently ,but as you start speaking it once again you would recolect irt again.(shaheen(kashihs)).

4.  Dunbar made a cultural gaffe  when he was in Kicking Bird’s lodge.  Why do you think he got up when Stands With A Fist did?

a. Dunbar always kept an eye on Stands With A Fist, and in his mind, he seemed to count on Stands With A Fist.  Dunbar tried to have a short conversation with her and wanted to express his own feeling. Stands With A Fist's response was very important to him. p.144-149(Jennifer, 04/07/07)

b.  He got up because he was a gentleman. In the past, during Lt. Dumbar’s epoch, when a lady stand up, the man did the same as a symbol of good custom. (Flavia, 04/09/07)

c.  According to Line 3~27 page 146, Lieutenant Dunbar make a cultural gaffe, when Stands With A Fist approaches Lieutenant Dunbar. It is because Dunbar jumps up. In my opinion, the reason why he gets up is that he is a gentleman and that he really worry about Stands With A Fist. However, Stands With A Fist and other Indians consider that his behavior is very aggressive. Finally, Kicking Bird knows that Dunbar doesn’t have any hostile feeling against Stands With A Fist. ( Dae Gun Kim 12/04/07)

5.  After the hunt, Lt. Dunbar finds himself in the position of having to eat something that disgusts him (raw liver) because it is culturally appropriate.  Have you ever been in a similar situation?  What did you do?  Can you imagine this happening in the U.S.?  What would you do?

a. I have been in a similar situation. Three years ago,when I traveled to Japan and had a chance to soak in a hot spring, I could not do it without my clothes, evenwith other women. It made me feel uncomfortable.  I had to give up the first day. However, after I saw a lot of people enjoying themselves soaking in the hot spring, I finally did so. I think the U.S. is a freeform country, anything could happen. If it is culturally appropriate, I will accept it. (Jennifer, 04/06/07)

b.Do you know the cuy or guinea pig? Cuy is a traditional animal in the mountains of Peru. They use the cuy in many of their meals. It is very popular and many people like that meals, but I don’t like cuy. You can see his eyes, his teeth, his face expression, his claw. However, when you are visiting a family in the mountains and they give you a plate of food, it is forbidden say not. If you deny the food, it would be not polite and educated. Well, my family has some lands (small ones) in the mountains and for that we sometimes go there. When one day, one of the workers invited my family to his party and as a typical meal they prepared cuy. Can you imagine what happened? The first time when I was given a plate of food and I said “No, thank you”, my father just whispers “you must accept it”. I didn’t understand and I was so scared. Then my father explain me that custom but I didn’t want to eat it. My father quit the flesh and put in another plate, in this way I can’t see all the body of the cuy because when it is death, it is like a rat.(Flavia, 04/09/07) L

c.  It is terrible for me to eat disgusting food. I have a very exciting experience. A few years ago, I visited the Philippine. At that time, my guide recommended some great food; now, I don’t think the food was great. The food was made of snake. The food looked like a hotdog. When I ate the food without any information of the food’s ingredients, it was very delicious. When I took one more piece, the guide asked me, “Do you know what is in this food?”

I said,”I know. It is a hotdog. It’s got sausage in it.”

Then the guide said, “No, you are eating snake.”

I felt very dizzy. After hearing the fact, I couldn’t eat anything else until I went back to Korea.

(Dae Gun Kim 12/04/07) That guide played a trick on you!  However, you said the food tasted good until you knew what it was. Maybe you should reconsider.  Perhaps you will decide to eat snake meat again.

d.

 I would never eat something outside in US without knowing what is it,as in US there are some foods eaten which are not permited in islam to eat ,it never happend to me ,and i wish it never happens in future too.(shaheen(kashish)).

6.  What did Lt. Dunbar find appealing about the Comanche culture? (Ch. XIX, Pt. 1)  What do you think of this cultural trait?

a. Lieutenant Dunbar found that Comanche were original and simple people.  They lived in a different way, such as contribute, trustworthy, and satisffyingly. I think one of this cultural traits is people live without conflict and complaint. It's not easy to a group that live with each other without opposition. (Jennifer,040607)

b.  Lt. Dumbar found in Comanche culture something that he couldn’t find in the Army, a true service including the heart.  The time that he shared with the Comanche filled his heart with a kind of satisfaction that he had never felt before. He likes that feeling of being a part of something, of participating in everything that the Comanche did, in simple words, the integration of everyone in the task of the tribe without complaint. About the cultural trait, it sounds nice that you participate in what you believe and respect hierarchy without complains. Maybe in this way we could avoid many problems, and live a quiet and peaceful life. However, as Jennifer mentioned, it is difficult for everybody in a group to have the same opinion. Opposition is the way to change, and changes are better than being a conformist. Changes are the door to new things that can be sometimes good and sometimes bad, but not all is beautiful. That is life, a balanced mixture of bad and good things. (Flavia, 04/10/07)

c. According part one in chapter 19, he never had good feeling when he was in the army. The army always required individual sacrifice for his country and didn’t consider Dunbar’s feeling. He usually thought that he stood apart. However, in his life with Comanche, he thinks that he is a real member although now he is a side person. It is because he had felt the satisfaction of belonging to something when he hunted with Comanche. He feels the real “Service”. The feeling of service gives him peaceful mind. (Dae Gun Kim 12/04/07) .

d.Lt.Dunbar ,was  not satisfied with his life in army earlier,but when he met Comanche he satrted enjoying life ,as Comanche were beutifull,humble,trustworthy people ,who respect dunbar a lot.(shaheen(kashish)).

7. In Ch. XVIII, the Comanches were angry that white men had killed 27 buffalo, although they also hunted buffalo and killed them.  What is the difference between the white men and the Comanches? (Ch. XIX, Pt . 2)