A Radiant Curve

Tapahonso’s collection elaborates the Navajo cosmology through a discussion of the Holy Ones and the Earth Mother. The poem begins with a description of how “the first Holy Ones talk and sang as always” and that they “created light, night, and day.” [4] Likewise, the third poem illustrates "the world created by the Holy People” and the creation of “Diné language, ceremonies, history, and beliefs.”[12] The Earth Mother is especially revered by the Navajo and neighboring tribes. Tapahonso recounts that, “like the earth, she is young in the spring, she bears fruit in the summer…”[13] Consistent with traditional Navajo cosmology, Tapahonso emphasizes the importance and difficulties of human curiosity.

A continuing theme of A Radiant Curve is the importance of the traditions that Tapahonso grew up with and the necessity of passing down those traditions to her grandchildren.[14] In her prose piece "A Radiant Curve" and in her poem “Old Salt Woman” Tapahonso writes about the First Laugh ceremony, which is a child’s first important milestone in Navajo culture.[15] Throughout her work she shares traditional Navajo mythological stories.[16]

Another common theme represented in A Radiant Curve is the theme of women and their importance in culture and society.[17] In many Native American cultures, women are viewed as the source of life and were often seen as the creators of the universe in creation stories.[18] The Navajo culture, where the stories from A Radiant Curve originate, is similarly matrilineal. This means that their society is based on the women; the household is run by women, names are based on a person’s maternal clan, and women are at the center of social and economic decisions for the community.[19] One of the stories, "A Radiant Curve," includes the origin story of Changing Woman who is a principal deity and created the ancestors of present day Dine people.[20] There is also Spider Woman, a holy being who guides and protects,[21] and Old Salt Woman, primordial mother of Salt Clan and “a role model of Dine ideals."[22] Tapahonso alludes to the importance of women in “The Round Roof Hooghan” where she claims “beauty extends from the woman” multiple times and states that the woman is the center of the home.[23] In “Tsilii,” part of a description of a relationship is, “because I’m a Dine woman, his life revolves around me."[24] She also equates the earth to mother in “Long Ago.” [25]

One of the stories explored in A Radiant Curve is the tradition of the Laughing Ceremony (A’wee Chi’deedloh), a Navajo tradition that celebrates a baby's first time laughing aloud. The rituals involved in this ceremony are heavily steeped in legend and each step recreates an aspect of the origin story of the Laughing Ceremony. This ceremony, as it is retold in A Radiant Curve, is said to have first been performed for one of the first Holy People to have human form and the baby of First Man and First Woman, known as White Shell Girl. She was listless and unhappy, so her parents called Old Salt Woman to help her. Old Salt Woman tickled White Shell Girl and placed a grain of salt on her tongue, causing her to laugh out loud for the first time. This sound had never been heard before, and a great celebration with feasts, songs, and stories was held. Old Salt Woman helped White Shell Girl hand salt to all that were present and instructed them to ask the baby for blessings as she was a holy being. In addition to the salt, White Shell Girl gave out gifts of herbs, corn, and small clay toys. Giving away these gifts would help White Shell Girl grow into a generous person. With this celebration, the Holy People ensured that White Shell Girl was surrounded by love and so would never experience loneliness. Additionally, the ceremony places great importance on humor and the happiness of the baby.[26] White Shell Girl would eventually grow up to become Changing Woman (Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé), a deity who created the ancestors of the modern Navajo people.

Prior to a baby's first laugh, they are said to still exist in the world of the Holy People (Diyin Dinéè). The laugh is an indication that the baby is leaving the spiritual world and is now joining the world of their human family. In today's practice, the Laughing Ceremony is to be held within four days to a week of the first laugh, and other family members take on various duties to prepare for the celebration with extended family and friends. The person who elicited the laugh from the baby is tasked with being the venue for the ceremony, while the baby is acknowledged to be the host.[27] Traditional dishes of mutton or lamb are prepared as symbols of sustenance, prosperity, and kinship.[28] Gifts of rock salt, candy, fruit, and other small gifts are placed in large baskets to be given away to guests.

On the day of the ceremony, guests follow the traditions of the original Laughing Ceremony. They greet the baby and ask for blessings. With the parents' help, the baby ceremonially gives the guest the gift bags prepared earlier. The baby learns the virtue of generosity just as White Shell Girl did. This act also symbolizes the baby paying respect to both their spiritual and physical families.[29]

The short stories and poems in A Radiant Curve, often contain lessons on morals, identity, and tradition in Navajo society. Oral tradition is an important part of many Native American cultures and was used as a way to pass down heritage and values through the generations. Tapahonso translates and records many traditional stories in her poems, educating not only Native Navajo people, but also sharing the morals and stories of her people with a wider non-native audience. A central theme of A Radiant Curve is to educate the reader of the Navajo perspective through storytelling so they might learn from the experiences of generations before them.

In traditional Native American history, oral stories were used by the elders as a form of education for the next generation. They conveyed moral truths and helped lead the people in the way of their ancestors. Tapahonso wrote A Radiant Curve in order to share those important stories with a wider audience. She believes that storytelling is a common practice that all cultures share.[30] In order to help more people understand the Navajo culture, the stories needed to be told in this medium, and written in English. Stories are how Native Americans learned about their history and culture. Parables and mythic fables were incredibly commonplace in their world. By telling the stories in this way, Tapahonso has brought light to culture and rich history that is rarely talked about today.

Historically Native American stories were exaggerated to increase the significance of the lesson within the story. Although most stories were told as entertainment and teaching for the tribal peoples. Storytellers were held to high standards within tribal society because they held the lessons and histories needed for the tribe to continue to grow and be successful. The need for storytelling has always been about community survival, education and interaction. The importance of social interaction was greatly attributed to storytelling and the gathering that would happen for it. The need for the continuance of these oral stories has grown significantly since colonization, for many present day Native Americans, their culture is lost to them but with a new revitalization through the written form it can be found again. With this revitalization many Native Americans are able to receive the cultural teachings they need and are able to continue the tradition of passing them down to younger generations.