Throughout this book, Sundown, by John Joseph Mathew, Chal is faced with choices. Challenges, may be the right word though. His father John named him Chal, short for challenge, "He shall be a challenge to the disinheritors of his people," (Pg. 4). Maybe his name led his life in other directions, and challenges were to fill his life. In his choices he is torn between the mixed bloods that are running through him. The Indian blood and culture, in the expanding, dominating, white mans society.

Chal is filled with confusion, it the theme of the book and his character. He represents that generation of turmoil. The transition to white America, through his euro-american education and loss of the warrior role has clouded his mind. The novel starts with Chal as a young child daydreaming of fighting the English. He is a General, a warrior, leading t

Chal is a lost soul, a mixed blood full of confusion. He was born in a time of turmoil for not only his people but also all Indian people. Their traditional roles were gone and the next generation was supposed to either assimilate or fail. That was the government's idea with such things as the Dawes Act. Out of that disheartening strife came an answer, a way to see the road; the road that had been covered by so many wrong roads or bad roads. Watching Eagle said "We cannot fight white man, but we are Indian; we cannot be white men. We must use our time to fight our troubles. To fight the evil which comes on inside of us," (pg.277). Peyote could have brought Chal the answers like it did so many others, but he refused. A Challenge was what his life was, and that is what it was to be.

Toward the end of the story you believe Chal may finally be all right when he visits the sweat lodge with Son on His Wings. It is there when Chief Watching Eagle spoke of the "roads" to White Deer during the sweat lodge ritual. He was not only trying to ease the pain of the loss of Running Elk, White Deer's son; he was explaining the choices one must make according to their heritage or blood. It was as if he was speaking to Chal directly.

"The Tracks Of The Little Deer". Schultes Richard, Hoffman Albert.

The Spaniards outlawed peyotism because they linked it with "cannibalism and witchcraft," (James pg.2). Today, there are still challenges of the use of peyotism, but surprisingly, it has been held as a religious freedom. Much of the conflict comes from the idea that it is abused and it is compared with LSD. "Peyote contains more than fifty psychoactive ingredients, the most powerful of which is mescaline... peyote and mescaline are best known for their unique hallucinogenic properties, which many users report as less disorienting-and hence more manageable-than LSD and other synthetic psychedelics," (James pg.3).

Peyote is a way of healing ones soul but also brings closeness, a feeling of belonging, and a brotherhood to many. "Subjective effects can include rapid changes in mood, feelings of empathy and kinship with others...and deeply moving, even profound, introspective spiritual experiences, (James pg.3). Chal has never felt that feeling of belonging it talks about, that kinship. He has always just slipped in and out of his relationships in life. The one thing that may save him is he has returned home.

Healing, Running Elk needed healing, like that given to White Deer. Chal will follow the same bad road if peyote healing is not found, if he does not accept it. Chal is confused like the young warrior of the Red Pheasant Band. The loss of the warrior role, the changing times. He fights himself, trying to adopt white mans society, abandoning his blood, embarrassed.

Chal needed something to let him know who he was, where he was, and where he was going. Son on His Wings offered him this. The Peyote Church, Peyote Religion, or Peyotism, all names of the practice which has been healing the North American Indians for over one hundred years. It has been a way the North American Indians have been healing themselves not only medically but also spiritually. Through peyote they are able to get in touch with wh

Some common words found in the essay are:
Mathew Chal, Pheasant Band, White Deer's, American Indians, Indians United, Peyote Night, Watching Eagle, Religion Chal, American Church, Peyote Religion, road people, road road, people follow, sweat lodge, native american, peyote religion, warrior role, watching eagle, road people follow, running elk, people follow road, role models, white man's road, native american church, north american indians,
Approximate Word count = 2186
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)