Emily Ramsey

Legacy of the Renegade

Alloparental Care and Native American Family Structure in Ceremony
In Leslie Marmon Silkos novel, Ceremony, the character Tayo is raised by his mothers
family instead of his mother. Alloparental care is a concept that is seen across many species and
there are many reasons for this behavior to arise. Many anthropologists suggest that this trait
arose in our ancestors before anatomically modern Homo sapiens came about. The matrilineal
nature of Native American cultures, like in Ceremony, accompanied by the extended family
structure encourages familial support in the child rearing process. These combined effects
suggest that Tayos upbringing in Ceremony may not have been so different if his mother and
father had not abandoned him because he still, most likely would be raised in the same familial
environmentultimately Tayo is a product of his own fate and not the decisions of others.
There are a few theories on the origins of alloparental care. Although the character of the
aunt seems to resent raising Tayo, ultimately the benefit of her kin reproducing ison a genetic
levela benefit to her biological fitness. This is an unconscious motivator in life but ultimately
our goal is to raise our fitness, or reproductive success. On a more conscious level alloparenting
has been shown to benefit helpers by providing parenting experience that allows them to become
more successful parents. (Stone) So it is possible that while raising Tayo, Auntie is able to
become a better mother for Rocky. Auntie has also received help from her mother in raising the
boys so this collective conscious creates an environment more conducive to successful child
rearing.
Another reason communal parenting is beneficial, especially in context with the book, is
that group parenting can be economically more efficient. Living in multigenerational households
combine both physical resources and labor. Native American populations experience extreme
problems with poverty and, families living in nuclear families are more likely to experience

Emily Ramsey
Legacy of the Renegade
Alloparental Care and Native American Family Structure in Ceremony
poverty than those living in multigenerational households. (Rolo) The decreased workload on all
sexually mature adults also benefit from this situation because they are able to have a higher
reproductive output accompanied by shorter interbirth intervals (Stone) Having a shorter time inbetween births and less work on women because of the shared role of nurturer, the gap between
generations shortens and helps to perpetuate the cycle of alloparenting. Some scientists even
suggest that we have evolved to be cooperative breeders, saying that menopause is a function
that enables older women to help rear other womens children instead of being lifetime breeders
like apes. (McGrew)
Native Americans have struggled, over time, to retain their cultural ideas of family
norms. At first contact with people of European descent, the Europeans did not know what to
make of any system that put women in the majority of power positions. Women owned homes
and land, and these things were passed from mother to daughter. Europeans introduced ideas like
male superiority and the idea of family structures more similar to what we call nuclear families
today. The ideas introduced by European influence may have actually contributed to the birth of
domestic violence within the Native American world. According to many tribal elders and oral
traditions, wife-beating was a practice learned from non-Indian society.(Rolo) As families
were moved during the mass migration, the extended family support system broke
down.(Rolo) During World War II, when the novel is set, there was a large concern over
whether or not Native Americans were neglecting their children and so The Indian Adoption Act
was created in 1958. Two years after its creation, 2,300 children had been placed into adoptive or
foster homes, almost all with non-Indian families. (Rolo) The general misunderstanding of

Emily Ramsey
Legacy of the Renegade
Alloparental Care and Native American Family Structure in Ceremony
Native American family and cultural structure has created many problems for the Native
American community, because they are forced white preconceived notions of family.
I feel that the background on the motivations behind Native American family structures
very clearly answer why the character of Auntie would seem to feel aggrieved by taking in her
sisters abandoned son, but still raise him. Auntie had to take in Tayo or she would have been
looked down upon in both the Native American and Christian spheres of her life. Auntie also has
received help from her mother, and more than likely her mother received help from her
grandmother in Aunties own up-bringing and karmic ideas are present again in Aunties cultural
and religious life. But along with these ideas, Auntie most likely had some idea that she would
play some role in raising her sisters children before they were even conceived because of
cultural norms. Aunties judgement of Tayo stems from Aunties judgement of his mothernot
only did she abandon Tayo, but she abandoned the rest of the family and increased the burden to
the entire family.
Tayo seems to struggle from identity issues throughout the novel, but I do not think that
his life would actually be significantly different with his mother in his life. Tayo would still,
more than likely, live in the same environment with the same family members. I think that most
of Tayos identity issues stem more from being biracial, because he is not sure of where he
belongs. Tayo is too native for the white people and too native for the white people. This would
still be a large issue in his life even with the presence of his mother in his life. Also, another
alternative source of identity struggle is the modern world versus the native world. Tayos family
all, in their own way reject some parts of their native culture. This would still be an issue in
Tayos life even if his mother was a part of his life.

Emily Ramsey
Legacy of the Renegade
Alloparental Care and Native American Family Structure in Ceremony
In the novel, Ceremony, Native American family structures create the context in which
the plot may unfold. The alloparental care provided by Tayos family exemplifies one of the
lasting remnants of their culture. The benefits of alloparental care are seen by all characters in the
family. Tayos lack of true identity is from living in a native world constantly being changed by
modern influence. The loss of strong sense of identity is felt by all Native Americans and not just
Tayo. American intervention in the Native American world has led to physical abuse, substance
abuse, and alcoholism. Native Americans live in poverty stricken reservations because of white
power and struggle to preserve their cultural identity. The loss of multi-generational household as
the norm has seemed to have a negative effect on Native Americans and this shows that the
nuclear family might not be what humans evolved to function within. Tayo is a character that is
only representative of a culture that has been marginalized by white culture and relegated to live
a life struggling to find their distinctiveness as a culture once more.

Emily Ramsey
Legacy of the Renegade
Alloparental Care and Native American Family Structure in Ceremony

Bibliography
Rolo, Mark Anthony. "Today's Challenges." PBS. PBS. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Stone, Anita, Denise Mathieu, Luana Griffin, and Karen Bales. "Alloparenting
Experience Affects Future Parental Behavior and Reproductive Success in Prairie Voles
(Microtus Ochrogaster)." Behavioural Processes. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 30
Oct. 2015
McGrew, William. "With a Little Help from My Friends." American Scientist. Web. 30
Oct. 2015.