The Sacred Hoop Review/Summary/Critique

The Sacred Hoop, by Paula Gunn Allen, is a very intense and insightful read. Thinking back on my reading, a couple of key words come to mind: feminist, feminine spirituality, folklore/mythology, religious spirituality, historical, and of course Native Americans (mostly Laguna Pueblo, which is part of the tribe Paula Gunn Allen asserts herself with). In writing her novel, she explores topics and historical information that is not widely known and develops ideas that most people may only conceive but never fully communicate in such a form as mass media.
Paula Gunn Allen uses her Laguna Pueblo heritage, information her mother has taught her and the information she has learned through her schooling to create a gynocentric, contemporary novel full of issues. She also uses other contemporary authors and poets to add more substance. She uses authors like, Silko, Momaday, Wendy Rose, Welch, and Morning Dove. By using some of these authors/poets works in her own, it gives her more credibility and solid resources to back up her opinion and findings.

What I really liked about the book, was the fact that Allen used a multitude of resources and a variety of topics to keep every chapter interesting. She is easier to read than other writers and makes sure explains all her ideas/concepts so no topic may become over someone’s head. She gives plenty of examples and many details on every chapter.

My only critique, I feel the book may be a little to feminist for me. I’m all for women’s rights and equality among the sexes, but I’m not about to go out and join a rally or riot in front of the White House. Also, I know I’m not tribal and therefore I cannot fully understand where she is coming from exactly but sometimes I feel like there is an underlying attack to the white race for reducing the Native American culture into a very ethnocentric world. I believe that whole issue is way more complex and is given only the perception of Allen, who is Laguna Pueblo.