Junior’s mother explains what she knows about Grandmother’s participation in powwows.
“My mother loved going to powwows. But she never danced.” (Alexie 165)Read in the chapter
Week 12 · A related practice question
Why should the family’s knowledge matter more than an outsider’s confident claim?
The family’s knowledge matters because honoring Grandmother requires remembering her actual life rather than accepting an impressive-sounding story. Grandmother Spirit, a woman remembered for her tolerance, welcomed people and their eccentricity. Her own life also had specific details that her relatives knew. When Ted brings an outfit he thinks was hers, Mom explains, “My mother loved going to powwows. But she never danced” (Alexie 165). This says that attending powwows and being a dancer were different parts of Grandmother’s life. It shows why a general connection to Native culture cannot prove that a particular outfit belonged to her. The family’s grief has not erased this knowledge. However, Ted has trusted an outside expert to identify the outfit. Mom says of that judgment, “He got this way wrong” (Alexie 165). This says that the expert’s conclusion does not match what the family knows. It shows that a title does not make a claim reliable when the evidence contradicts it. Ted’s anthropologist, the supposed expert behind the identification, has failed to connect the object to the right person. Because Grandmother was an individual, respecting her means checking specific facts. Listening carefully to her family would have honored her more than arriving certain of a mistaken story.
Use these four words for this model exercise. For your weekly Aim Response, use the words your teacher assigns.
See the exact vocabulary groups for your Aim Response →
Where this model’s evidence came from
Reader note 13: Mom separates attending a powwow from performing as a dancer. Knowing this difference lets her test Ted’s story and helps explain why the gathering eventually laughs.
Junior’s mother rejects the expert’s identification of Ted’s outfit.
“He got this way wrong.” (Alexie 165)Read in the chapter
Reader note 14: Mom challenges the claimed expert’s answer using specific knowledge of her mother and the outfit. Calling someone an expert does not make every claim accurate.
Notice how the model develops the observation into an explanation. Borrow that writing move; choose evidence for your own question.
See how the argument builds
- Answer the question
Respect requires accurate knowledge of the person.
- Explain the first quote
Enjoying powwows does not establish that Grandmother was a dancer.
- Identify the error
A broad cultural connection cannot prove ownership.
- Explain the second quote
Expert status does not rescue an incorrect conclusion.
- Build the ending
Listening to relatives would honor Grandmother’s actual life.
Try one writing move
Although ___ sounds confident, ___ shows that ___.
Fill each blank with a person, action, or reason that fits the sentence. This is a thinking frame, not a vocabulary matching exercise.
Compare with an example
Although Ted sounds confident, Mom’s knowledge shows that the outfit could not have belonged to Grandmother.