Affirmation of Hybridity in Hunting Badger

Abstract

Hillerman’sHunting Badger for egrounds the narrator’s search for hybrid identity. He is fond of getting exposed to both the white people’s culture and the indigenous culture of Navajo people. Though he occasionally encounters various prejudices, aggressions, exclusionary practices, he is finally happy to live in the world of new things where he partly gets the chance to change himself and partly an opportunity to make a return to Navajo community. He is opposed to the isolationist practice of Navajo community. Similarly, he is not deterred and discouraged when his professional responsibility compels him to tread on the path of risk and hazard. Leaphorn is also equally oriented towards his native ritual, cults and tradition while undertaking a risky job of chasing and tracking the missing criminals. There is no problem in accepting diversity, difference, multiplicity and heterogeneity in hundreds of Navajo youths like Emma, Teddy and Leaphorn. They are of the opinion that the world has the creative prospect ofexploring the unseen advantages of hybrid identity and cultural admixture. But this prospect anticipated by the narrator is dimmer and dimmer in some corners of American society. Hillerman strongly identifies with the Teddy’s in his emphasis on seeking hybrid identity. This research concludes that search for cultural purity and singularity of identity breeds conflicts and antagonism. Hence, accepting the hybrid prospect is a key to softening the voices of conflict and chaos. Cultural admixture is what allthe youths of Navajo should welcome.