1. Laughing Boy's narrative of the Utes in chapter 8 explains how he got his name. Discuss what it clarifies about his character and about conflicts among tribes.

2. The episode in chapter 13 involving Laughing Boy and the trading post operator Narrow Nose reflects the attitudes of Native Americans toward white settlers. Explain the facets of this conflict.

3. The phrase "Enemy Gods" is used throughout the novel. Who are the enemy gods? How do they relate to the hero and heroine?

4. Both Laughing Boy and Slim Girl idealize the Navajo way, as do other Native Americans, when they disapprovingly discuss Laughing Boy's way of life in Los Palos. The novel, however, reveals that life on the reservation has its less pleasant sides. What are they?

5. Laughing Boy adopts some ways of the white society without degenerating as other Native Americans do. What role does Slim Girl play...