Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko
"Almanac of the Dead" is a complex novel by Leslie Marmon Silko, set in Tucson, Arizona, during the politically charged 1980s. The narrative unfolds against a backdrop of increasing unrest in South and Central America, where the U.S. government is implicated in arms and drug trafficking to support repressive regimes. Tucson serves as a pivotal crossroads for a diverse array of characters, including Native Americans, transients, and criminals, many of whom are drawn to the area for various reasons, including the search for a better life or due to circumstances beyond their control.
Central to the story is Sterling, a Laguna Pueblo Indian, who navigates his exile from tribal life while working on a ranch entangled in illegal activities. The arrival of his friend Lecha, a psychic with a troubled past, introduces elements of prophecy linked to an ancient family tome, the Almanac of the Dead, which signifies a potential uprising of marginalized populations. The narrative intertwines various factions, including those engaged in armed resistance and others advocating for peaceful change, reflecting a broader struggle for identity and justice.
As characters grapple with their personal conflicts and the larger socio-political landscape, the novel delves into themes of cultural heritage, systemic oppression, and the quest for empowerment among indigenous and marginalized groups. Silko's work is notable for its intricate storytelling and rich character development, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of history, power, and the human spirit.
On this Page
Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko
First published: 1991
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Impressionistic realism
Time of plot: Twentieth century, especially the 1980’s
Locale: Southwestern United States and Mexico
Principal characters
Zoeme , the guardian of tribal secretsZeta , her granddaughter, a drug smugglerLecha , her granddaughter, a psychicFerro , Lecha’s sonPaulie , Ferro’s former loverSterling , a Laguna Pueblo Indian, banished from tribal landsSeese , Lecha’s assistantDavid , Seese’s former loverBeaufrey , David’s former loverMenardo , a security expertAlegria , his second wife, an architectTacho , his chauffeur, and a twinMax Blue , a New Jersey mafia bossLeah Blue , his wifeSonny , their older sonEdward Trigg , a businessmanRambo-Roy , a transient working for EdwardClinton , a transient working with Rambo-RoyEl Feo , Tacho’s twin brother, a leader of dispossessed Indian groupsAngelita , a Mayan campaigner for reclamation of tribal landBartolomeo , a Cuban political agitator
The Story:
Tucson, Arizona, is “home to an assortment of speculators, confidence men, embezzlers, lawyers, judges, police and other criminals.” It is also the home of “addicts and pushers,” and they all have been coming here since “the 1880’s and the Apache Wars.” It is now the 1980’s, one hundred years later, and unrest is increasing in South and Central America. The U.S. government is sending drugs and arms south across the U.S.-Mexico border to support right-wing regimes.
Meanwhile, refugees are fleeing north, crossing into the United States legally if they can, but by whatever means if they cannot. Transients, too, are drawn to Tucson because of its proximity to the border, and huge encampments of people with nowhere else to go have formed around the city. Tucson is a crossroads: Sooner or later, many people will pass through on their way to somewhere else; Tucson is a stepping-stone to a different life.
Sterling, a Laguna Pueblo Indian, had fallen asleep on the bus to Phoenix and ended up in Tucson instead. Exiled from the pueblo for reasons that are not entirely clear to him, but which are possibly related to his detachment from tribal affairs, he eventually finds work as a gardener on the ranch owned by Zeta and Ferro, and works alongside Ferro’s former lover, Paulie, a security expert. Sterling chooses to overlook that they are clearly conducting illegal business and focuses on the positive elements of his new situation. When Zeta’s twin sister, Lecha, arrives, bringing with her Seese, a young white woman who has lost her baby, the relative peace of the ranch, and Zeta’s drug-smuggling racket, is threatened.
Lecha is a psychic who specializes in finding dead bodies. Seese has come to her because she fears her baby is dead. Lecha seems unwilling to help Seese but strings her along, employing her as her personal assistant. Lecha alleges she has terminal cancer, although it is not clear whether this is a cover for her drug addiction or vice versa. She has returned home without warning, convinced that the moment has come for her and Zeta to transcribe the notebooks bequeathed to them by their grandmother, Zoeme.
Zoeme is an indigenous Mexican woman much feared by the rest of her family, not least because over the years they have attempted to conceal their Indian ancestry, whereas Zoeme flaunts her ancestry. The notebooks, the Almanac of the Dead, are ancient, powerful objects, and Lecha has become convinced that they foretell a change in the world order, marking the moment when the downtrodden Indian populations will rise up and take control of their destiny.
South of the border, Menardo’s security company has become a front for arms dealing. His business has been successful until now, but he is struggling to keep up with the mysterious contacts from the U.S. government who are encouraging him to move bigger weapons. Menardo is proud of how he has built his business, but he is terrified by the thought that the local aristocrats will discover that he has Indian ancestry. Dimly perceiving his own disloyalty to his ancestry, he keeps an Indian chauffeur, Tacho, who plays on his employer’s superstitious fears.
Unknown to anyone, Tacho has a connection to the rebel leaders, El Feo and Angelita, also known as La Escapia, who are building a huge rebel army, manipulating various groups sympathetic to their cause to gather a war chest. Chief among these is Bartolomeo, a Cuban Marxist with clear ideas of what the revolution should achieve, but only too willing to sacrifice the truth for an ideology that writes the Indians’ struggles out of existence.
Others are gathering in Arizona, looking for rich pickings. Max Blue, who has mafia connections in New Jersey, has moved to Tucson with his family, all of whom are finding ways to make money. Sonny has become involved in gun-running and drug smuggling, establishing a connection with Menardo, while Max’s wife, Leah, has, through her real estate dealing, come into contact with Edward Trigg, a paraplegic determined to walk again. He attempts to fund research through dealing in real estate and through organ harvesting and blood donation, taking advantage of the presence of a huge local transient population, unaware that two of their leaders, Rambo-Roy and Clinton, are building the transients into an army of the dispossessed.
Seese remains unaware that her partner, David, did not steal her child, as he remains unaware that she did not steal the child from him. Both are being manipulated by a former lover, Beaufrey, who is in turn in thrall to Serlo, a man obsessed with genetic purity who is conducting research of his own on how to maintain the “aristocratic” blood that indicates those eligible to rule.
Zeta’s smuggling racket is under attack, but she has long been stockpiling weapons; aware that government agencies are trying to sabotage the grassroots liberation and environmental movements, she is now ready to support them in a violent struggle if necessary. Menardo insists that Tacho shoot him to test a bulletproof vest he has been given, unaware that the vest is deliberately faulty; he is shot and dies. Tacho takes this opportunity to slip away and join his brother, El Feo, and take up his role as the vessel of the Macaw Spirits; the twin brothers lead a march north. Menardo’s wife, Alegria, attempts to cross the border into the United States, and although robbed and abandoned, she survives by sheer force of will and is finally found and rescued.
Meanwhile, many of the liberation groups have met at the International Holistic Healers’ Convention to exchange views, and it is clear that there already is a divergence of opinion—some arguing for peaceful campaigning via the ballot box, and others prepared for armed insurrection. All groups believe that the time has come for change.
Sterling secretly returns home to pueblo lands. Having previously remained at a distance from his community and its beliefs, he has finally come to understand the significance of the appearance of the giant stone serpent on tribal lands and is waiting for the arrival of the twin brothers and their followers from the south.
Bibliographys
Barnett, Louise K., and James L. Thorson, eds. Leslie Marmon Silko: A Collection of Critical Essays. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1999. These essays cover the entire range of Silko’s work through Almanac of the Dead, offering biographical information on Silko as well as an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources and a helpful bibliographical essay.
Brigham, Ann. “Productions of Geographic Scale and Capitalist-Colonialist Enterprise in Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac of the Dead.” Modern Fiction Studies 50, no. 2 (Summer, 2004): 303-331. Focuses on the concept of space in the novel. Brigham argues that the novel re-envisions space through a Native American lens: Space is “expansiveness rather than expansion.”
Fitz, Brewster E. Silko: Writing Storyteller and Medicine Woman. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004. Fitz analyzes Almanac of the Dead and several of Silko’s short stories, focusing on the relationship between the written word and the oral storytelling tradition of Silko’s family and Laguna culture.
Salyer, Gregory. Leslie Marmon Silko. New York: Twayne, 1997. A critical study of Silko’s work, describing how her fiction has been influenced by her Laguna background and by Native American stories. Includes a bibliography and an index.