Ella Cara Deloria's novel Waterlily carefully considers the roles of women, not only as dutiful etiquette instructors, devoted sisters, and hospitable housewives, but also as primordial maternal beings responsible for the birth of the new generation of the tribe. One of the supreme duties of these women is to create progeny raised in respect of tradition, in the value of kinship etiquette and in carrying forward tribal legacies. While Waterlily details the circumstances in which the children will be raised, careful emphasis is placed on the mother's duty to the birth itself. This text in particular highlights the means by which a woman must proceed to give birth as a member of a tribe, whether she participates in a tribal migration at the end of her term or waits in the safety of an established camp. The first part of Waterlily invites the reader to witness the birth of the Blue Bird on two different occasions. These episodes differ in terms of location and the terms by which tribal society dictates how the new mother should behave. The text, therefore, instills a sort of value on the social power of the physical act, striving to detail how exactly this affects the mother's reputation in tribal society. While the first birth emphasizes Blue Bird's isolation, the second further depicts the conflation of the social expectation to be independent and her duty to maintain positive relationships with female relatives who help her prepare for birth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The birth of Nymphaea in the first chapter of the novel is a rather powerful introduction to the often taxing circumstances surrounding the birth of a child. Since this is Blue Bird's first time giving birth, there is a greater presence of anxiety as the narrative unfolds. Not only has she traveled on horseback for an extended period of time, but she is expected to discreetly move away from members of her migratory tribe and give birth alone. No one is explicitly warned why and where he is going, even despite a potential emergency case. Today's readers of the novel can admire Blue Bird's courage in doing it alone, without medical care or even the support of a loved one. Thus, Blue Bird's act of venturing into the remoteness of the woods elicits praise for her abilities to care for herself and her child without the aid of immediate community support. Relying on her memory for the wisdom of birth previously shared by her grandmother, Blue Bird works in the solitude of woodland isolation. In the shelter of the trees, she endures the physical feat with nothing but the comfort her grandmother's words can provide. One of the most significant pieces of wisdom that Blue Bird obtains is the following: “No woman cries like a child; people ridicule him… If one is old enough to have a child, he is old enough to bear it in silence” (Deloria 5). He maintains silence out of a desire for communal respect, despite his isolation from the rest of the group and his natural inclination to moan in intense pain. After successfully giving birth to Nymphaea, Blue Bird is described as wrapping her newborn baby in a secretly prepared deer skin. This detail in particular is pertinent as it shows that she had taken time to prepare to give birth on her own. Even in the preparation she did not rely exclusively on the providence of others. Blue Bird carries herself with strength and dignity as she approaches her impending due date with isolation in mind. Blue Bird and his.