bar, Harley spends much of the trip “cussing out his burro”, while Tayo notes how intelligent it is of the burro to know when Harley is asleep, and how it manages to subtly change course as so it can graze during the bulk of the trip. This is an example of Tayo's heightened sensitivity and respect towards animals and their priorities as individuals. In Native American culture, the Spider-woman has been noted to be one of the most foundational figures. She is the creator of the universe and often attributed to bringing wisdom and social values to her peoples. Her presence in Tayo's personal healing process is instrumental, as he is a male deeply affected by an imbalanced state of masculinity due to the pressure of returning as the “Macho war hero” archetype when he is in fact struggling to fathom what the fundamentals of heroism even are. The Spider-woman is there to give Tayo the opportunity to nurture himself and to create an internal maternal relationship with himself in which he is able to nurture and cultivate a reborn, balanced and healthy being out of the ashes of his trauma. As Tayo is trying to navigate Floyd Lee's land, he locks eyes with the mountain lion. The mountain lion walks away, leaving pawprints in the ground. Tayo sprinkles yellow pollen into the pawprints to honor the mountain lion, and then finds his way. Mountain lions represent skills associated with hunting to Laguna Pueblo people. The assumption here is that because Tayo respects the mountain lion, they help him on his journey. There is some debate as to if the mountain lion has a human counterpart. Some people, like Edith Swan, believe the hunter Tayo encounters after leaving Lee's land is the mountain lion. Some believe the mountain lion is Ts’eh. Both interpretations make sense, as they are thought to be mountain spirits because of the symbolism that surrounds them in Ceremony. When Tayo and Rocky are hunting, Tayo covers the dead deer's head with his jacket. This, rubbing cornmeal on the deer's nose, and other traditions are done to respect the animal's spirit. The Laguna Pueblo people believe if the spirit is not respected, future deer will not choose to die on their reservation. Cattle are a reoccurring symbol in Ceremony, though critics have disagreed over what this symbol represents. In a collection of essays titled American Indian Fiction,