Carnival - An Act of the Status Quo

I thought the entire article was very interesting but I think one part in particular stood out to me. On page 14, Deloria begins discussing the act of tradition and holiday among these times. Through a few pages, Deloria describes the various ways in which this takes place. Through, song, dance, festivals, etc. But these traditions and festivals were more than just a way in which people could have fun. As Deloria points out on page 17, "Carnival presented its celebrators a doubled vision of the world: on the one hand anarchic possibility; on the other, affirmation of the status quo." I found this quote to be particularly interesting. There is a sort of duality between what the Carnival was on face value - an embodiment of wild fun, embracing hope for the future. But what the Carnival was in reality was an act of satisfaction. A declaration that what we have done is good and good is good enough. It embodied a refusal to be progressive or adapt to changing values. Later, Deloria points out "Indian 'Others' have been constructed at the intersection of real and imagined Indians. Colonists (mis)perceived real Indian people throughout a variety of European cultural lenses" (20). So while these stereotypes were created based on myths that European colonists liked to imagine, the act of Carnival was able to secure these myths in tradition, rendering any counter-image nearly impossible, and locking in the status quo.