Crazy Brave: A Memoir

Drawing from Native American spiritual belief, Harjo writes often of the spiritual realm. She even remembers her time in the spiritual realm before birth and being reluctant to leave. Only the music and art of the world attract her to earth to be born. She uses the spiritual realm as a recurring motif to tell stories of events in which she was not directly involved. For example, she tells the story of how her mother and father met at a dance hall by describing her vision of the event from the spiritual realm before she was born.

She also describes the spiritual realm as mystery, while the world is the story. When she is born, she takes her place in the story. Thus the world is given some singular importance, as the story is told here. The spiritual realm also acts as a protector to Harjo, providing her with insight into other people’s motivations or experiences that help her understand them and avoid confrontation. The spiritual old man who takes her to a stone quarry on the moon is described as her guardian.

The spiritual realm also acts as a conduit for Harjo’s creativity and imagination. Throughout the

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