The Medicine Bag

How did Martin feel about his great grandfather's journey?

"I know everyone felt as bad as I did. Yet I was proud of this 86 year old man, who had never been away from the reservation, having the courage to travel so far alone" - Although Martin feels bad that his grandfather struggled so much, he's proud that he had the courage to do all that.

What type of dogs are in Martin's neighborhood

"Yippy poodles and other fancy little dogs" who usually barked singly at the mailman from the safety of their own yards

How old is Cheryl?

11

How long did Grandpa live with the family?

2 months

"We never showed our friends Grandpa's picture. Not that we were ashamed of him, but because we knew that the glamorous tales wouldn't go with the real thing.

Admits to lying to friends, and how different his great grandpa is than how he portrayed him

When did Grandpa faint?

After he greeted 10-year-old Cheryl.

"Maybe we exaggerated and made Grandpa and the reservation sound glamorous"

Author sets up a possible conflict because character exaggerates to friends, expecting grandfather to never come and see them

What was in the bag, what was replaced, and what was Martin supposed to put in there?

Bag contained broken shell of iron kettle, pebble from butte, and piece of sacred sage. Grandpa replaced pebble and piece of iron. Martin was to put prairie sage. And Martin was to never open it again until he gave it to his son.

Name of Martin's street?

Bell View Drive

What did Grandpa allow the family to do with his funeral money?

Buy groceries!

Why was Cheryl not bothered about bringing her friends to see Grandpa?

Cheryl was proud of who her grandfather was either way and didn't care about her reputation as much as Martin does. Plus, her friends thought Grandpa was great.

How did Martin feel about Grandpa's boots being filled with money?

Curious

How did Martin feel about the yippy dogs who were growling and nipping at Grandpa's baggy pant legs and how Grandpa had to poke them away with his cane?

He felt mad, so he rescued Grandpa and said "Stupid mutts"

"The money is what I've saved for a long time - a hundred dollars - for my funeral" what does this concept let us learn?

Grandpa is dying!

What do the lines "Grandpa won't admit it, but his strength hasn't returned. He likes having company, but it tired him" mean?

Grandpa will act like he's all that but in the day he's still a tired old man that enjoys people but is still very tired and old and man. Even if he entertains Martin's friends, his sickness hasn't changed.

What confirmed that Grandpa knew about Martin wanting him to dress nicely?

Grandpa's eyes twinkled as if he was laughing inside.

Examples of how Grandpa wasn't like TV Indians?

Hair wasn't in braids, but stringy, gray strands. He was old. He didn't live in a tipi, but all by himself in a part log, part tarpaper shack on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota

Who is Martin's best friend?

Hank!

What did Iron Shell become, did he return to the reservation, and why did he give Joe Iron Shell the medicine bag?

He became a blacksmith. He returned to the reservation. He gave Joe Iron Shell the medicine bag because no one made the vision quest anymore.

How does Dad feel about Grandpa's coming?

He claims that he's honored to have him with them, and he will never be a burden. And he is only sorry that he never thought to bring you home with them this summer and spare him the discomfort of a long trip.

What happened to Joe Iron Shell's son after not taking the medicine bag?

He died in a faraway place. He didn't take it because he was afraid he would lose it.

What did Martin mean when he said it felt cold and hot at the same time as he recognized the man?

He felt extremely unusual. He was glad to see Grandpa, but he was extremely scared that his Grandpa was visiting because his secret would be revealed

What do the details, "I felt his bony hand trembling, and I looked up to see the fatigue in his face" reveal about great grandfather?

He is probably not well.

Why was Martin ashamed of how he felt?

He knows he should be happy to see grandpa, but he can't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Why was Martin surprised at what Grandpa said about visiting?

He never thought Grandpa would be loonily after the visits, and none of them noticed how old and weak he had become.

What happened to Iron Shell after he was sent away?

He resisted at first, but when it was his turn to work at the blacksmith shop he embraced it and knew that his medicine had brought him there to work with the white man's iron.

Details about Grandpa's journey?

He rode on buses for two and a half days. He arrived in the city tired and stiff from sitting so long. He set out walking to find his family. A policeman found him after he stopped to rest on the steps of some building downtown. The policeman took him to the bus stop and waited until the bus came and told the driver to let Grandpa out at Bell View Drive, and Martin found him from there

What do the lines "The medicine bag was the dirty leather pouch I had found around Grandpa's neck" show about Martin's feelings toward the bag?

He thought it was strange and dirty and old.

What was Martin's reaction to his grandfather's behavior?

He was extremely proud of his grandpa for respecting him and acting like a true Indian in front of his friends, plus he's proud of his Grandpa's shared achievements.

What did the doctor think happen to Grandpa?

He was suffering from heat exhaustion, so Mom brought a basin of water

What did Martin mean when he said he was "unable to move even though he wanted to run and hide"

He was very fearful and a bit overdramatic at the arrival of Grandpa; his friends will finally find out his lies and laugh at him!

Why did Martin feel shivers while in the process of getting the medicine bag?

He wasn't ready and he was still nervous.

Why did Grandpa visit them?

He would like to see where his only libinh descendants lived, what their home was like, and he was lonesome after they left. Also, he needed to give Martin the medicine bag.

What did Martin's dream mean?

His feelings after that day had dramatically changed and began to affect his dreams.

Why was Martin ashamed when Grandpa visited?

His friends would finally find out his little secret and laugh at Martin, Martin wasn't really ashamed of his grandpa because his grandpa didn't do anything.

Why did Martin not want to wear the medicine bag?

His friends would see it in gym class, the swimming pool, and he could imagine the smart things they would say. But regardless, he swallowed hard and took a step towards the bed because he would have to take it. (He was embarrassed and felt he would be judged)

What reinforced Iron Shell's dream?

In his dream, he found a white man's iron. IRL, he found the broken shell of an iron kettle.

What did the iron piece symbolize?

It gave him protection from the evils of those unhappy days.

What do the quotations "He was so skinny and frail that his coat slipped off easily" "The scuffed old cowboy boots were tight and he moaned as I put pressure on his legs to jerk them off" give detail to?

It shows how Grandpa is absolutely unlike how Martin described him, and how hard his journey to Iowa must have been.

What do the lines "I told myself that I didn't want them laughing at Grandpa. But even as I made excuses I knew it wasn't Grandpa that I was afraid they'd laugh at" tell you?

It shows that Martin finally realized his lie and realized that there was no need to laugh at a dying old man, that was usual, but rather he would be the joke because he lied a lot just to keep his reputation steady, also this shows readers the emotional impact of being caught for a lie.

What was the reaction of the poodles when Grandpa came?

It sounded as if a whole pack of mutts were barking together in one place

What is the importance of the quote "A thing would be done when it was the right time to do it and that;s the way it was"

It was an important saying of the Sioux, and Grandpa lives by it.

Meaning of "My brother has seen him three times so he oughta be well enough to see us"

It's time, and Martin knows it too.

How do the Sioux feel about displays of affection?

It's unseemly

What is Martin's mom's name?

Marie

How did Martin's opinion change after his grandpa's interesting behavior towards his friends?

Martin, although he felt a hard squeeze from where his heart is supposed to be and was scared, responded "OK, Grandpa" because his grandfather did so much for him that he had to respect what his grandfather asked, plus he knew he had to anyways.

An example of one of the authentic Sioux articles that Martin showed his listeners?

Moccassins made by Grandpa, small round flat rawhide drum decorated with painting of warrior riding horse, leather covered stick with feather on the end that Martin beat his drum with while Grandpa was teaching him a real Sioux chant

How do the lines "He had on his red shirt, but today he also wore a fringed leather vest that was decorated with beads. Instead of his usual cowboy boots he had solidly beaded moccasins on his feet that stuck out of his black trousers. Of course, he had his old black hat on-he was seldom without it. But it had been brushed and the feather in the beaded headband was proudly erect, its tip a brighter white. His hair lay in silver strands over the red shirt collar" differentiate from what Martin first said about Grandpa?

On this day, Grandpa KNEW Martin would be coming and he knew how Martin would want him to dress, so he dressed accordingly. Grandpa was aware that Martin didn't want him embarrassed.

How many times a year does Martin and Cheryl visit Grandpa?

One week per summer

What was the family's medicine bag tradition?

Since Grandpa thought he was going to die, he had to follow the family tradition of passing the medicine bag, along with its history, to the oldest male child.

"My kid sister Cheryl" "Man, that really made an impression"

Sets up happy-go-lucky tone

Why was Martin's mother so shocked about great grandfather arriving?

She didn't know how in the world he reached their house, because he lived in South Dakota while they lived in Iowa

What was Mom's reaction to Grandpa's collapse?

She helplessly patted his shoulder

What happened after Grandpa gave Martin the medicine bag.

That night his mother and father took Grandpa to the hospital, and two weeks later he stood alone on the lonely prairie of reservation and put the sacred sage in his medicine bag.

Why did Martin and Cheryl continue their over exaggeration about their great grandfather? And what was his name?

Their friends were impressed by the stories, and Joe Iron Shell

Why did Martin's friends believe Martin?

They always lived in the city and only saw Indians from movies and TV

How interested were Martin's friends?

Very. Martin was surprised at how quiet and attentive his friends were (they were mesmerized)

What did Iron Shell try to search for?

Wakantanka, the Great Spirit/a vision.

What do the lines "I saw how his gray hair straggled from under his big black hat, which had a drooping feather in its crown. His rumpled black suit hung like a sack over his stooped frame. As he shook my hand his coat fell open to expose a bright red satin shirt with a beaded bolo tie under his collar. His getup wasn't out of place on the reservation, but it sure was here, and I wanted to sink right through the pavement."

We see the extend to which Martin is embarrassed. He's very unsatisfied at his Grandpa's outfit and he is partially ashamed by it because Martin is kind of an *******.