The tale of one man's journey, The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You is a beautiful story of becoming whole. A man begins in his base instincts and needs with little to no awareness of anything, or anyone, else.Gradually he grows and matures, he sees that there is more to himself and to life, and he becomes a self-aware being. By the end of the novel, he is fortunate enough to have found true freedom by finding and accepting himself. This is a journey we all are taking, with few reaching the goal. "But almost from the beginning of the exiles, there were attempts to return, people continually setting off for some place they could not name, but always a place full of rich treasures."

This journey requires so much from us. It begins with a willingness, although that willingness may be mere acquiescence to others with out realizing what the result will be. The protagonist reaches this point himself: "After all the trouble I had caused here, the least I could do was to conform to the life of the people until nest spring . . " There is no expression of desire for growth, just a willingness to learn their ways which will result in growth. Still, real growth doesn't take root until we admit and accept who we have been. The protagonist had to realize, "I am an empty man. Not a real person. I gave away what was real in me long ago. I sold it. for nothing." For each individual this realization will be differnt because we are each unique.

Our growth into responsible, aware, whole beings requires time and patience. We cannot hurry maturity. As we move forward, we must peel back the layers of ourselves and face new things about ourselves: our fears, our preujudices, our actions, and the consequences of these things. We must take responsibility for them. Each victory is a reason to celebrate, a reason " . . . to feel fresh and invoigorated . . . " But we must be careful to not to extend too far beyond ourselves and become discouraged as a result. Slowly we face the truth of ourselves, bring each piece into the whole, and die to our old self. We deance "The numbers dance to its finish and (come) out of the pit as one."

We must also learn the accpetance of others and lose our prejudices against the differences that make us unique, or we lose the valuable lessons those differences can teach us. Through our individuality, each will " . . . feed another, and all will be filled, for kin are nourished by what they feed to others." Humanity is interrelated. What we do goes beyond us and affects others. As we go " . . . past questioning or calling the people primitive or superstitous," we can begin to reveal our true selves to others. This is the 'rich treasure' we can share with others. By sharing ourselves with others, and they with us, we encourage each other on the journey to wholeness. For it is through each other that we are revealed.

Thus we grow. As we find our balance and place in life, and become in tune with our inner selves, we begin to move " . . . in time to music only (we can) hear." We become " . . . full and whole." Life goes beyond the daily grind into a journey of discovery. "Nothing (will seem) to be work. Everything (becomes) a dance." And we find true freedom.



The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You
Dorothy Bryant
Essay written October 15, 1996
grade: A