Character Analysis
Old Betonie is a Navajo medicine man who performs the ceremony that leads to Tayo's recovery. He lives surrounded by junk in the hills overlooking the Ceremonial Grounds in Gallup. That lifestyle, along with his hazel eyes and unorthodox ceremonies, makes people mistrust him.
When asked why he chooses to live in such a dump, Betonie just laughs and explains that "this is where Gallup keeps Indians until Ceremonial time" (XIII.10). This ironic answer, which refers to the way white society only acknowledges Native Americans when they want to exploit them, is only part of the truth. Betonie and other Native Americans like him are "comfortable" in the hills because they belong with the land, a fact that the whites cannot understand.
Betonie is an outsider and a free thinker. When Tayo becomes Betonie's disciple, it's no wonder that some of his more conventional frenemies like Emo think he's gone off the deep end. Ultimately, though, Betonie's message is one of healing and reconciliation, not only for Tayo but for all of "the people" (XIII.58).