Heritage of Blue Highways In the country traveler's bible, Blue Highways, William Least Heat Moon takes a journey into his Native American heritage and the heart of American culture. As a person of mixed heritage, Least Heat Moon wishes to seek out the history and experiences of her past in her travels. He is particularly interested in the Native American element of his heritage because he had no knowledge of his ancestry while growing up. As he begins his journey, after having been a student and scholar of Renaissance literature, Least Heat Moon is able to identify more freely with his past ("Whispers..." 58-60). After completing his exploration, Least Heat Moon rewrote his book manuscript six times and struggled to find literary agents and publishers. Least Heat Moon eventually changed the title of the book to Blue Highways, and his fortunes began to change. At various points in the book, Least Heat Moon recounts episodes from the history of the lives and experiences of his Native American ancestors. He even changed his name from William Trogdon to his Native American title: William Least Heat Moon. The author explains: "My father calls himself Moon of Heat, my older brother Little Moon of Heat. I, being last, am therefore the Least" (4). He got the name to identify with his ancestors and to honor his Native American relatives. However, one critic felt that his name change was less than genuine saying, "He is not from Osage country but from the making of the Boy Scouts-believe" ("Whispers..." 58-59). Although William Least Heat Moon knew very little about his Native American past, he was able to recall a long-forgotten family story about one of the......middle of paper......er the Nez Perce they were forced out of here in the 1870s and the Army sold their horses" (250). Least Heat Moon often tells how the Native American way of life was not harmful to the land and how their ways were quickly overcome from the dominant white ones. today.Throughout Blue Highways, William Least Heat Moon identifies many Native American traditions as well as his Native American ancestors. Although Least Heat Moon changed his name to clearly identify with his Native American ancestors , she did not choose him to forget his other lineage. He explains: "I will choose for the heart, for the spirit, but I will never choose for the blood" (5). Native American background.