Native American Literature

 

 

A. Bibliography

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. New York Little: Brown & Company. ISBN 978-0316013697

 

B.  Plot Summary

Arnold Spirit, a 14-year-old Spokane Indian who goes by the name of Junior, leaves the impoverished Wellpinit reservation in order to acquire a good education and play basketball at Reardan, a rich, all-white and racist school located 22 miles away from the rez. By doing so, his long-time friendship with Rowdy is shaken and he is considered a traitor by the majority in the reservation. His troubles do not end there as Junior is also mistreated at Reardan. Through his cartoons, Junior tries to balance both worlds: the Native American world and the white world.

 

 

C.  Critical Analysis

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a semi-autobiographical literary piece that leaves readers wanting more. Arnold Spirit, a young teenage Spokane Indian who is best known as Junior, is authentically and realistically portrayed. He is a funny, loveable and memorable character who narrates his distinct cultural experiences with humor and frankness. Because Junior is a nerdy misfit with certain health issues who is often bullied, readers cannot help but root for this fearless and endearing underdog. Using a first person point of view, Junior’s voice accurately reflects the portrayal of a teenager, which instantly draws young adults in. Junior’s interactions with white people and other Native Americans range from friendly to harsh. With the exemption of those who mistreat Junior, such as, the extremely racist White characters in Reardan and the unfriendly Native Americans, the majority of the characters are likable and their diverse opinions are consistent with those held during the 1980s in Wellpinit, Washington.

This book is rich in cultural details regarding the Spokane Indian culture. Junior mentions the Indian Health Service, the casinos in the reservation, and the Unofficial and Unwritten Spokane Indian Rules of Fisticuffs. In addition to this, Junior brings out the injustices that many Spokane Indians endure such as, the impoverished conditions in the reservation, the old and outdated textbooks used in their classes, and the unequal number of funerals attributed to alcohol when compared to the white people in Reardan. The story also accurately depicts the custom of the powwow celebration in the Spokane reservation in that it includes singing, dancing, and storytelling. Moreover, Junior mentions the stereotypical views some people have toward Native Americans such as, that Native Americans feel half the pain of whites. Junior brings to light other non-tolerant views toward Native Americans like the fact that Mr. P. was told to kill the Native American culture and that some white people in Montana living in a reservation wanted to secede from the reservation.

The illustrations are simple pencil sketches. They are entertaining and enhance the story. The diary lookalike sketches seem like they were really drawn by Junior. Some illustrations are unpolished scribbles and cartoons that seem to have been drawn on scratch paper and later taped in the diary; while other illustrations are more focused portraits with details that respect the individual being drawn. The illustrations make the story come alive and provide readers with unique insight into Junior’s mind.

D. Review Excerpts

Kirkus Reviews: “Alexie nimbly blends sharp wit with unapologetic emotion . . . Junior’s keen cartoons sprinkle the pages as his fluid narration deftly mingles raw feeling with funny, sardonic insight.”

 

Booklist: “Alexie’s humor and prose are easygoing and well suited to his young audience.”

E. Connections

You might like these books by Sherman Alexie:

TEN LITTLE INDIANS. ISBN 978-0802141170

WAR DANCES. ISBN 978-0802144898

THUNDER BOY JR. ISBN 978-0316013727

 

 

 

A. Bibliography

Bruchac, J., & Locker, T. (1996). BETWEEN EARTH & SKY: LEGENDS OF NATIVE AMERICAN SACRED PLACES. New York: Voyager Books. ISBN 978-0152020620

 

B.  Plot Summary

In this book, Joseph Bruchac, an Abenaki Indian, narrates ten legends of Native American sacred places of the following tribes: Wampanoag, Seneca, Navajo, Cherokee, Papago, Hopewell, Cheyenne, Hopi, Walapai, and Abenaki. To help readers, there is an “About this Book” section, a map of the U.S. with geographical markers indicating the location of the original Native nations, and a pronunciation guide. 

 

C.  Critical Analysis 

The two main characters in this story are Little Turtle and his uncle Old Bear, two Delaware Indians who discuss the legends of other Native American tribes. The other characters in this book are mentioned briefly in the legend they are depicted. However, the legends and the characters in the legend do reflect the distinct cultural experiences of the specific Native nation highlighted. As for the setting in the book, the setting changes for each legend because each legend is set in a different geographical location with differing environments. The illustration that goes with the legend is consistent with the setting of the geographical region where the Native American tribe is located.The book is rich in cultural details and are consistent with the ten specific cultures mentioned in the book: Wampanoag, Seneca, Navajo, Cherokee, Papago, Hopewell, Cheyenne, Hopi, Walapai, and Abenaki. Each legend is unique and accurately represents the sacred places of the ten Native American tribes in the book.

The illustrations of the landscapes are captivating and are extremely detailed that they resemble photographs taken by a professional photographer. Thomas Locker’s perfect blend of watercolors make the paintings so realistic that readers feel like they are actually at the sacred places. The U.S. map illustration is also helpful in that it accurately locates the Native American tribes as well as the ten sacred places mentioned in the book.

D. Review Excerpts

School Library Journal:  “Bruchac writes in language that is dignified and almost poetic in its simplicity.”

Booklist: “Offers readers new perspectives on the natural world and an excellent curricular connection. A solid addition for school and public libraries.”

E. Connections

Check out these other books by Joseph Bruchac:

THE EARTH UNDER SKY BEAR’S FEET. ISBN 978-0698116474

CRAZY HORSE’S VISION. ISBN 978-1584302827

THIRTEEN MOONS ON TURTLE’S BACK: A NATIVE AMERICAN YEAR OF MOONS. ISBN 978-0698115842

 

 

A. Bibliography

Sneve, V. D. H., & Beier, E. (2019). THE CHRISTMAS COAT: MEMORIES OF MY SIOUX CHILDHOOD. South Dakota Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0823421343

 

B.  Plot Summary

Virginia's coat is too small and hardly protects her from the frigid South Dakota winter. As Christmas approaches, all the children on the Sioux reservation look forward to receiving boxes full of clothing sent by congregations in the East. Virginia spots a beautiful gray fur coat but holds back tears as it is claimed by one of her classmates. Later, Virginia can't believe what Mama brings home. Based on an event from the author's childhood, this picture book captures the true spirit of Christmas.

 

C.  Critical Analysis 

The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood is a beautiful and heartfelt memoir of a Christmas memory. Based on Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve’s childhood growing up on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, the story is authentic and rich in detail of the Sioux tribe. Characters’ last names such as ‘Buffalo,’ ‘High Bear,’ and ‘Driving Hawk’ are representative of the Native American culture. Reference to foods during the Christmas Eve meal such as corn soup, fry bread, and wojape, a chokecherry pudding, provide cultural markers for the story as well.

 

Virginia and her family live on the reservation and only have clothes that are donated in ‘Theast,’ which means ‘the east,’ boxes. Her family along with all of the other families on the reservation wait twice a year for these boxes to be delivered to the village. When the boxes arrive, Virginia’s family lets others in the village pick first, saying, “the others need it more than we do.” Virginia wishes for a new winter coat, “one that wasn’t tight across her chest and that was long enough.” Virginia’s father is the Episcopal priest in their village. Christmas activities mentioned are a combination of Sioux and western culture. In the Christmas Eve play, the three wise men dawn Sioux headdresses. The author states, “they wore headdresses that only the wise leaders and elders of the tribe could wear.”

 

Ellen Beier’s watercolor illustrations provide wonderful details. Characters’ faces are full of expression and emotion. Hair and skin tones are representative of the Sioux people. Clothing is accurate for the time period. The harshness of the winter wind, and the warm, festive Christmas Eve play are both beautifully illustrated.

 

D. Review Excerpts

Horn Book Guide: With its authentic portrait of a Sioux childhood and Christmas traditions (captured in watercolor and gouache illustrations) and its eventual happy ending, this is a quiet but affecting picture book.

 

Kirkus Reviews: This straightforward, heartfelt reminiscence recalls a Christmas season from the author's childhood on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, a time when she needed a new winter coat and her younger brother needed snow boots.

 

E. Connections

Check out these other books:

DePaola, T. THE LEGEND OF THE POINSETTIA. ISBN 978-0329750954.

 

Warren, A. PIONEER GIRL: A TRUE STORY OF GROWING UP ON THE PRAIRIE. ISBN 978-0803225268.

 

Williams, V. B.  A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER. ISBN 978-0688009144.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A. Bibliography

Erdrich, L. (1999). THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE. New York: Hyperion. ISBN: 0786822414

 

B.  Plot Summary

Louise Erdrich’s The Birchbark House is a tale of love, loss, and growing up, for Omakayas, a 19th century Objibwa, or Anishinabe girl, living near Lake Superior. It is also a recounting of the ways of the Anishinabeg at the dawn of Western expansion. The adventures of Omakyas, her family and her people will delight middle school age readers who will identify with Omakayas and her family.

 

C.  Critical Analysis 

Erdrich’s The Birchbark House is a beautiful weaving of the literary and the historical, following the life of 7-year-old Omakayas in the year 1847. Omakayas lives a life familiar to many children. She has an older sister whom she envies for her beauty and grace, a younger brother whom she despises for his selfishness and greed, and a baby brother whom she adores for his sweetness and innocence. Her mother is firm, yet loving. Her grandmother, or nokomis, is kind and wise. Her father is often away on business, trapping to provide skins for the White traders. She dislikes certain chores, particularly the scraping of hides to make leather, and looking after her brothers. These connections make Omakayas relatable to 21st century children.

 

The Birchbark House also evokes the theme of the circle or cycle, common to many Native Americans. The chapters are grouped into books, each named for one of the Anishinabe seasons. The family travels from their winter quarters where they ice fish and survive the harsh winter, to the sap harvest when the maple trees thaw, to the rice harvesting grounds, and to the birchbark house where they hunt, gather berries, prepare hides, and prepare foods for winter storage. The story spans a year in Omakaya’s life, beginning and ending at the birchbark house that her family builds anew each spring; and though the clan has suffered loss, there is also joy, the return of one lost, and the renewal of the spring season.

 

Ojibwa, or Anishinabe words are placed throughout the story, both with English translations and with contextual clues. An author’s note explains the Ojibwa language, and a glossary and pronunciation guide follows the story. Some words, such as the greeting, ahneen, are used often enough to remember. Other words and phrases will have the reader flipping frequently to the glossary.

 

Small pencil drawings by the author dot the story, adding interest, illuminating Omakayas’ encounters with bears, her parents’ makazins, members of her family and more. The drawings are crisp and clean with just enough detail. The faces are varied but distinctly Native in shape and coloring. The depiction of clothing, tools, and living quarters is reflective of the narrative's description.

 

An interesting facet of The Birchbark House is its varied perspective on Western expansion. Though the story is told via the young Ojibwa girl, it is clear that her family is not completely opposed to the Whites, or chimookoman. Omakayas’ father is part White. He regularly trades with the Whites and takes pride in his prowess at chess, the White man's game. The clan’s Old Tallow has a disdain for the Whites, yet she too has adapted somewhat to the White ways, living as Omakayas’ family, in a cabin during the winter. Mother sews metal thimbles to her daughter’s dress; father buys calico, velvet and beads from the fur traders. They harbor no ill will against the missionaries, and note that they were helpful in caring for Ojibwa with smallpox. At the same time, they note the European Americans' insatiable hunger for land and the eventual conflict that will arise from the incessant push Westward. This multifaceted view adds to the richness and realism of the book.

 

D. Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly: “Into her lyrical narrative, Erdrich weaves numerous Ojibwa words, effectively placing them in context to convey their meanings. Readers will want to follow this family for many seasons to come.”

 

School Library Journal: “While this title will not appeal to fans of fast-paced action, readers who enjoy a variety of deftly drawn characters, relationships that ring true, and fascinating details about the daily life of the Ojibwa will be attracted to this endearing and irrepressible girl.”

 

 

E. Connections

If you enjoyed this book, check out the other books in this series by Edrich:

THE GAME OF SILENCE. ISBN: 978-0756970253

THE PORCUPINE YEAR. ISBN: 978-0060297879

CHICKADEE. ISBN: 978-0060577902

MAKOONS. ISBN: 978-0060577933