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Showing 1 - 16 of 16 items
Back in the Beforetime: Tales of the California Indians
By Jane Louise Curry. 1987
Kuessipan
By David Homel, Naomi Fontaine. 2013
Kuessipan is an extraordinary, meditative novel about life among the Native Innu people of northeast Quebec. With the grace and…
perfect pitch, author Naomi Fontaine (herself an Innu) conjures up a world that reads like no other, and a community-of nomadic hunters and fishers, of mothers and children-who endure a harsh and sometimes cruel reality with quiet dignity.The Ecstasy of Rita Joe
By George Ryga. 1970
Rita Joe is a Native girl who leaves the reservation for the city, only to die on skid row as…
a victim of white men's violence and paternalistic attitudes towards First Nations peoples. As perhaps the best-known contemporary Canadian play and a poetic drama of enormous theatrical power, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe had a major influence in awakening consciousness to the "Indian problem" both in whites and Natives themselves.Cast of five women and 15 men. With a preface by Chief Dan George.The Ecstasy of Rita Joe premiered November 23, 1967 at the Vancouver Playhouse.The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo
By Kent Nerburn. 2013
A haunting dream that will not relent pulls author Kent Nerburn back into the hidden world of Native America, where…
dreams have meaning, animals are teachers, and the "old ones" still have powers beyond our understanding. In this moving narrative, we travel through the lands of the Lakota and the Ojibwe, where we encounter a strange little girl with an unnerving connection to the past, a forgotten asylum that history has tried to hide, and the complex, unforgettable characters we have come to know from Neither Wolf nor Dog and The Wolf at Twilight. Part history, part mystery, part spiritual journey and teaching story, The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo is filled with the profound insight into humanity and Native American culture we have come to expect from Nerburn's journeys. As the American Indian College Fund has stated, once you have encountered Nerburn's stirring evocations of America's high plains and incisive insights into the human heart, "you can never look at the world, or at people, the same way again."Walking the Choctaw Road: Stories from the Heart and Memory of the People
By Tim Tingle, Norma Howard. 2003
Oklahoma, or "Okla Homma," is a Choctaw word meaning "Red People." In this collection, acclaimed storyteller Tim Tingle tells the…
stories of his people, the Choctaw People, the Okla Homma. For years, Tim has collected stories of the old folks, weaving traditional lore with stories from everyday life. Walking the Choctaw Road is a mixture of myth stories, historical accounts passed from generation to generation, and stories of Choctaw people living their lives in the here and now.The Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers selected Tim as "Contemporary Storyteller Of The Year" for 2001, and in 2002, Tim was the featured storyteller at the National Storyteller Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee.Tim Tingle lives in Canyon Lake, Texas.The Road Back to Sweetgrass: A Novel
By Linda Legarde Grover. 2014
Set in northern Minnesota, The Road Back to Sweetgrass follows Dale Ann, Theresa, and Margie, a trio of American Indian…
women, from the 1970s to the present, observing their coming of age and the intersection of their lives as they navigate love, economic hardship, loss, and changing family dynamics on the fictional Mozhay Point reservation. As young women, all three leave their homes. Margie and Theresa go to Duluth for college and work; there Theresa gets to know a handsome Indian boy, Michael Washington, who invites her home to the Sweetgrass land allotment to meet his father, Zho Wash, who lives in the original allotment cabin. When Margie accompanies her, complicated relationships are set into motion, and tensions over "real Indian-ness" emerge. Dale Ann, Margie, and Theresa find themselves pulled back again and again to the Sweetgrass allotment, a silent but ever-present entity in the book; sweetgrass itself is a plant used in the Ojibwe ceremonial odissimaa bag, containing a newborn baby's umbilical cord. In a powerful final chapter, Zho Wash tells the story of the first days of the allotment, when the Wazhushkag, or Muskrat, family became transformed into the Washingtons by the pen of a federal Indian agent. This sense of place and home is both tangible and spiritual, and Linda LeGarde Grover skillfully connects it with the experience of Native women who came of age during the days of the federal termination policy and the struggle for tribal self-determination. The Road Back to Sweetgrass is a novel that that moves between past and present, the Native and the non-Native, history and myth, and tradition and survival, as the people of Mozhay Point navigate traumatic historical events and federal Indian policies while looking ahead to future generations and the continuation of the Anishinaabe people.Okanagan Grouse Woman: Upper Nicola Narratives
By Lottie Lindley. 2016
Published through the Recovering Languages and Literacies of the Americas initiative, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon FoundationIn this book…
of Native American language research and oral traditions, linguist John Lyon collects Salish stories as told by culture-bearer Lottie Lindley, one of the last Okanagan elders whose formative years of language learning were unbroken by the colonizing influence of English. Speaking in the Upper Nicola dialect of Okanagan, a Southern Interior Salish language, Lindley tells the stories that recount and reflect Salish culture, history, and historical consciousness (including names of locales won in battle with other interior peoples), coming-of-age rituals and marriage rites, and tales that attest to the self-understanding of the Salish people within their own history. For each Okanagan Salish story, Lyon and Lindley offer a continuous transcription followed by a collaborative English translation of the story and an interlinear rendition with morphological analysis. The presentation allows students of the dialect, linguists, and those interested in Pacific Northwest and Interior Plateau indigenous oral traditions unencumbered access to the culture, history, and language of the Salish peoples. With few native speakers left in the community, Okanagan Grouse Woman contributes to the preservation, presentation, and—with hope—maintenance and cultivation of a vital indigenous language and the cultural traditions of the Interior Salish peoples.Empire of Wild: A Novel
By Cherie Dimaline. 2019
A #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLEROne of the most anticipated books of the summer for Time, Harper's Bazaar, Bustle and Publishers Weekly'Deftly…
written, gripping and informative. Empire of Wild is a rip-roaring read!' Margaret Atwood'Empire of Wild is doing everything I love in a contemporary novel and more. It is tough, funny, beautiful, honest and propulsive' Tommy Orange, author of There There 'Dimaline turns an old story into something newly haunting and resonant' New York Times'Close, tight, stark, beautiful - rich where richness is warranted, but spare where want and sorrow have sharpened every word. Dimaline has crafted something both current and timeless' NPR'Revelatory... Gritty and engaging, this story of a woman and her missing husband is one of candor, wit and tradition'Ms. Magazine Broken-hearted Joan has been searching for her husband, Victor, for almost a year - ever since he went missing on the night they had their first serious argument. One hung-over morning in a Walmart parking lot in a little town near Georgian Bay, she is drawn to a revival tent where the local Métis have been flocking to hear a charismatic preacher. By the time she staggers into the tent the service is over, but as she is about to leave, she hears an unmistakable voice.She turns, and there is Victor. Only he insists he is not Victor, but the Reverend Eugene Wolff, on a mission to bring his people to Jesus.With only two allies - her Johnny-Cash-loving, 12-year-old nephew Zeus, and Ajean, a foul-mouthed euchre shark with deep knowledge of the old Métis ways - Joan sets out to remind the Reverend Wolff of who he really is. If he really is Victor, his life and the life of everyone she loves, depends upon her success.Inspired by traditional Métis legends, Cherie Dimaline has created a propulsive, stunning and sensuous novel.Betty: The International Bestseller
By Tiffany McDaniel. 2020
'Breahtaking'Vogue'So engrossing! Betty is a page-turning Appalachian coming-of-age story steeped in Cherokee history, told in undulating prose that settles right…
into you'Naoise Dolan, Sunday Times bestselling author of Exciting Times 'I felt consumed by this book. I loved it, you will love it' Daisy Johnson, Booker Prize shortlisted author of Everthing Under'I loved Betty: I fell for its strong characters and was moved by the story it portrayed' Fiona Mozley, Booker Prize shortlisted author of Elmet 'A girl comes of age against the knife.' So begins the story of Betty Carpenter. Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a Cherokee father and white mother, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit is one of poverty and violence - both from outside the family and also, devastatingly, from within. When her family's darkest secrets are brought to light, Betty has no choice but to reckon with the brutal history hiding in the hills, as well as the heart-wrenching cruelties and incredible characters she encounters in her rural town of Breathed, Ohio.Despite the hardship she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters and her father's brilliant stories are kindling for the fire of her own imagination, and in the face of all she bears witness to, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write.A heartbreaking yet magical story, Betty is a punch-in-the-gut of a novel - full of the crushing cruelty of human nature and the redemptive power of words. 'Not a story you will soon forget' Karen Joy Fowler, Booker Prize shortlisted author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves 'Shot through with moonshine, Bible verses, and folklore, Betty is about the cruelty we inflict on one another, the beauty we still manage to find, and the stories we tell in order to survive' Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow ChildEagle Voice Remembers: An Authentic Tale of the Old Sioux World
By John G. Neihardt. 1951
&“[Eagle Voice Remembers] is John Neihardt&’s mature and reflective interpretation of the old Sioux way of life. He served as…
a translator of the Sioux past, whose audience has proved not to be limited by space or time. Through Neihardt&’s writings Black Elk, Eagle Elk, and other old men who were of that last generation of Sioux to have participated in the old buffalo-hunting life and the disorienting period of strife with the U.S. Army found a literary voice. What they say chronicles a dramatic transition in the life of the Plains Indians; the record of their thoughts, interpreted by Neihardt, is a legacy preserved for the future. It transcends the specifics of this one tragic case of cultural misunderstanding and conflict and speaks to universal human concerns. It is a story worth contemplating both for itself and for the lessons it teaches all humanity.&”—from the introduction by Raymond J. DeMallie In her foreword Coralie Hughes discusses John G. Neihardt&’s intention that this book, formerly titled When the Tree Flowered, be understood as a prequel to his classic Black Elk Speaks. In this new edition David C. Posthumus adds clarity through his annotations, introducing Eagle Voice Remembers to a new generation of readers and presenting a fresh understanding for fans of the original.Pasquala: The Story of a California Indian Girl
By Gail Faber, Michele Lasagna. 1990
A young Yokuts Indian girl describes her life on the shores of Old Buena Vista Lake in central California and…
the events that led her to a Spanish mission outside the world of her people.Two Hawk Dreams
By Lawrence L. Loendorf, Nancy Medaris Stone. 2014
Bighorn sheep graze on the last of the green grass on Gets-Struck-By-Lightning Mountain in the late fall. Two Hawk’s father…
and older brother, Night Heron, set off through newly fallen snow to hunt with their dogs. Two Hawk is sad to be left behind, but he has heard the bull elk’s mating call for only seven seasons, too few to be old enough to hunt.So begins another day for a boy of the Tukudika (Sheep Eater) Shoshones, living in the traditional ways in what will one day be known as Yellowstone National Park. Two Hawk is learning those ways, accompanied by his dog, Gypsum, and a talkative magpie whose secrets only Two Hawk can hear. His adventures, beautifully illustrated by Davíd Joaquín, show Two Hawk, and the reader, the meaning of rituals and responsibilities and the mystical origins of Two Hawk’s name. Only the appearance of the hairy-face man who crosses paths with Two Hawk’s family suggests the vast changes that are soon to shake the Shoshones’ world.Indians Don't Cry: Gaawiin Mawisiiwag Anishinaabeg
By George Kenny, Renate Eigenbrod, Patricia M. Ningewance. 2014
George Kenny is an Anishinaabe poet and playwright who learned traditional ways from his parents before being sent to residential…
school in 1958. When Kenny published his first book, 1982’s Indians Don’t Cry, he joined the ranks of Indigenous writers such as Maria Campbell, Basil Johnston, and Rita Joe whose work melded art and political action. Hailed as a landmark in the history of Indigenous literature in Canada, this new edition is expected to inspire a new generation of Anishinaabe writers with poems and stories that depict the challenges of Indigenous people confronting and finding ways to live within urban settler society. Indians Don’t Cry: Gaawin Mawisiiwag Anishinaabeg is the second book in the First Voices, First Texts series, which publishes lost or underappreciated texts by Indigenous artists. This new bi-lingual edition includes a translation of Kenny’s poems and stories into Anishinaabemowin by Pat Ningewance and an afterword by literary scholar Renate Eigenbrod.Waterless Mountain
By Laura Adams Armer. 1959
Younger Brother lives in a dry land, and he dreams of finding the wide water of the Pacific Ocean. This…
gentle coming-of-age story, rooted in the traditional culture of the Navajo, recounts Younger Brother's journey toward finding his vocation as a medicine man. Under the guidance of his uncle, the boy learns about the ancient songs, customs, and ceremonies of his people as well as the modern-day magic of movies and airplanes. Written in the 1930s by an authority on Native American life and lore, this Newbery Medal winner offers a vivid portrait of Navajo beliefs and traditions.Betty: The International Bestseller
By Tiffany McDaniel.
'NOT A STORY YOU WILL SOON FORGET' Karen Joy Fowler, author of Man Booker Prize finalist We Are All Completely…
Beside Ourselves'A girl comes of age against the knife.' So begins the story of Betty Carpenter. Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a Cherokee father and white mother, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit is one of poverty and violence - both from outside the family and also, devastatingly, from within. When her family's darkest secrets are brought to light, Betty has no choice but to reckon with the brutal history hiding in the hills, as well as the heart-wrenching cruelties and incredible characters she encounters in her rural town of Breathed, Ohio.Despite the hardship she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters and her father's brilliant stories are kindling for the fire of her own imagination, and in the face of all she bears witness to, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write.A heartbreaking yet magical story, Betty is a punch-in-the-gut of a novel - full of the crushing cruelty of human nature and the redemptive power of words.Storyteller
By Leslie Marmon Silko. 2012
Now back in print—a classic work of Native American literature by the bestselling author of Ceremony Leslie Marmon Silko's groundbreaking…
book Storyteller, first published in 1981, blends original short stories and poetry influenced by the traditional oral tales that she heard growing up on the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico with autobiographical passages, folktales, family memories, and photographs. As she mixes traditional and Western literary genres, Silko examines themes of memory, alienation, power, and identity; communicates Native American notions regarding time, nature, and spirituality; and explores how stories and storytelling shape people and communities. Storyteller illustrates how one can frame collective cultural identity in contemporary literary forms, as well as illuminates the importance of myth, oral tradition, and ritual in Silko's own work. This edition includes a new introduction by Silko and previously unpublished photographs. .