Category: Native American - READING STYLE GUIDE

We Are Still Here

11/29/2021

We Are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know
by Traci Sorell art by Frané Lessac

We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know introduces critical issues in a format that is readily accessible for young readers. The narrative features presentations for Indigenous People's Day on the topics of "Assimilation," " Allotment," "Indian New Deal," "Termination," "Relocation," "Tribal Activism," "Self Determination," "Indian Child Welfare and Education," "Religious Freedom," "Economic Development," "Language Revival," and "Sovereign Resurgence."

While the Native Nations Community School students are fictional, the history and ongoing conditions described are accurate.

Text simply yet precisely defines each concept, gives background information, offers concrete examples, and concludes with the powerful refrain "We are still here!"

Vivid folk art illustrations span each two-page spread and are representative of a particular time period. Cover art features tribal flags.

Back matter: Information, Timeline, Glossary, Sources, and Author's Note provide resources for further study.

Sorell and Lessace have created an excellent introduction to the story and ongoing struggles of Native Nations. Superb volume for classroom, school, and public libraries.

Electronic copy accessed via publisher.

Pub date: April 20, 2019 Publisher: Charlesbridge ISBN: 978-1623541927

A Tale of Two Worlds

11/20/2021

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

“Recuerda nuestra historia.” Remember our history.

Little Badger has done it again: creating another storytelling marvel. Seemingly unconnected narratives spanning over eight years and alternating between two distinctive worlds are magically woven together.

Cottonmouth snake Oli lives in the Reflecting World, home of spirits and monsters. He is devastated when his friend Ami, a small spotted toad, disappears. Oli recruits three spirit animals who can assume human form to help him search for Ami who is gravely ill and faces possible extinction. The companions leave the Reflecting World and "fall" to Earth, hoping to locate and save one small toad.

On Earth, sixteen-year-old Nina is puzzled by comments made by her Great-Great-Grandma Rosita and seeks answers from her Grandma. Both women are an enigma. Why do animals mysteriously recover in Grandma’s presence? What accounts for Rosita’s unusually long life?

When a major hurricane is projected to make landfall near Grandma’s South Texas property, Nina along with her father and the spirit animals join forces to save Grandma’s home from destruction.

The two worlds are well delineated. Characters are fully formed with unique personalities. The narrative sparkles with numerous charming details: a nearsighted snake who wears spectacles, a cantankerous alligator with a score to settle, a father habitually consuming all the chocolates in the candy dish, a grandmother who delights in gifting garage sale purchases.

The story's conclusion is dramatic, taking on mythic proportions. A devasting hurricane. A species facing extinction. A mysterious individual who seems inordinately interested in Grandma’s property. Impossible odds.
Extraordinary forces are at work here: the ability to shape nature and the overarching power of love. A Snake Falls to Earth, a 2021 National Book Award longlist selection, is a fascinating tale and a literary masterpiece.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: November 23, 2021 Publisher: Levine Querido ISBN: 978-1646140923

Questions and Answers

4/6/2021

Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers Edition by Anton Treur

I was not just another Indian. No Indian really is.
Because we are so often imagined and so infrequently well understood.

It begins at the cover with intricate eye-catching beadwork created by Jana Schmieding (Lakota). The floral motifs, a hallmark of Ojibwe decorative arts, reflect the author's heritage. This book promises to be unique.

Treur has adapted his 2012 book of the same title for a younger audience. It follows a question and answer format and is divided into sections covering a variety of topics such as History, Religion, Culture & Identity, Tribal Languages, Economics, Education, and Social Activism.

The volume can be read cover to cover for a broad introduction the subject. Some readers may choose to take a deep dive into a specific topic. Others may opt to peruse the Contents or Index for questions of particular interest. Skimming through the book and pausing to digest fascinating factoids is another approach. It is possible to read the book differently each time you pick it up.

This edition presents bite-sized chunks of information that suit the needs and interests for a wide audience. It also considers contemporary issues such as racism, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and DNA testing.

A conclusion suggests ways for both Natives and non Natives to advance toward better understanding. Back matter contains Notes, Photo Credits, Acknowledgements, Recommended Reading by topic, and an Index.

Everything You Want to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask is universal in its scope and simultaneously deeply personal. Treuer, a professor with advanced academic degrees and the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, brings an educator's perspective to the book. The addition of personal anecdotes, clever asides, and family photos give the work a distinctive quality and "keep it real." An excellent addition to public, school, and classroom libraries.

Treuer talks about creating a book for young readers.

Questions. Many Questions.

This book considers over 175 questions. Here are a few:

How many tribal languages are spoken in the Americas?
What is the real story of Thanksgiving?
What's it like for Natives who don't look like Natives?
Can a non-Native person get an Indian name?

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: April 6, 2021 Publisher: Levine Querido; Young Readers edition ISBN: 978-1646140459

Clay and Creation

4/1/2021

Shaped By Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez
by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales art by Aphelandra

“The Great Spirit gave me (hands) that work...but not for myself, but for all my Tewa people.”

Maria Povika Martinez created distinctive pottery that is highly prized by collectors. Her great granddaughter Barbara Gonzales and art educator Anna Harbor Freeman collaborated to tell her story with a picture book for young readers.

Maria lived in San Idlefonso Pueblo near Santa Fe, New Mexico where clay was an abundant resource. As a girl, she was fascinated with the process of creating pottery. When her early efforts were not successful, she turned to ko-kōo Nicolasa to teach her. Her aunt used Tewa traditional methods: combining clay with water and volcanic ash, rolling the mixture into coils, then building the pot’s walls and firing the vessels for hours in a pottery fire. Each step was accompanied by special prayers.

While still a young woman, Maria married and became a mother but never gave up her work as a potter.

Her earthenware came to the attention of an archaeologist who presented her with a fragment of black pottery. Maria was intrigued. She and her husband Julian experimented and discovered a process for making shiny black pots. Blackware fashioned by Maria and her family became a valuable collector's item.

In addition to describing pottery making, the narrative emphasizes culture, traditions, and religious practices of the Tewa. The authors use several Native terms which can be understood by using the illustrations and context clues for support. Aphelandra’s color palette of deep reds blending into rich golds and rising to a turquoise sky serves as a backdrop for Blackware. It is interesting to note that over time Maria's simple style of dress remains constant.

Shaped By Her Hands is a moving tribute to a great grandmother and her Native traditions. Excellent introduction to the technique of creating ceramics.

Back matter includes additional information on Maria Povika Martinez, Tewa People, San Idlefonso Pueblo, Authors Notes, and Selected Resources.

Blackware began as a joint enterprise for Maria and Julian. He is credited with painting many of the pot’s intricate designs. Currently, six generations of Maria and Julian’s descendants continue her legacy.

Maria's Blackware is considered fine art. Her signed pieces are worth thousands. She was awarded several honorary degrees and invited to the White House. She and her husband demonstrated pottery making in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Her work can be viewed online.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SkUGm87DE0k
http://indianartsandculture.org/exhibits/maria/index.html
https://kinggalleries.com/brand/martinez-maria/

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: April 1, 2021 Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company ISBN: 978-0807575994

More than Bread

12/20/2019

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
by Kevin Noble Maillard ill by Juana Martinez-Neal

Native American is not a past history of a vanished people and communities. We are still here.

This is a story of bread. But it's more than bread. Much more. This is a story of family. Of tradition. Of Native American pride.

Kevin Noble Maillard, member of Seminole Nation, Mekusukey Band shares a long-standing Indigenous special food: fry bread. Recipes for fry bread are as diverse as the numerous Native nations.

The sentence stem "Fry bread is..." introduces this delightful cultural staple. By turns it is food, shape, sound, color. flavor, time, history, place, nation, everything. Written in free verse, each concept fills the entire two-page spread. Replete with information and symbolism, each fry bread attribute is also a metaphor for Native Americans.

Familiar and foreign, old and new
We come together

Martinez-Neal has captured the warmth and closeness of family. Notice the infant, carried in the arms of various family members. This child is a part of the extended family, happily content with mother, grandmother, siblings. Each shares responsibility for this little one. Note: the child seems comfortable with any and all members of the community.

Illustrations make clear that there is no typical Native American. An array of hair colors and textures, a vast range of skin tones, and an assortment of various generations are all Indigenous people. One individual is pictured wearing eyeglasses and another walking with a cane.

Personal connections are embedded throughout. Names of family members and others involved with the book's creation are scattered across one page, some of the names handwritten. A picture of Aunt Fannie, who taught Maillard to make this traditional staple appears twice.

The Author's Note is an important and integral part of the story. Page by page, Maillard annotates and amplifies each concept with personal reflections and anecdotes. The Reference section is a numerated notated listing of sources. Maillard includes his recipe from fry bread. End papers are a bonus, enumerating large tribes, small tribes, rancherias, villages, and groups that have not yet received official status.

Making Fry Bread

If there is one thing that all Natives can agree upon about fry bread, it’s that everybody else's version is wrong,

Fry Bread brings back warm memories. When I was a college freshman, one of my roommates, Norma, was a Navajo from Arizona. She was very proud of her nationality and delighted in sharing Navajo culture with her roommates. She loved to sing, but not the hit songs playing on the radio. She sang traditional Navajo songs, with distinctive tonal patterns, and language. In my mind, I can still hear her singing. She was gentle and patient with us, helping us appreciate the Navajo Way.

For a treat, she would make us Navajo tacos. She never used a recipe. She just got out the flour and baking powder and went to work. Her recipe differed from Maillard’s. She didn’t use cornmeal or yeast.
I tried to replicate Norma’s recipe. I’m sure that this isn’t exactly the same, but my family appreciated my efforts. They liked them sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. As I shared my memories of Norma, I realized that this experience with fry bread was a celebration of rich culture. It’s true. Fry Bread is more than bread.

Fry bread reflects the vast, deep diversity of Indian Country and these is no single way of making this special food.
But it brings diverse Indigenous communities together through a shared culinary and cultural experience.
That's the beauty of fry bread.

Copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: October 22, 2019 Publisher: Roaring Brook Press ISBN: 978-1626727465

Weave Me a Story

9/17/2019

At the Mountain's Base by Traci Sorell ill by Weshoyot Alvitre

Sorell's cumulative verse begins beneath a hickory tree at the base of a mountain. The scene zooms in to reveal a cabin beneath the spreading branches of the tree. Stepping inside the cabin, readers see a simple yet welcoming home. Generations of Cherokee women watch as a grandma picks up fibers and weaves a pattern. She is intertwining more than strands of colored wool. She is weaving together a family, bound by love and tradition.
Her threads extend beyond the walls of the cabin and encompass a family member far away.
A pilot flying far away in war-ravaged skies senses the influence of her grandma's songs and prayers. It is a prayer is for peace and a safe return.

An Author's Note explains that while this story fictional, it is based on the service of one Native American woman, Ola Mildred "MIllie" Rexroat an OgLaLa Lakota pilot.

Alvitre's evocative illustrations highlight Native American culture and the strong influence of the family matriarch. My favorite illustration is a two-page spread close-up of grandma's gnarled arthritic hands as she weaves. Her years of devotion to family and her craft are a testament to a grandmother's care for her family.

At the Mountain's Base offers a glimpse into a tightly knit structure that treasures home and family.

The Art of Weaving

My family's roots are in the American Southwest. Through marriage, friendships, and partnerships, we have learned to appreciate and respect the Navajo Nation. We were blessed to receive a beautiful hand-woven blanket, made from natural fibers and woven in a pattern similar to the blanket featured in the video.
I have always admired the intricately woven baskets similar to those created by Native American artist Shan Goshorn.

Cumulative Verse

Explore these wonderful cumulative tales. They might inspire youngsters to try writing their own cumulative verse.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher

Pub date: September 17, 2019 Publisher: Kokila ISBN: 978-0735230606

Picture This: Three Cultural Snapshots

1/1/2019

"one of the reasons I pick up the camera - to find understanding"
Isabel Quintero

Meet three women: one an important modern artist and two fictional characters. They share a passion for photography. Each uses a camera to tell stories and explore "the many angles to truth" Quintero. Each uses the lens of her unique cultural heritage to bring relevance and importance to her work.

From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon

Twinkle feels that she is a "nobody." Ignored by her parents, she longs to be noticed at school. An opportunity to shine comes when Twinkle is asked to direct a movie for the local arts festival.
Film geek Sahil has offered to help produce her filmmaking debut. They brainstorm an imaginative story concept, turning the classic Dracula into a gender-reversal version. But Sahil clearly wants more than just a business relationship.
Twinkle has an ongoing crush on Sahil's athletic superstar twin brother Neil. When she begins receiving anonymous emails from a secret admirer, Twinkle assumes (hopes) that the sender is Neil.
Menon uses a series of imaginary emails that Twinkle sends to famous women of filmdom in this story of finding where one's heart lies.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: May 22, 2018 Publisher: Simon Pulse ISBN: 978-1481495400

Rain is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Fourteen-year-old Cassidy Rain Berghoff, still mourning the death of her best friend, agrees to photograph the local newspaper's story of this summer's Indian Camp, organized by her Aunt Georgia. Prominent members of this mostly white Kansas community protest the use of public funds for Indian Camp.
Rain's heritage includes Muscogee Creek-Cherokee, Scots-Irish and Irish-German-Ojibway. Her mother refers to the loving, close-knit family as her "patchwork tribe."
After introductory pages detailing her friend's tragic death, readers follow Rain's chronological description of nine days: June 26 to July 4. Smith begins each chapter with a journal excerpt which gives the narrative intimacy and poignancy.
Rain uses her camera to help her face the world after her heartbreaking loss, acknowledge her heritage, and bring closure and peace to her heart.

Book accessed from public library

Pub date: June 19, 2001 Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 978-0688173975

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide
by Isabel Quintero ill Zeke Peña

Quintero and Peña employ a mixed media approach to this biographical graphic novel illuminating the life and work of Graciela Iturbide. The pastiche of eloquent text, artfully arranged sequential panels, and photographs blend together seamlessly.

Quintero's glorious text is rich with layers of meaning. Peña's realistic line drawings combined with black and white photographs and artful panel and page design provide a stellar reading experience. This biography is much more than a chronology. It is a celebration of art, creation, and culture.

"I photograph and exist in the in-between: those spaces where unknown worlds, real and imagined intersect."

Published copy

Pub date: March 6, 2018 Publisher: Harry N. Abrams ISBN: 978-1947440005

Living Language

4/3/2018

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code:
A Navajo Code Talkers Story
by Joseph Bruchac ill Liz Amini-Holmes

His spirit stayed unbroken.

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story is an inspiring retelling of the life, courage and important contributions of Chester Nez.
Joseph Bruchac organizes Nez's story chronologically, using descriptive names of Navajo months as page headings.
In October 1929, Month of Small Wind, an eight-year-old boy named Betoli leaves his family home to attend boarding school. Immediately he is stripped of his Navajo name and given the English name of Chester. The school's objective is to help Navajo children "survive in the white man's world." They accomplish this by systematically removing and erasing all traces of Navajo language, religion, and culture.

While Chester successfully masters the English language, he loves and longs for the language and traditions of his people. He makes a concerted effort to retain his Native tongue and his connection Navajo heritage.

In 1941, during the Month of Crusted Snow, tenth grade student Chester Nez resolves to serve his country. Along with a group of Navajo men who speak both English and Navajo, he develops an unbreakable code developed to relay information in the Pacific Theater during World War II. This code becomes a key communication component used by the U.S, military.

Using simple, yet powerful language Bruchac conveys the majesty and enduring strength of Navajo religion, traditions, and language. The book makes it clear that pride in his heritage and a determination to retain his identity and language is a defining aspect of Chester Nez’s character.

Illustrations by Liz Amini-Holmes boldly fill each page with images that are both realistic and highly symbolic. Large black birds flying off with strands of his shorn locks is graphically arresting. Likewise, the two-page spread with a praying altar boy facing a boy praying outside a Hogan stand in stark contrast to each other.

Back matter includes an author's note which provides information on Nez's life following World War II and his decision to finally tell his story. A portion of the Navajo Code, including the alphabet letters is accompanied by corresponding Navajo words and literal translations. Frequently used battle words as well as the months of the year are fascinating insights into this complex code. A timeline of Chester Nez's life is helpful.

This picture book biography is an excellent addition for libraries, enriching historical accounts of United States History, especially during 1939-1945. A tribute to the heroic actions of a Native American, emphasizing the importance of indigenous languages and cultures.

He kept his feet on the trail of beauty.

Keeping the Language Alive

The Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Tribal Empowerment Library located near El Paso in west Texas, actively works to keep alive the language and cultural of these indigenous Native Americans. Representatives from the Texas Library Association visited the tribal library to learn more.

Review based on text and images from uncorrected copy.

Pub date: April 3, 2018 Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company ISBN: 978-0807500071