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Thursday, July 25, 2002Subject: BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: Indian tales recount myths, troubles BOOKS FOR CHILDREN Indian tales recount myths, troubles By Jane Lichtenberg jane.lichtenberg@indystar.com July 21, 2002 http://www.indystar.com/article.php?janekidsnative21.html Tales and legends of the many American Indian tribes have long fascinated children. Their stories are an integral part of the nation's history, as is the inhumane treatment by settlers headed west and the U.S. government. Several new books for children explore the traditions, ways of life and legends of these tribes. "Navajo Long Walk: The Tragic Story of a Proud People's Forced March From Their Homeland," by Joseph Bruchac (National Geographic Books, $18.95), explains how the government forced the Navajo in the 1860s from their land, Dinetah, in northern Arizona to an isolated reservation. Author Bruchac recalls the history of the Navajo people and tells what led to Kit Carson's Army raid of the canyon, which destroyed homes, crops and the harmony that is the guiding force of the Navajo people. Shonto Begay, a Navajo, created striking illustrations for the book that reveal the hardships of his people during this little-known time. In 1863, 1864 and 1866, groups of Navajo, numbering in the thousands, were forced by Army troops to walk 470 miles from Fort Defiance in eastern Arizona to Fort Sumner west of Albuquerque, N.M. Those too sick or weak to keep up were left behind to die. Once at Fort Sumner, food was scarce and other bands of Indians raided their livestock. Following the Civil War, public opposition to the terrible conditions at the Navajo reservation forced the government to allow the people to return to their homeland, Bruchac explains. Two traditional tales of the Lakota people are recounted by Paul Goble in "The Return of the Buffaloes" and "The Legend of the White Buffalo Woman" (National Geographic, $7.95 each). In "The Return," Goble explains that for the nomadic peoples of the High Plains, "the buffalo was a gift from the Great Spirit, and supplied almost everything material which they needed." When the herds wandered far away, famine resulted. Goble has adapted the Lakota myth of the mysterious woman who brings back the buffalo. "She is one of the Buffalo People sent . . . to tell humankind of their great love and the gift of themselves so that people can live." "The Blue Roses" by Linda Boyden, a Cherokee, is a contemporary native American story about the special relationship between a young girl, Rosalie, and her grandfather, who plants a rosebush the day she is born. As she grows, he teaches her about gardening and comforts her when seeds she sows die. "Everything has its time to die. New or old, it doesn't matter," Rosalie's grandfather explains. When the old man dies, Rosalie dreams of a garden with a trellis of beautiful blue roses, a vision that shows her how to keep her grandfather in her heart forever. The book is beautifully illustrated by Amy Cordova, with the Indian characters and settings in bold primary colors (Lee and Low Books, $16.95). ============================ posted by Webmaster@ AIM Support 3:42 PM Last updated:
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