Book Review: How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet

How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet: Native American Animal Origin Stories collected and retold by Gerald Hausman, illustrated by Ashley Wolff, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 1995.

This book tells seven Native American animal origin stories.  They are Navajo four, Koasati Creek two and Tsimsian one.  They tell stores like why Coyote has yellow eyes, and chipmunk has tiny feet.  It seems the animals make bad decisions and then are rescued by mother earth.  I like this book because I like to learn of Indian origin stories.

Book Review: A Braid of Lives: Native American Childhood

A Braid of Lives: Native American Childhood edited by Neil Philip, Clarion Books, New York, The Albion Press 2000.

A common theme of childhood Native American is the desire to be an adult.  This is seen over and o ver again in the stories included in the book.  Also of concern is childhood is development of a spiritual self.  This book includes the stories about 50 Native Americans looking back at their childhoods.  There are girl wanting to be like their mothers, and boys playing at war.  There was being forced to get up early and running and swimming so as to be able to withstand the pressures of war.  There are also stories of people form many different tribes.  A Lakota boy at age nine pierced his sister's  ears who was four.  This is usually done by a medicine person with a bone and a giveaway and with songs.  As this was lacking father did a big giveaway and gave the son's horse away.  There were lots of sports and games, such as games like hockey of shooting arrows at hoops.  Some girls enjoyed dolls, and others not so much.  There were a few stories about Indian school and being forced to talk English and cut their hair.