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QCB
PM197.E3D36SNE
Dancing
Teepees
Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
First.
1989.
Holiday House
32 pages
Ages: k-12 Rating:
Harmful |
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| Five original poems by Mrs.Sneve, one by Calvin
O’John and thirteen excerpts taken from anthropological and
ethnographical books, referring to ceremonies for children or young
adults, from within such tribes as: Lakota
Sioux, Omaha, Hopi, Paiute, Zuni, Makah, Crow, Ute-Navajo, Mescalero
Apache, Navaho, Dakota, Osage, and Wintu.
Illustrations use a combination of colored pencil and pastel
watercolors to depict tribal affiliations.
Review:
An enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe
Virginia Sneve has tried to make a children’s book out of
anthropological recordings of ceremonial songs without giving any back
ground into the actual ceremonies or giving the reader any information on
the tribes themselves. The
excerpts having been translated into English seemingly loosing meaning and
rhythm, and without any back ground information on the tribes or
ceremonies readers will be disadvantage in the understandings or meanings
of the writings. If this book is going to be used in the classroom, the
original journals/reports/books should be available for reference
purposes.
Passages to think about:
“Far to the west,
Far by the sky
Stands a blue elk.
That elk standing yonder
Watches over all the daughters
On the earth.”
Dakota Elk Song
It would help to know what the ceremony is
celebrating, what the significance of the elk is, and why would they watch
over the daughters? Would
this be sung anytime of year, during a specific ceremony?
Marlette
Grant-Jackson – ITEPP-CRC |
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