Bruchac, Joseph & Ross, Gayle. The girl who married the moon; tales from Native North America.BRUCHAC, Joseph & ROSS, Gayle. The girl who married the moon; tales from Native North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . Fulcrum fulcrum: see lever. . 115p. bibliog. c1994. 1-55591-566-3. $9.99. JSA JSA - Japanese Standards Association. Sixteen tales from Native North America emphasize the often-misunderstood character of women in pre-European culture. These stories have been collected from all parts of the country, four each from the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. From the Penobscot tribe, for example, we read of a brave girl named Arrowhead arrowhead, any plant of the genus Sagittaria, widely distributed marsh or aquatic herbs of the primitive family Alismataceae (water-plantain family). The name derives from the arrowhead-shaped leaves of many species. Finger, who is captured by an enemy tribe and withstands torture by using her intimate knowledge of plants to heal her burned fingers. She escapes but not before giving birth to a magical baby. Another girl is abandoned by jealous friends who want her intended husband for themselves. With the help of the Underwater People she escapes and returns to marry and thrive. Other girls defeat monsters and one saves her brother on the battlefield. Seven women during menstruation menstruation, periodic flow of blood and cells from the lining of the uterus in humans and most other primates, occurring about every 28 days in women. Menstruation commences at puberty (usually between age 10 and 17). defeat a monster because of their power to give birth and create new life. An Apache Apache (əpăch`ē), Native North Americans of the Southwest composed of six culturally related groups. They speak a language that has various dialects and belongs to the Athabascan branch of the Nadene linguistic stock (see Native American coming-of-age ceremony is the subject of another tale. A tribal feud feud, formalized private warfare, especially between family groups. The blood feud (see vendetta) is characteristic of those societies in which central government either has not arisen or has decayed. leads to the deaths of two young lovers. The final story, from the island of Kodiak, tells how a Pandora-like girl marries the moon but looks where she shouldn't. Her curiosity does not lead to disaster for mankind. Instead she is rewarded with the task of carrying the moon from the time it is full until the moon grows dark. In all the stories the girls are powerful, brave, wise, and caring. As Gayle Ross says, "The stories are the teachers. May their spirit travel with you." This volume is a companion book to Bruchac's Flying with the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear, a collection of Native American tales that focuses on boys' rites of passage. An excellent book for YAs. J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries. Janet Julian, English Teacher (retired), Grafton, MA |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion