Customer Reviews

The Coyote Bead

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A family tale of the Dineh, The Coyote Bead retells a heroic battle between the boy Tobachischin and his lethal enemy, Two-Face, the Ute bounty hunter killer incarnation of Coyote, the trickster god. The factual, sparse graceful prose style underlines the terrifying and bloody conflict of evil and good. Hausman's writing quivers and reverberates with underlying song power magic. The bravery of Tobachischin and his protective shaman Grandfather are contrasted with the evil cowardice of the Blue Coats (eeyoni) and their minions the Utes, who brutally murder and herd the Dineh on a 350 mile forced march to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, from Canyon Del Muerto, Arizona. Many Dineh died. This is a tale of a heroic few who survived and used the sacred land and animal helpers to build a new identity despite their pain and suffering. The Coyote Bead is beautifully written for young adults.

Gerald Hausman is one of Americas greatest living writers and a glorious human being. It is not by imagination alone, nor skill, that makes a great writer. It is also the spirit that resides within the writer and the experiences that make up a writer's life. In the case: spirit, experience, vision, along with a good mixture of imagination make Hausman a master of the writer's craft. Read his work. Enjoy his talent. See the world from his view, and learn.

The Coyote Bead, by Gerald Hausman, is a book for Young Adults. It's the story of a young Navajo boy who survived an attack on his people by the "blue coats" (U.S. federal forces sent to relocate them). Not only must he escape from the blue coats, he's also pursued by Two-Face, a Ute Indian bent on destroying him. The boy, Tobachischin, has only the contents of his grandfather's magic pouch with which to defend himself. These include an arrow straightener, a horsehair whip, a porcupine quill comb, some red powder, and a blue bead called the coyote bead. Each item has been invested with powerful magic, and each, in turn, saves Tobachischin from death. The coyote bead must be reunited with a white coyote bead, carried by Two-Face. Tobachischin must therefore meet face-to-face with his powerful enemy. When the meeting takes place, Tobachischin uses his courage and cunning to defeat Two-Face. He then continues on his quest to live in the mountains with the remnants of his people. The story is a retelling of the near-destruction of the Navajo people and their renewal. They practice a coyote beadway ceremony, designed to "balance the opposing energies of peace and violence, harmony and war." The Navajo recovered from the devastating losses imposed upon them by the blue coats and are today a thriving nation. Although Coyote Bead is written for young adults, I think its meant for people of all ages, as I'm in the fifth decade of my life, and the story entranced me. Hausman is a skilled and exceptionally poetic writer. His work can be savored simply for good storytelling, as well for a personal understanding of a tragic event in American history.

The Coyote Bead, by Gerald Hausman, is a book for young adults. It's the story of a Navajo boy who survived an attack on his people by the "blue coats" (U.S. federal forces sent to relocate them). Not only must he escape from the blue coats, he's also pursued by Two-Face, a Ute Indian bent on destroying him. The boy, Tobachischin, has only the contents of his grandfather's magic pouch with which to defend himself. These include an arrow straightener, a horsehair whip, a porcupine quill comb, some red powder, and a blue bead called the coyote bead. Each item has been invested with powerful magic, and each, in turn, saves Tobachischin from death. The coyote bead must be reunited with a white coyote bead, carried by Two-Face. Tobachischin must therefore meet face-to-face with his powerful enemy. When the meeting takes place, Tobachischin uses his courage and cunning to defeat Two-Face. He then continues on his quest to live in the mountains with the remnants of his people. The story is a retelling of the near-destruction of the Navajo people and their renewal. They practice a coyote beadway ceremony, designed to "balance the opposing energies of peace and violence, harmony and war." The Navajo recovered from the devastating losses imposed upon them by the blue coats and are today a thriving nation. Although Coyote Bead is written for young adults, I think its meant for people of all ages, as I'm in the fifth decade of my life, and the story entranced me. Hausman is a skilled and exceptionally poetic writer. His work can be savored simply for good storytelling, as well for a personal understanding of a tragic event in American history.

Sandra I. Smith, Reviewer