A Little Bit Of Wisdowm is the first individual Nez Perce narrative publised in more than half a century and the first ever told exclusively in English. Although scores of volumes have been written about the Nez Perce people, almost all of them concentrate on the only war between the United Staes and the Nez Perce people, and especially upon young Joseph and the famous 1877 flight and surrender. By contrast, this book tells the personal story of Isluunts ( Horace Axtell), a contemporary Nez Perce elder and spiritual leader, who grew up in northern Idaho on a windy prairie speaking The Prairie dialect of his people. His great-grandfather fought and died in the battle at Bear Paw Mountains, but the story Horace tells inside the pages of this book is about growing up Christian while maintaining a strong tribal identity, about going to war and then to prison, and then coming home to rediscover the Long House and Sweat Lodge and the sacred practice of the Seven Drum Religion. It is a story he tells in his own plain-spoken style about what it means to speak two languages and to live simultaneously but harmoniously in two very different worlds. In these worlds Christianity and the native Nez Perce religion exist side-by-side in a careful relationship. But it is also a story about family and extended familyrelationships, about respect, tradition, patience, kindness, healing, and grace ( as well as their oppistes). Here then is one man's story of contemporary Nez Perce culture told with good will and plenty of gentle humor about some of life's most inewxplicable mysteries.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Seventy-two-year-old Axtell is a full-blood Nez Perce Indian. His chance meeting at a powwow with documentary filmmaker Aragon resulted in this book of reminiscences, thoughts, and teachings. Roughly chronological, this collection of conversations meanders through Axtell's childhood in Idaho to his enlistment in the army during World War II and his brush with the law and imprisonment in 1949. An early release and attempts to turn his life around back home culminated in his marching in Clinton's 1993 inaugural parade. Born a Christian in a family that also followed Nez Perce spiritual traditions, Axtell slowly became a practitioner and eventual leader of the traditional Nez Perce Long House religion only in his forties. Aragon functions mostly as a transcriber here, allowing Axtell to tell in his own way about his life and beliefs. Highly readable, this work stands alongside Joseph Iron Eyes Dudley's Choteau Creek: A Sioux Reminiscence (Univ. of Nebraska, 1992) and Joseph Medicine Crow's From the Heart of the Crow Country (Crown, 1992) as 20th-century oral histories from voices rarely given the chance to speak.?Lisa A. Mitten, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
That's pronounced "nez-purse," not "nez-pierce," and that's just one of the things to learn from this highly readable book about the Indian nation whose traditional lands are part of what is now Washington and Idaho. Axtell and Aragon weave the traditions of the people of Chief Joseph ("I will fight no more forever" ) with contemporary questions of religion and culture into a fabric that reflects the life of a single man, Nez Perce spiritual leader Axtell, whose grandmother was a Christian but whose great-aunt was a medicine woman. Although he has chosen the latter way, his respect for the spirit, however it shows itself, is palpable. Finding the path of the spirit entailed for him a quest whose way stations he documents with Aragon's help and which included the temptations of liquor, the ambiguous benefits of military service, the promptings of relatives who kept the old ways, and the call of the powwow trail. More than an autobiography, his story is the document of a people's struggle. Patricia Monaghan
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A provocative and honest depiction of tribal wisdom,
This review is from: A Little Bit of Wisdom: Conversations with a Nez Perce Elder (Hardcover)
Horace Axtell speaks in simple and straightforward language about his Nez Perce heritage and cultural teachings, in a manner that is both humble and powerful. One learns of the relevance for life that he has attained only through experience, and sometimes hardship, in his many years and roles. Of particular importance to me was his time spent in Japan shortly after the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945 -- to see the mass destruction from the eyes of a Native American and learn of the compassion that can surface even in the midst of ruin and death was a compellling chapter. But there are lighter moments too, as Axtell speaks of his grandmother and her sense of humor. Unlike other "spiritual guidance" books, this work does not judge, beguile, or confront the reader. It's a friendly and open invitation to learn how the trail of one's life can shape a person's soul. And despite challenges such as racism, ignorance, and family conflicts, dignity and courage can still be earned.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Recording Oral Stories And Recollections,
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This review is from: A Little Bit of Wisdom: Conversations with a Nez Perce Elder (Hardcover)
I purchased this book because I had the privilege of seeing Horace Axtell on several occasions, and because I am a firm believer in the need to record oral traditions. (I have done so through the Montana Historical Society, obtaining an interview for them with my friend, mentor, and former chair of the Native American Studies Departments at the University of Montana and Montana State University.) As with all oral history, to really "learn" one must "listen," not read, the stories and recollections. Perhaps co-author Margo Aragon, or the Idaho Historical Society, have the recordings and can some day make them available. In the mean time we have the transcript that we can "read."
Let me be clear, "A Little Bit of Wisdom: Conversations With a Nez Perce Elder" will not appeal to many readers for several reasons. One, the book retains the "English as a second language" syntax (sentence structure) that Horace Axtell uses. Second, the "deep meaning" of what is being told can easily be missed and/or lost in the stories repetitiveness inherent to Native American speech. Third, while one learns much about Horace Axtell, a Nez Perce elder that I personally respect, the reader does not garner much "cultural" or "historical" information about the Nez Perce from the book. Granted, the reader can sense the sincere reverence Horace Axtell has for his Nez Perce traditions, but details are politely left unsaid. Fourth, Horace Axtell tells it as he sees it--which I personally like--which may be offensive or "boring" to some readers. Keep in mind, this is not a biography, a history, an ethnography, or a novel. If you can do that, then "A Little Bit of Wisdom: Conversations With a Nez Perce Elder" may be something to look into. I have rated the book four stars because I feel the book, by the very nature of it's content, cannot adequately convey in words that which must be oral. Moreover, if I did not have two advanced degrees in Native American Studies, if I had not taught Native American Studies, if I had not spent years studying the Nez Perce, and if I did not have what I hope is a fairly reasonable understanding of various Native American cultural ways, I am unsure if I would have enjoyed the book. Then, again, I may be overly jaded in my perspectives, having encountered so many individuals who either think they "know" everything about Native Americans or hold overt and/or covert prejudices--many to the point of oblivious bigotry. On the other hand, if you love listening to your "grandparents" or elders tell stories and their own recollections, "A Little Bit of Wisdom: Conversations With a Nez Perce Elder" well could be your "cup of tea." And, there is in deed wisdom to be uncovered. As I think Horace Axtell would put it, we all can learn if something is told us in the right way; and what each person learns may be different from another person. AND, each time we read "A Little Bit of Wisdom: Conversations With a Nez Perce Elder," we may learn or put to mind a different understanding than before. Update--1 July 2008: If this review was not helpful to you, I would appreciate learning the reason(s) so I can improve my reviews. My goal is to provide help to potential buyers, not get into any arguments. So, if you only disagree with my opinion, could you please say so in the comments and not indicate that the review was not helpful. Thanks.
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