Customer Reviews

Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream (Portraits of American Genius)

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Mabel McKay, Weaving the Dream is a profound, poetic, and magical journey. I have read it aloud a number of times to savor its depths. If you have any desire to know Native Californians as human beings rather than museum pieces, you may want to start here. The book, which is steeped in the oral tradition inspired me to write the following poem which was published some years back through U.C. Davis.

Mabel McKay (Weaving Poem) (by Norm Milstein, 7/97)

Plumage of a Pomo basket
Flame of feathers blue and black
Strung with glistening abalone
Rimmed with ivory disks of shell.

Read her book slowly or not at all.
She believed that stories should be heard many times
To sink in and merge with the heart of the hearer
To sink like pebbles in the soul of the listener
To grow like seeds in the earth of our minds.

Read her book slowly or not at all.
Better still, read it aloud.
Taste each word and savor the flavor
Of willow and redbud and sedge.

"I never knew nothing but the spirit," she said.
"Only the spirit trained me.
I only follow my Dream. That's how I learn."

Plumage of a Pomo basket
Flame of feathers blue and black
Strung with glistening abalone
Rimmed with ivory disks of shell.

Read her book slowly or not at all.
She believed that stories should be heard many times
To sink in and merge with the heart of the hearer
To sink like pebbles in the soul of the listener
To grow like seeds in the earth of our minds.

Read her book slowly or not at all.
Better still, read it aloud.
Taste each word and savor the flavor
Of willow and redbud and sedge.

"I never knew nothing but the spirit," she said.
"Only the spirit trained me.
I only follow my Dream. That's how I learn."

I read this book for an anthropology class that i am taking, and i found it to be very good. We get a first hand account of what role Mable McKay played for the Pomo Indians as a medicine women and as a basket weaver. Everything that she did was for a purpose, even though at times she had to deal with not everyone accepting her. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Native American ways of life

This is just a wonderful piece of writing, one which keeps resonating with me, even several years after first reading it. This book should have more readers, and seeing so few reviews for it, I want to argue for it as a must read on anybody's list. We all know books or speakers, writers and lecturers who could take any subject and make it worthwhile, just to spend time in their company. Greg Sarris is one of those magical presences we can be lucky enough to get to know through the medium of the page. Saying this is not intended to undercut the amazing person of Mabel Mckay, by the way. The way the past present and future weave in and out of this book, her stories, Greg's life, the future of land use in California... all of this is here, an enticing mix of POV's, passed around like a sacred pipe.

A great read....

I really liked this book. At first it was difficult to follow, but then I kept wanting to read more. I chose this book because I live in Lake County and wanted to learn about the Pomo peoples and their history. I not only feel that I learned a lot, but also got an inside glimpse direclty from a true Medicine woman. The story is at times jumbled but always interesting because it isn't just a biography of facts. It is about her connection with spirit and the Dream world and how this was her life. And it's about a time and culture very different from how most people grew up. So it's a real learning-curve to read about these traditions that we just know so little about. I recommend this to anyone who's interested in learning about the rich history and traditions and peoples who lived (and still live) here today.

I also (like another reviewer) read this for an Anthropology Class. I loved this book. I am very interested in Native Americans, especially Californians because I was born here. It was a little confusing and random in the beginning, but that's the author's way of trying to capture how Mabel McKay's culture/worldview is so different from ours. She doesn't see her life in a linear fashion. Her point of reference is the Spirit. It taught her everything. This idea is very contrary to American culture, so one must have an open mind when reading it. But, it is a very interesting story of her life and how life was many years ago before most of the Indians of the old life ways disappeared. It is also a VERY quick read - a few hours. Once I got a few pages in, I couldn't put it down.

Thank you Greg Sarris for writing about Mabel McKay. Words cannot describe the beauty of Mabel McKay's story. Her baskets and stories still live in the whispers of Cache Creek.

I bought the book used, but it is still in good condition. Fast shipping is a plus.

I read this for my book club. It was pretty good, though let's be honest... i have a very low interest in native american culture. It was pretty cool to learn about the transition from back then to modern times, and how the native american indian culture transformed to adapt. Especially here in the northern california area. Worthwhile read with amazing information.