Customer Reviews

Native Time: An Historical Timeline of Native America

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Having Native Time on your bookshelf or bedside table is like having a Historical Reference Book, Encyclopedia,and Chicken Soup for the Soul "Indian Fahion" all rolled into one. This is not a quick read. It is a meal that wants to be savored over and over. This is a book that is so rich with historical information, both contemporary and ancient, I could only read a few pages at a time and then think about them for many days. And whenever I dip into my copy of Native Time, I am immediately aware of the daily lives of so many Indian people throughout the U.S. and I am amazed they are still here, in modern time America being who they are and always were. It's a good read! Each time I pick it up I come away with another pinch of wisdom to keep.

This book of importance and weight covers a long American history from 200,000 B C to present by Lee Francis, the national director of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writer and Storyteller.

It is interesting to read the chronicle in history literature, art, heroes, legends, wisdom and philosophy of Native Americans, as they were long shown in cowboy movie as cruel savages. It is surprising to read on p.12 that between 3,000 to 2,000 BC . . . The Hopi and other Native Peoples across Turtle Island are visited by Ta-Chang and Shu-Hai, assistants to the Great Yu of China, who had sent them to survey the world.

The section and chapters in this book are well organized so that readers can check and reference the events by year. The Ceremony Time chapter introduces reader to understand and appreciate social events in different months throughout the year in powwows, cultural heritage events and public ceremonial drummers. This book highlights who they are, what they have achieved, endured and survived, and where they are heading.

My favorite is the paragraph on p.162 . . . During this sixteen-day solemn time, it is important to walk in harmony and balance as we journey through our lives so that the People may live and prosper.

This book challenges white male assumptions about Native American narratives. Unlike the racist and sexist ideologies of eurocentrism, Native Americans lived a very different way, and their voices must be heard. I really came away with admiration for the author, Lee Francis.