In 1863 General James Carleton, military commander of the U.S. territory of New Mexico issued an order that all Navajos were to be rounded up and forced to live on a reservation that was some 400 miles from their homeland. He, like most white people at the time, thought that the Navajos were lawless raiders who needed to be "weaned of their old ways." He felt it was his job to "kill the Indian" and "save the man." If Carleton had taken time to find out about the Navajo people, he would have learned that their raids were in retaliation for raids by others on them. Most Navajos wanted peace, but every treaty they signed cost them land and was quickly broken. Kit Carson was put in charge of carrying out Carleton's orders. As the Navajos watched the soldiers destroy their crops, they soon realized that to survive they would have to surrender. More than 8,000 Navajos were rounded up and forced to march to the infamous Bosque Redondo. Hundreds died of dysentery from eating white people's food, others died of exposure, and those who were too weak or too sick to keep up were shot along the way by soldiers. Life at Bosque Redondo was inhumane. The Indians lived in holes in the ground covered by whatever they could find. The ground was too dry and poor to grow corn, and they had little in the way of clothing. Eventually even General Carleton realized that the reservation could not take care of all the Indians living there, and he ordered the march stopped. When word of the horrid conditions at the Bosque reached Washington, Congress organized an investigation. General Carleton was removed, and the Navajos signed the first fair peace treaty with the U.S. government. Not only were they allowed to return to their homeland, but they were given food, supplies to rebuild their homes, and livestock to raise. The Navajo hozho - harmony - was restored, and they prospered. Today more than 150,000 Navajos live on the largest reservation in the country. They have never broken their promise to live in peace with the United States and have even served proudly in the military that at one time had caused them such pain.
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From Publishers Weekly
"We were given two ears so that we may hear both sides of every story," notes Bruchac at the start of this detailed, sobering account of the Navajo people's forced relocationon footfrom their homelands in what is now Arizona to the Bosque Redondo Reservation in the New Mexico Territory between 1863 and 1865. Writing initially in the present tense, Bruchac imagines a group of Navajos gathered around an elder. Their "circle of peace" is shattered by the arrival of American soldiers and their allies, the Utes, who will force the Navajos to abandon their lands and the "path of balance and beauty" to embark instead on "a trail of suffering and loss." He then chronicles the events leading up to the Navajos' displacement, beginning with their embattled relationship with the Spanish settlers in the 16th century, and he describes the horrors of the so-called Long Walks (the people walked over 470 miles) and of the makeshift reservation. The author examines the roles of U.S. leaders, such as General Carleton, who "did not listen to the native side of the story," and explores the conditions that led to the closing of the reservation in 1868 and the signing of "the first fair treaty" between the Navajo people and the U.S. government. Begay's (The Magic of Spider Woman) paintings, rendered with acrylics on clay board in swirling brushstrokes, convey urgency and emotion. His art reaches a new level of accomplishment and his captions, explaining his use of symbols, will help youngsters interpret the cryptic moments in his work. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7 As Bruchac states, this story is one of tragedy and triumph that all Americans should know. Here, he and Begay offer an introduction to it. The book opens in 1864 with the peaceful Navajo world shattered by events beyond its control. The author then explains the circumstances leading up to the forced relocation of Navajo people, and their eventual return to their homes and way of life in 1868. Both the full-color acrylic paintings and duotone watercolor pictures evoke a sense of hopelessness and doom. Ultimately, they show the strength of the Navajo nation. Throughout, Begay comments on his illustrations. Beside one depiction, he states, "I can feel the cold chill in the bones of these battered and subdued people living on the brink of nonexistence." While Native words such as Dook'o'oosl"d are explained in the text, there is no pronunciation guide. With large type and larger illustrations, this title has a picture-book look about it, but it is aimed at an audience with some knowledge of Navajo history. -Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored more than 50 books for adults and children. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thayer's book review,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Navajo Long Walk : Tragic Story Of A Proud Peoples Forced March From Homeland (Hardcover)
Navajo Long Walk is an exciting book about an Indian family who is forced to go to camps and live the white sholdiers' way. The main characters are Kee, Hasba, Gentle Woman, the mother, Strong Man, the father, and Wise One, the grandfather. This family, like all the other Navajo families, have to move to different for-away camps that are called forts. Some of the forts they go to are Fort Defiance and Fort Summer.Kee learns that you can be friends with white soldiers like when he neets a white soldier, his horse and his son. The reader will enjoy this book becasue it is very detailed and you can picture every word in your mind. You will have a great experience reading about the Navajo way of life.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Evocative illustrations,
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This review is from: Navajo Long Walk : Tragic Story Of A Proud Peoples Forced March From Homeland (Hardcover)
Older children are fortunate to have the master storyteller, Joseph Bruchac, explain this part of American history to them. Using few but powerful words, he details these sad events, giving them reality and context that no grade school history textbook is going to match. Do your child a favor and offer them this book as a connection to the American past, as a warning, and as an inspiration.
7 chapters, about 45 pages, wonderful illustrations and maps.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Navajo Long Walk,
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This review is from: Navajo Long Walk : Tragic Story Of A Proud Peoples Forced March From Homeland (Hardcover)
Navajo Long Walk is a brief book that is well worth the money and time to read it. The Long Walk was a tragic event in the life of the Navajo people similar to the Cherokee Trail of Tears. However, unlike the Cherokee the Navajos were allowed to return to most of their homeland after internment and the adoption of peaceful ways. The "Navajo Long Walk" tells the stories of Navajos who participated and forms them into an historical narrative. Of significant interest is the subsequent impact the event has had on Navajo (Dene) socio-political culture ever since, an impact similar to that of memory of the South and its lost Confederacy.
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