This is a wonderful book of short stories of the Native born and life on Indian land. In this book, Johnny Rustywire provides a unique insight into the Navajo World, and his work also reaffirms the bond of humanity that unites us all. Johnny Rustywire, a Navajo by birth, was born of Bithani, the Folding Rocks People on his mother's side, and born for Tsinahabiltnii, the Mountain People Clan on his father's side. He comes from Toadlena - Two Gray Hills, New Mexico, where the mountain is cracked and the water flows.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Absolutely Authentic Voice,
By avoraciousreader (Somewhere in the Space Time Continuum) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Navajo Spaceships (Paperback)
I have been reading Johnny Rustywire's tales of Navajo Country in a native newsgroup for years, and for years people have been urging him to have them published. I'm delighted that he finally has, and the wait has been worthwhile. This is a solidly produced paperback, some 450 pages chock full of stories, vignettes and poems of a people on the cusp between tradition and the belegana (white) world.
Many people have learned of the same region and peoples from the mysteries of Tony Hillerman. and this is not to diminish the value of Hillerman's description and evocation, but Rustywire's stories are The Real Thing, the view from inside as it were. They are told in a simple, conversational voice, as if a tale told by a campfire or on a long drive through the starkly beautiful Navajo reservation. And that voice breathes the rhythm and cadence of Navajo speech, and is full of the specifics of region and place, and a good bit of humor. I can't resist an excerpt from a poem I opened to randomly, "He works silver with his hands": "... buffing by hand, cotton cloth rubbing and burnishing over and over it is finished where will it go time to sell it gas and to pay for the place ... ebay ebay the name is short ..." The book is divided into four sections: "Star Mountain -- Tradition", "Laughing Road -- Growing Up", "Navajo -- Rez Life" and "Heart Songs -- Romance". This division may make sense, but for reading I'd recommend starting somewhere in the middle with a few of the more personal, or person-al, tales which may be more accessible than the tales of legend and history, or at least skip around a bit, rather than starting at page 1 and plowing through. The individual tales, close to 200 of them, range from a fraction of a page to maybe 4 or 5 pages (and these are goodly packed pages), but even though short are each a satisfying meal, to be savored and digested, not rushed through in a feast of gluttony. One or two at a time is plenty. I'd recommend this to anyone with an interest in Navajo culture, American Indian culture in general, the High Southwest or Four Corners region, or just a well told story. A very enthusiastic five stars.
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