Remnants of the First Earth [Paperback]

Ray A. Young Bear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 1998

Ray A. Young Bear's work has been called "magnificent" by The New York Times and "a national treasure" by Bloomsbury Review. Dazzlingly original, but with deep roots in his traditional Mesquakie culture, Young Bear is a master wordsmith poised with trickster-like aplomb between the ancient world of his forefathers and the ever-encroaching "blurred face of modernity".

Remnants of the First Earth continues the story of Edgar Bearchild -- Young Bear's fictionalized alter ego -- which began with Black Eagle Child, a New York Times Notable Book for 1992. Young Bear revisits the Black Eagle Child Settlement and its residents, including Ted Facepaint, Rose Grassleggings, Junior Pipestar, Lorna Bearcap, and Luciano Bearchild. At the center of the novel is a murder investigation involving a powerful shaman holding court at the local Ramada Inn, negligent white cops from nearby Why Cheer, and corrupt tribal authorities. This lyrical narrative swirls through the present and into the mysteries of the age-old stories and myths that still haunt, inform, and enlighten this uniquely American community.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ray A. Young Bear first introduced his fictional alter ego Edgar Bearchild in Black Eagle Child: The Facepaint Narratives. Now, in Remnants of the First Earth, he extends his protagonist's adventures, chronicling Edgar's difficult journey into manhood as he struggles to navigate between the traditions of his forefathers and the demands of the modern world. As the novel begins, Edgar is a child at the Black Eagle Child Settlement in the 1950s. His life is a mix of tribal pride and poverty, of white-run schools and Indian dances. As Edgar grows older, he experiences racism, the promise of love, the perils of a murder investigation, and visions.

Remnants of the First Earth moves back and forth between the novel's reality and the myths of the Black Eagle Child people, between present and the ancient past, and between the ordinary and the extraordinary. More a collage than a straightforward narrative, the novel requires patience and demands that attention be paid. Those who invest both in this remarkable book will find the return worth it. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Narrated by the poetic and perceptive Edgar Principal Bear, alter ego of author Young Bear, this impressive first novel relates the struggles of the Native Americans living in the Black Eagle Child Settlement in Iowa. The author thus continues a story begun in his fictionalized autobiography Black Eagle Child: The Facepaint Narratives. Life in the Black Eagle Child Settlement is so permeated with ancient myths and traditions it seems timeless; for example, a rape and murder that occurred over a century ago still has a powerful impact on the community. The "first Earth" of the title refers to the epoch of the "Supernaturals," which existed before the current era. Continuation of this "second Earth" depends upon the Natives remaining faithful to the tenets of the Principal Religion, and upon their performing its ceremonies. Now, however, the people are growing lax, seduced by the "'income-generating architecture'" of casino gambling. The world is slipping out of balance and its very survival is at stake. The key may rest with Edgar, the keeper of the sacred Journals of the Six Grandfathers, 22 tattered notebooks of tribal history, lore and prophecy. Young Bear's prose pulses with lyrical ferocity, blending narrative, verse and tribal myth in a seamless web. He writes as one deeply familiar with Native tribal existence and committed to its survival, but he is unafraid to assault readers' senses and preconceptions. Young Bear, an acclaimed poet, here emerges as a major Native novelist.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; 1st Pbk. Ed edition (January 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802135528
• ISBN-13: 978-0802135520
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,832,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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