Saanii Dahataat: The Women Are Singing : Poems and Stories (Sun Tracks, Vol 23) [Paperback]

Luci Tapahonso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

In this cycle of poetry and stories, Navajo writer Luci Tapahonso shares memories of her home in Shiprock, New Mexico, and of the places and people there. Through these celebrations of birth, partings, and reunions, this gifted writer displays both her love of the Navajo world and her resonant use of language. Blending memoir and fiction in the storytelling style common to many Indian traditions, Tapahonso's writing shows that life and death are intertwined, and that the Navajo people live with the knowledge that identity is formed by knowing about the people to whom one belongs. The use of both English and Navajo in her work creates an interplay that may also give readers a new way of understanding their connectedness to their own inner lives and to other people. Luci Tapahonso shows how the details of everyday life—whether the tragedy of losing a loved one or the joy of raising children, or simply drinking coffee with her uncle—bear evidence of cultural endurance and continuity. Through her work, readers may come to better appreciate the different perceptions that come from women's lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Navajo poet and English professor Tapahonso here celebrates the importance of conversation and the spoken word among her people. Driving back and forth between her parents' home in Shiprock, New Mexico, and her current home in Lawrence, Kansas, this gifted writer recalls snatches of family memories and tribal stories through the intermingled forms of poetry, songs, prayers, and anecdotes. Ranging across Navajo history, this collection in English and Navajo is warm and witty. Tapahonso states that for people like herself who live away from their homelands, "writing is the means for... restoring our spirits to the state of hozho , or beauty, which is the basis of Navajo philosophy." This book is a clear reflection of that sentiment. Recommended for most collections.
- Lisa A. Mitten, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"These stories, simple on the surface, are enormous and resonant. . . . Luci Tapahonso writes the world into balance and harmony, she writes homesickness away." —Parabola "The stories and poems of this book come from a place of long horizons and a huge sky. . . . Luci Tapahonso lovingly uses memory and story to put back the world with a faith in what is gone, but not lost" —Weber Studies "A music that rises from deep roots." —Beloit Poetry Journal "Ms. Tapahonso speaks the observed and spiritual world into existence." —The New York Times Book Review "There is no real distinction between her long-lined, exploratory 'poems' and dense, metaphorically rich 'essays.' Both capture the voice of a storyteller steeped in traditional ways but fluent as well in contemporary expression....Tapahonso provides us with a true bridge to her culture and its spiritual insights." —Booklist

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Product Details

• Paperback: 95 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816513619
• ISBN-13: 978-0816513611
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A journey of love..., July 18, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Saanii Dahataat: The Women Are Singing : Poems and Stories (Sun Tracks, Vol 23) (Paperback)

Luci Tapahonso's voice is one of the most beautiful in contemporary Native American literature. Her poetry usually revolves around family, community, interpersonal relationships -- those things which my dear uncle says are the only things that really matter in this life anyway. When reading this volume, you will get the feeling that you are sitting at the kitchen table with Luci, her family and your family, listening to old stories, new stories, gossip and adventures. SAANII DAHATAAL also contains one of her most popular poems, "Raisin Eyes" -- and ladies, be honest...we've all been in Ella's shoes!! Try this book, and you'll love it -- then try Ms. Tapahonso's other books, and you will be an admirer forever. Her newest, BLUE HORSES RUSH IN, is probably her best collection ever, although this one is certainly no sloucher! Read this book, and you'll never regret buying it