Customer Reviews

Wa She Shu: A Washo tribal history

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This appears to be the only resource of its kind, a book on the history of the Washo written by or at least sanctioned by the tribe. There is another book on the Washo, also out of print, but it reads more like an anthropologist's study by a white man. Wa She Shu has the flavor of a conversation with a well-informed member of the tribe.
The book is well organized by topics and readable in small doses or large. The writing is just amateur enough (naive?) to feel like an authentic account from a parallel culture, but quite good enough to be engaging and informative.
After describing the various aspects of pre-settlement life, the author shows considerable restraint in recounting the near-extermination of the Washo by the white man, letting the facts speak rather than indulging in what could have been excusable polemics.
This book is one of a kind. It would have been irreplaceable even if it were poorly done, but fortunately it is well done (too short if anything). If you want a good comprehensive book on the Washo, I think this is the only choice.