Seven Arrows (Paperback)

by Hyemeyohsts Storm (Author) "You are about to begin an adventure of the People, the Plains Indian People..." (more)
Key Phrases: thunder iron, stinging water, seven arrows, Night Bear, Grey Owl, Medicine Wheel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A heartbreaking story of victory, defeat, and of a spiritual search in a profane world, this is the story of Night Bear and his people. It is the tale of the land they cherish and the lives they hold sacred, lived until the enemy can no longer be stopped, and the dead have few left to weep for them.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Ballantine Books Edition edition (May 12, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345329015
• ISBN-13: 978-0345329011
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #211,025 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #6 in

  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Native American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic work that healed an entire generation, October 31, 1998

By A Customer

Seven Arrows, the first book published in modern times about the Medicine Wheels, is now the classic volume on the topic. Written while ceremony was still illegal in the USA and the young generation was heartbroken, this courageous work by Storm brought him into the center of the whirlwind of controversary regarding the practice of Native American Spirituality. Seven Arrows is ground-breaking in many ways. It is a prime example of the oral tradition transformed into narrative prose and it is an entirely new novel form. It is classic Native American literature at its very best and is a must read for students of writing, literature, Native American Studies, and the Earth science and spiritual philosophy of the Medicine Wheels. This book has brought Hyemeyohsts Storm into the circle of truly great 20th century American writers. It has also given renewed hope to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time to get this book into the schools! Our kids deserve it!, December 8, 1998

By A Customer

Seven Arrows is a story made for telling. I've heard Storm in person, and you know his stories are aimed at the next generation. This is probably the "Grimms Tales" of Native Americana, in a book. The imagery is specialised to show a tribal world view, just as if it were German or French; gets us the same results, and is as valid as Mother Goose or any-other curriculum for schools. Nothing else is required. The message is getting PEACE. This is done by all people in the same way, but they use differing techniques. That principle must be taught within our schools now so that the future population sees their own vision-quest as a means for life together peaceably with their fellowman. Seven Arrows has many features that could be used to advantage by teachers right here and now.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars native description of genocide, August 14, 2001

By	Nathan Pease (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Besides the folk tales in this book, readers should also know that this book is a narrative of the "white" man's genocide as it was experienced by the Plains Indians. The narrative uses Native aesthetics rather than standard Western narrative techniques. In this way, the folk tales compliment the narrative not only with content but also with aesthetics: how a tale is told.