Native American Songs and Poems: An Anthology

Book Overview

In this carefully chosen collection, encompassing traditional songs and contemporary Native American poetry, readers will find a treasury of lyrics verse composed by Seminole, Hopi, Navajo, Pima, Havasupai, Arapaho, Paiute, Nootka, and other Indian writers and poets.
Selections range from the beautiful, traditional Seminole Song for Bringing a Child into the World to the cynical, knowing How to Write the Great American Indian Novel. Permeated by the Indian's deep awareness and appreciation of nature's beauty and rhythms, these poems deal with themes of tradition and continuity, the Indians' place in contemporary society, love, loss, memory, alienation, and many other topics.
Taken together, these poems offer an intimate, revealing record of the Native American response to the world, from time-honored chants and songs to the musings of urban Indian poets coming to grips with twentieth-century America.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486294501
• ISBN13: 9780486294506
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.1" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

A stirring gathering of voices

"Native American Songs and Poems: An Anthology," edited by Brian Swann, is an impressive volume overall. At 56 pages, it is a concise but rich anthology. The book can basically be broken down into two sections: (1) traditional ethnic songs from various cultures, and (2) poems by contemporary Native American authors, again representing many cultures.The traditional material includes the Seminole "Song for Bringing a Child into the World," the Navajo "Hymn of the Horse," the Pima "Quail Song," and more. Contemporary authors included are Beth Brant (of the Mohawk people), Joy Harjo (Muscogee), Simon J. Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo), and others.The book contains a useful bibliography. However, there is almost no biographical data on each contemporary author, and very little data on the various nations represented. The book would have been stronger if such data had been included. Still, this is a beautiful and enriching anthology. Topics covered include spirituality, animal and plant life, conflict with Eurocentric culture, Native language loss, and more. Some of the best poems include Joseph Bruchac's moving "Geese Flying over a Prison Sweat Lodge"; Maurice Kenny's sensuous, mystical "Sky Woman"; and Carter Revard's deeply spiritual "What the Eagle Fan Says." I recommend this book both for classroom use and for general reading.

Nice selection of poetry

This collection is a nice cross-section of Native American songs and poetry. It includes everything from traditional lullabyes to works by prominent modern Native American authors. Male and female authors are both well represented. This a good introduction for readers unacquainted with this facet of Native American literature.