Indian Tales. - book reviews

Years of friendship and study with Californian native groups inspired Jaime to write this collection of stories for his kids. He acknowledges in the preface that while some parts were translated almost word for word from his anthropological texts, other parts just spun from his mind. But the stories and Jaime's simple drawings carry a truthful charm.

(*) So the Hawk went and still he went. He went all around looking for his grandfather. Everywhere the world was still full of mud and it was dark and it was cold, At last he arrived at Tuleyomi. He stood on one side of the creek, and on the other side there was a man standing. "Who are you?" asked that man. "And you, who are you?" "First you tell me who you are." "No, no, you tell me first what your name is." "The world has been destroyed! Where are you going? You must be full of power to be still alive!" "Well, you seem to be full of power, yourself," said Hawk Chief, and he added, "Come on, hurry up, tell me who you are before I kill you!" "Very well then, I'll tell you who I am. I am Coyote Old Man!" "And I am Hawk Chief!" "Grandson, Grandson, huyey!" Coyote cried. From the other side he lumped across the creek and threw his arms around his grandson. He put Hawk Chief on his shoulders and took him home to his house and he made a bed for him and there they stayed.

Indian Tales Jaime de Angulo. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1953; 246 pp. ISBN 0-374-52163-8 $10.95 ($14.45 postpaid) from Putnam Publishing Group, Order Dept., PO Box 506, East Rutherford, NJ 07073; 800/788-6262

Indian Tales (cassette)

Just before he died Jaime recorded his Indian Tales for broadcast on Berkeley radio station KPFA, His richly accented voice makes a soulful medium. Now the recordings are available on cassette. Audio cassette series recorded in 1 949: 22 cassettes, $1 3 each plus p&h. Contents list free from Pacifica Radio Archive, PO Box 8092, Universal City, CA 91608; 800/735-0230, 818/506-1077

COPYRIGHT 1995 Point Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group