Remnants of the First Earth

by Ray A. Young Bear

Ray A. Young Bear's work has been called "magnificent" by The New York Times and "a national treasure" by Bloomsbury Review. Dazzlingly original, but with deep roots in his traditional Mesquakie culture, Young Bear is a master wordsmith poised with trickster-like aplomb between the ancient world of his forefathers and the ever-encroaching "blurred face of modernity".
Remnants of the First Earth continues the story of Edgar Bearchild -- Young Bear's fictionalized alter ego -- which began with Black Eagle Child, a New York Times Notable Book for 1992. Young Bear revisits the Black Eagle Child Settlement and its residents, including Ted Facepaint, Rose Grassleggings, Junior Pipestar, Lorna Bearcap, and Luciano Bearchild. At the center of the novel is a murder investigation involving a powerful shaman holding court at the local Ramada Inn, negligent white cops from nearby Why Cheer, and corrupt tribal authorities. This lyrical narrative swirls through the present and into the mysteries of the age-old stories and myths that still haunt, inform, and enlighten this uniquely American community.

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Ray Young Bear (born 1950 in Marshalltown, Iowa) is a Native American poet and novelist of the Meskwaki tribe. He writes about contemporary Native Americans in English and in the Meskwaki language.

Reviews

[Joe Artz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars falls half a galaxy short of the number I'd give this book. Torrents of prose worthy of Joyce; an unreal realism worthy of Marquez; the mad drunken surreal swirlings of Kerouac; a tribute to loss and tragedy. Young Bear tells the raw truth of resilience and loss that simultaneously reveals and cloaks the doings and undoings of his people, the Meskwaki of Iowa, whom he renames Black Eagle Child. He renames, remakes, cloaks, Meskwaki history that those familiar with the Meskwaki will find accurate, but relocated, reimagined, and rewoven into a unique tribute to the Meskwaki, no holds barred.

[Adams Hub · Rating 5 out of 5]

This summary is captivating. I love how Young Bear blends Mesquakie culture with a modern murder mystery. The characters and lyrical storytelling make it feel both timeless and fresh.

[Dawn Rogers Kroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could write like this guy!