Cheyenne Again: A Moving Historical Story About a Boy's Heritage and Identity at Boarding School for Kids

by Eve Bunting

In the late 1880s, a Cheyenne boy named Young Bull is taken from his parents and sent to a boarding school to learn the white man's ways. "Young Bull's struggle to hold on to his heritage will touch children's sense of justice and lead to some interesting discussions and perhaps further research." —School Library Journal

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Native American, Cultural, Native Americans, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Rev Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerful and sad story about how young Native American children were forced to learn the White man ways.

[Brittany Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book best fits the genre of historical fiction. This book does a fantastic job of shedding light on how young Native American children were taken away from their tribes and forced into assimilating the culture of foreign settlers that took over what was once their land. I think that this book would be best suited for students in grades 3-5 since some of the situations may be too intense or hard to comprehend for very young children.

I really love this book because it is so powerful at conveying this disturbing and painful time in our nation's history, but it does so in a child-friendly manner that allows children to be empathetic. I think that children can easily put themselves in Young Bull's shoes and imagine what life was like-- to be taken away from your home and family and forced to assimilate into a strange culture and leave everything you know and love behind. You can imagine the mistreatment, pain, and depression these poor children endured. I think it is beautiful that despite everything being ripped away from him, Young Bull still has the memory of his tribe and the life he once knew that no one can take away from him.

I think that this book would be a very powerful read-aloud for educators who are teaching units about the history of Native Americans, more specifically assimilation boarding schools and reservations. Teachers can use this book as an introduction to a history unit where students will eventually do research with non-fiction texts. After the class reads the book, the teacher could follow up with a class discussion about students' thoughts and reactions. Students could also write individual reactions in journals. Particularly for third-graders, some of the words in the story can be pulled as vocabulary words in which students use their knowledge, text and/0r illustrations to find the definitions and synonyms.

[(NS) Brea M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even Bunting’s thoughtful story Cheyenne Again depicts a fictional boy who experiences a very real experience of the late 1800s. Young Bull is taken from his family and forced to attend an off-reservation Indian boarding school. Piece by piece, Young Bull is stripped of his Cheyenne Indian heritage and forced to look, act, and speak as the white man does. His heart aches to return to the life and land that he once knew. Only in his dreams can Young Bull return to the golden plain of Cheyenne again. Readers of this book will likely feel strong empathy for Young Bull as he struggles to maintain himself in this new world he does not desire to be in. The story flows so naturally and poetically that one can almost feel, smell, and hear the Indian life that Young Bull describes- “The beds in rows. No huddle of my brothers, warm around. No smell of smoke. No robe spread on the ground (pg. 11). This story is an amazing insight into the Native American boarding schools of the past. Students will be shocked that Young Bull’s experience actually happened to Indian children in history. It could spark further historical investigation as well as discussions about culture. Even students today could connect to this story, as preserving one’s heritage in a new country can be difficult. This is an excellent book!

[Marfita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eve Bunting is a great author of children's books and I admire her work. That said, I was a little disappointed in this book which is told in the voice of a young Cheyenne boy who is forced to go to a boarding school to be "civilized." The text is laconic (as opposed to Lakota - hrr hrr) and pared down to bald statements of fact. The illustrations seem stiff (unless they contain horses) and I'm torn between thinking that was intentional (showing the rigidity of the school and the cookie-cutter effect on the children), intentionally naive, or not that good. So I had to calibrate by re-reading The Train to Somewhere and So Far from the Sea, both of these historical fiction about separation and/or minority abuse.
The former, about orphans from the east being sent out west for "adoption," immediately brought me to tears and I marveled at the illustrations in the latter, which was about the Japanese internment camps during WWII.
Well, maybe Cheyenne Again is a "boy book." A young boy will probably be able to identify with the constrictions of school life and won't be weighed down with pesky emotions dripping all over the page. As a girl, I like A Train to Somewhere.

[Deyanira Genao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eve Bunting’s Cheyenne Again is rooted in the colonial period of American history. Told from the viewpoint of a young boy named after the Cheyenne Native American Tribe, Bunting’s story describes the experience of the tribe as white colonialists begin to interact with them and settle on their land. After describing Cheyenne’s emotional experience living with his mother, father, and the rest of his community, the story follows Cheyenne as the colonialists remove him from his home and force him to live at a colonial boarding school for assimilation. Coupled with the removal from his space and land, readers witness Cheyenne being stripped of all facets of his cultural identity. Yet, towards the end of the story, Bunting provides a beacon of hope as Cheyenne begins to resist the domination of the Europeans. This balance in the text allows students to not only explore invasions of space and boundaries, but also to see examples of how young people have challenge those heavy and meaningful invasions.

[Maddy Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheyenne Again is a book about a little boy named Young Bull who gets thrown into a school where the culture is very unfamiliar and where he is forced to give up his clothes,language and his history. He has a very difficult time adjusting to "white man's culture" and wants to be back home. He then learns the importance of being Indian on the inside and finding pride in his identity as Indian in the midst of a very white culture.

I think this book is great for my text set because it gives us a look into what it was/is probably like to have to abandon your own culture in order to fit into another. This story will help show not only how mistreated Native Americans were/are in the white culture but also how beautiful their culture is.

Genre: Historical Fiction

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

In her review, Beverly Slapin of Oyate writes that Bunting whitewashes the realities experienced by Native children who attended the boarding schools set up by the United States government.

Full review here:
http://americanindiansinchildrenslite...

[Sunah Chung · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book to learn about the Indigenous people's history in this country. The book explicitly and implicitly delivers how the residential school system destroyed their culture and identity. They were captured into the system without the help of THEIR family and community adults. The illustrations portray the child's emotions and context through the dark color and the deserted sleeping room, the scene of cutting off their value (hair), the sign of speaking Enlgish, and the church building for brainwashing a certain religion. The illustration of an armed man and a ball and chain around the boy's ankle due to his escape to see his family escalates the tragic context where he lives in. It is not just the boy's tragedy but the other boys who are looking at him on the corner of the other side of the page. These boys' posture is stiffened, delivering tension and fear. The texts are heartbroken with "the history of their United States," "The book leaves it unsaid," and "we never speak Cheyenne or talk of the Greate Spirit, the One who raised us in this land," etc.

At the same time, this picturebook shows a protest against the residential school system. The scene of a teacher who encourages the Indian students to keep their memories and identity. I think the author may want us to think about White people who resisted the residential school system. We may criticize those who run the system and devalue Indigenous people's culture and identity. We need to be careful not to overgeneralize Whites' history of the residential school system. We need to avoid criticism becoming hatred toward the group of people in general. The boy's drawing of Cheyennes' warriors on the lined paper following the teacher's scene also demonstrates the boy's resistance to the system. What else can he do in that context?

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Cheyenne Again" addresses Native American history and the injustices done to many tribes in the 1880's. During this time, the United States created boarding schools, which they then forced many Native American children to attend, removing them from their reservations and separating them from their families. Their goal in doing this was to remove the background and traditions from these children and move them from "Savagery to Civilization." In this story, the main character, Young Bull, is forcefully taken from his parents and relocated to an American school where his hair is cut and the students are forced to do drills in military fashion, engage in labor, and learn how to be like the while people. Eventually, he tries to run away, only to be dragged back.

I think this book does an excellent job shining a light on one of the many injustices done to Native Americans during this time in history. It specifically references the fact that, when learning history, Young Bull notices discrepancies between the school’s instruction regarding events and how he has learned it from the perspective of his people, the Cheyenne Tribe.

I enjoyed that Eve Bunting created the story from the perspective of a Native American, especially a child. It would certainly allow students to find greater empathy with the character by thinking about how they would feel if it were them. This would tie in well to many social studies lessons at all grade levels, such as: expansion of the United States, the Trail of Tears, the Whitman Massacre, or treaties created by the United States for Native American tribes that were actually designed to steal their land. This book does a great job of giving readers a look into the experiences of Native Americans.

[Natascha]

Book level: 2.9
Lexile: 560
Fountas & Pinnell: P

Book summary: This is a story of an Indian boy who is forced to leave his home to attend a boarding school intent on stripping him of his heritage.

Genre: Multicultural. A multicultural text describes social issues and problems accurately and seeks to rectify historical distortions and omissions. In the author's afterward at the back of the book, she describes that in the 1880s, Native American children were forced to attend these boarding schools and more facts about these schools. ext describes social issues and problems accurately and seeks to rectify historical distortions and omissions.

Mentor traits.
Voice - the entire book is told from the perspective of a young Native American boy who is made to leave his family and culture behind to assimilate to a white man's world.
Idea - the author has a clear message and purpose for her writing, she wants to communicate what life was like for this Native American children in the those white boarding schools. She also wants readers to know that no matter what people might try to change you, but no one can take your identify.

Classroom integration/mini-lessons/content connections: This can be used as a mentor text to demonstrate the writer's central purpose. Students can identify the purpose and they can be asked to imagine that they were one of the Native American students forced to attend one of these boarding schools and that you are writing a letter home to your family describing life at the school.
This would be a great character study also and is a perfect fit for a social studies unit about Native American history.

[Morgan Wylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Based on true events in history, a young Native American boy is taken from his family to attend a boarding school. Not only is his hair cut, but his heritage and culture is tried to be emptied from him. The white folks may be able to cut his hair, change his clothes, but they can’t control dreams and beliefs.
Evaluation: I have this book 5 stars. This book represented the true historical events accurately. It did not shy away from how these children and their families were treated during this time. It is a great historical fiction book to read.
Teaching point: Teachers can use this when teaching about Native Americans, and the history of their people. This would be a good resource when describing how these children felt during this time. Students can make connections, and relate it back to historical times.

[Allie Gearhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Level: 2.9

Cheyenne Again is a story about a Native American boy who was plucked from his family and forced to live the “white people” way of life.

Cheyenne Again would be a great mentor text for organization. The story takes us through a young child's journey of being part of the Cheyenne Tribe, to being "Americanized," to returning back to his Cheyenne roots. The story uses great transitions that allow the reader to understand that the author is moving from one time frame/life event to another.

This book would be a great addition to any lesson including Native Americans and the struggles that they faced long ago.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am all for books that address the horrific idea of residential schools that Native children were sent to to whitewash their cultures, tribal identity, and heritage. This is, however, very clearly from the perspective of the white people who perpetuated this but attempts to tell it from the point of view of a Cheyenne boy. I don't think it does a horrible job, but I think it attempts to make the story gentler than it was in reality. It would be better to stick with Native people telling heir own perspective on what happened.

[Kinsley Troutman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheyenne Again is about a boy who was taken by white police at that time on the Indian reservations a boy at age 10 was taken away and to be converted into the white men ways. He would no longer speak the language of his tribe have braids or wear the animal skins. The young boy was put into slavery build repair building. This would be a great book to show that other cultures were thrown into slavery.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the afterword needs to be removed or updated to clarify how many RESIDENTIAL schools existed and when the last ones were closed. I also think the term Boarding needs to be updated to Residential so as not to confuse readers as to what the intent of these schools actually were. "Boarding schools for Native American children still exist. but they are now more sensitive to the young people's needs and encourage them to treasure their skill and take pride in their heritage."

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great picture book that details one young Cheyenne's experience with the boarding schools in the 1880s that were designed to "Americanize" Native American youth. While this young boy grieves for all he has left behind and the treatment of the children as less than those who are white, he also realizes that he has his memories and beliefs so that he can always be Cheyenne.

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture books explains the Indian perspective of boarding schools when they were forced to give up their native clothing and hair styles and prohibited from speaking anything other than English. Accurate, in my opinion. Loved it and will share it with my students.

[Tamikan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book for The Character Formation Project at my school.

[Gmc · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story follows one boy taken from his family and forced in to "Indian School". the book is 32 pages, and is age appropriate for K-2.
Well written and beautifully illustrated.

[Bat713 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important history of the attempted erasing of the Cheyenne culture in the American West.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

It makes me really sad that his culture was ripped from him. It goes to show that history is biased and written by those who win. Those who lose get lost in time.

[Kristin Buckman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle book about the “Indian boarding schools” like Carlisle. Not too upsetting to cause nightmares but a good into to some racism.

[Octavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

brigido, durísimo. lo leí en el national indigenous peoples day, me sirvió para aprender, pero no se sintió forzado

[Chelsea Cameron]

This book is about a young Native American boy who is forced to attend boarding school. The story goes through the days with the young boy as he struggles to adjust to the new culture and environment he has been placed in. The young boy runs away and only after a short period of time, he realizes something very important. The young boy realizes that, just because he has been placed in a different environment, it does not mean that he has to leave is traditions and culture behind him, that there are a lot of different people living in the same environment even though they each come from very diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Initially when I started reading this book I had high expectations. I think multicultural books like these are very important to introduce to children to these books because in today’s world there are so many different cultures and kids need to learn and appreciate them. I would teach lessons with this book in my classroom because the main character is at a relatable age to the students and also the illustrations are very unique.

[Maureen Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for my historical fiction picture book requirement.

I was curious to read this book when I saw the Eve Bunting was the author. She did a wonderful job portraying the hardship of a Cheyenne boy who was taken from his parents and brought to a white boarding school. He misses his family and culture and tries to escape. They catch him and put him in a ball and chain. He does find one sympathetic teacher who tells him to keep his Cheyenne memories. The book has a good ending with the boy reflecting on his memories of riding across the plain on a horse.

The Afterword in this book explains the situation that many Native Americans were forced to endure in the late 1880s. It is a great complement to this book as it provides a single boy's story of what he endured. I would definitely recommend this book to any elementary grade student or above. This would be particularly helpful for a Social Studies or History lesson on the U.S. expansion.

[Madison Godfrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young Native American boy is sent off to boarding school and struggles adapting to a new culture. After running away he realizes that just because he is in a completely different environment, does not mean he needs to leave his native culture behind. In the late 1880s, a Cheyenne boy named Young Bull is taken from his parents and sent to a boarding school to learn the white man's ways. I thought that it was interesting to choose this topic and plot of a children’s book because it kind of gives a negative connotation to children who want to learn new cultures. But, this also is a great learning opportunity for young readers to understand struggles people experience when they try to learn or adapt to a new culture.

[Lin Lin]

Another Eve Bunting's great books for children about the off-reservation boarding schools for the children of Native Americans to separate them from their cultural heritage and way of life. Writing in this beautiful prose-like poem, Bunting describes the experiences of a Cheyenne boy in this boarding school, where he was forced to attend. No wonder that today's Native American youths are more likley to feel disillusioned about their future after their cultures had been totally destroyed by the white people for generations in history.

[Cathlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one to my fourth graders with a Comprehension Toolkit Lesson and they adored it. The whole concept of the Native Americans boys being taken away from their families and sent to schools to learn to be white was so eye-opening to them. They really felt for the main character and his struggle to maintain his identity and it pointed out a piece of our history that fascinated them because they were appalled by it. Really good!

[Suzanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young Native American boy is taken away from his family to a white boarding school. Throughout the book, Bunting describes how the young boy struggles with being taken from his culture, and forced to learn something completely new. At one point the young boy runs away and learns that although he must learn a new culture, it does not mean he needs to give up his Indian heritage. This book would be a nice lead in to a lesson about different cultures, especially Native American Cultures.

[Hyunhee Bae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything was new to Young Bull.
This book gave me information about the boarding school that made Native American children be civilized. It shows the difficulties the young Native Americans had. By the name of civilization, white people forced the children to delete their native culture, language, and traditions.
It was sad for me to see losing their own language, so later they could not communicate with their families. This book was informative but not fun to read for young readers.