Blue Dawn, Red Earth: New Native American Storytellers

by Clifford E. Trafzer

In recent decades, Native American literature has experienced a resurgence in prominence and popularity. Beginning with the 1969 publication of N. Scott Momaday's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel House Made of Dawn , and continuing with the work of Paula Gunn Allen, Linda Hogan, Louise Erdrich, and Craig Lesley, American Indian writers have become an increasingly visible part of the literary landscape. In this collection of thirty varied and powerful short stories, almost all being published here for the first time, emerging talents carry on the tradition of their storytelling ancestors.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Folklore, Native American

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Cliffor Trafzer is Director of American Indian Studies at University of California, Riverside. Raised in Arizona, Clifford Trafzer was born to parents of Wyandot Indian and German-English blood. He earned a B.A. and M.A. in history at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, where he also worked as an archivist for Special Collections. He earned a Ph.D. in American History in 1973 with a specialty in American Indian History and the same year became a museum curator for the Arizona Historical Society. Before joining the faculty of the University of California, Riverside in 1991, Trafzer taught at Diné College (Navajo Community College), Washington State University and San Diego State University. Trafzer's research focuses on Native American history and culture. His Kit Carson Campaign: The Last Great Navajo War and Yuma: Frontier Crossing of the Far Southwest were published in 1981. His co-authored work, Renegade Tribe: The Palouse Indians and the Invasion of the Inland Pacific Northwest appeared in 1986, winning a Washington Governor\\\'s Award that year. In 1994 he won the Penn Oakland Award for Earth Song, Sky Spirit. His works include Grandmother, Grandfather, and Old Wolf: Tamánwit Ku Súdat and Traditional Native American Stories From the Columbia Plateau, Death Stalks the Yakama: A Social-Cultural History of Death on the Yakama Indian Reservation, 1888-1964, and Exterminate Them!

Reviews

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction was already very well done, basically telling a story about the stories in the book. My favorite ones were "The Reapers", "Beets" and "The Mystery of the White Roses", the first being a bit creepy, the second made me laugh and the third one made my spine tingle.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are strong, well-written stories. Serious, humorous, witty, slice of life, magical or spiritual, thought provoking, they run the gambit. There is a Native American bent to many of the stories, some obvious was with the interface with the spirit world, and some not so obvious. Whether or not you read these stories for a depiction of life through Native American eyes, this is a collection of stories that will entertain the reader and depending on your connection to the story, you may experiencer a life lesson. At a minimum, the storytelling in this collection provides excellent examples of word smithing to writers.

[Christy Sherrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it some time ago, I remember being effected by some very profound messages in some short "simple" stories. I also remember I enjoyed the many different ways stories were told, it was quite refreshing to find a new school thought besides the stale story telling styles that are popular. The only thing I disliked is the nostalgic and sometimes mythological ways of talking about Native Americans. I disliked it because it is like saying the Disney world cartoons are the same as nature shows.

[Edward Amato · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable anthology. I especially liked Cooking Woman and the Atsye Parallel.