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My World: Young Native Americans Today
Meet Mindy: A Native Girl from the Southwest
Fourteen-year-old Mindy takes readers on a journey to her Hopi village where she introduces her family and members of her tribe while discussing the importance and history of their tribal customs and traditions, enhanced with full-color photos.
- GenresNonfiction
48 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2003
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 19, 2019
One of four titles in The National Museum of the American Indian's My World: Young Native Americans Today series - the others include
Meet Naiche: A Native Boy from the Chesapeake Bay Area
,
Meet Lydia: A Native Girl from Southeast Alaska
, and
Meet Christopher: An Osage Indian Boy from Oklahoma
- this picture-book biography describes the life of a contemporary Hopi teenager, following her through both everyday occurrences and special occasions. From her life as an American high school freshman, to her participation in the traditional ceremonies of the Hopi people, Mindy's life is a full one.
As with the other entries in this series, Meet Mindy: A Native Girl from the Southwest was written by an adult relative of the young person being profiled, and includes plenty of historical and cultural background about her people - in this case, the Hopi and Tewa. The focus, however, is very much on life in the here and now, which is very welcome indeed, as so many titles with a Native American theme seem either to be mythological/folkloric in nature, or are set in historical settings. I appreciated this informative book, and its emphasis on a contemporary young native woman. Mindy herself is an engaging figure, the background information is fascinating, and the copious use of color photographs - both contemporary and historical - add great visual appeal. All in all, this was another winner in this wonderful series - I just wish they would publish some more! Recommended to young readers looking for stories about contemporary native people, and the ways that their lives are both like and unlike people of non-native communities.
As with the other entries in this series, Meet Mindy: A Native Girl from the Southwest was written by an adult relative of the young person being profiled, and includes plenty of historical and cultural background about her people - in this case, the Hopi and Tewa. The focus, however, is very much on life in the here and now, which is very welcome indeed, as so many titles with a Native American theme seem either to be mythological/folkloric in nature, or are set in historical settings. I appreciated this informative book, and its emphasis on a contemporary young native woman. Mindy herself is an engaging figure, the background information is fascinating, and the copious use of color photographs - both contemporary and historical - add great visual appeal. All in all, this was another winner in this wonderful series - I just wish they would publish some more! Recommended to young readers looking for stories about contemporary native people, and the ways that their lives are both like and unlike people of non-native communities.
July 15, 2010
This is the only book in this series about modern Native American young people I’ve been able to get my hands on. I’d love to read them all. I enjoy photojournalism books, especially ones for and about children.
This book is a perfect mix of biography, history, learning about the culture and with a little bit of the language included too.
Mindy is an articulate 14 year old high school student who’s a member of the Hopi tribe. The beginning of the book gives historical context and Mindy’s aunt is introduced. She’s an interesting woman herself; then, she introduces Mindy to the reader, and Mindy then is the narrator for the rest of the book, the bulk of the book.
Readers will learn much about history, Hopi culture, the various clans, the Hopi calendar, Hopi traditions, religious beliefs, and also will see Mindy living as an American high school student participating in typical high school academics and extracurricular activities. Many Hopi words (with their pronunciations, which I needed) are incorporated into the book. I was impressed by the strong sense of community among the Hopi people.
The photos are marvelous and include photos of Mindy, her family members, and her friends, and community. There are also historical photos. I love the traditional Hopi dwellings.
I think girls 11 and up will have interest in getting to know Mindy. I know 8-12 year olds often love these types of books and my only concern is Mindy’s age. I’m not so sure younger girls will be as interested in learning about the life of a 14 year old; I do think that at least one book in this series features a younger child. However, at 14, Mindy has participated in some ceremonies that prepare her for eventual marriage and motherhood, and readers would not learn about these traditions had she been any younger.
For all we learn of Mindy’s adherence to Hopi ways, it’s also clear she lives similarly to other American teenagers, and most girls will certainly identify with her, and they’ll learn a lot about the Hopi culture too.
This is a wonderful book for learning about cross-cultural understanding. There’s really so much more I could say about its contents, but I’ll leave the rest for its readers to discover.
This book is a perfect mix of biography, history, learning about the culture and with a little bit of the language included too.
Mindy is an articulate 14 year old high school student who’s a member of the Hopi tribe. The beginning of the book gives historical context and Mindy’s aunt is introduced. She’s an interesting woman herself; then, she introduces Mindy to the reader, and Mindy then is the narrator for the rest of the book, the bulk of the book.
Readers will learn much about history, Hopi culture, the various clans, the Hopi calendar, Hopi traditions, religious beliefs, and also will see Mindy living as an American high school student participating in typical high school academics and extracurricular activities. Many Hopi words (with their pronunciations, which I needed) are incorporated into the book. I was impressed by the strong sense of community among the Hopi people.
The photos are marvelous and include photos of Mindy, her family members, and her friends, and community. There are also historical photos. I love the traditional Hopi dwellings.
I think girls 11 and up will have interest in getting to know Mindy. I know 8-12 year olds often love these types of books and my only concern is Mindy’s age. I’m not so sure younger girls will be as interested in learning about the life of a 14 year old; I do think that at least one book in this series features a younger child. However, at 14, Mindy has participated in some ceremonies that prepare her for eventual marriage and motherhood, and readers would not learn about these traditions had she been any younger.
For all we learn of Mindy’s adherence to Hopi ways, it’s also clear she lives similarly to other American teenagers, and most girls will certainly identify with her, and they’ll learn a lot about the Hopi culture too.
This is a wonderful book for learning about cross-cultural understanding. There’s really so much more I could say about its contents, but I’ll leave the rest for its readers to discover.
February 9, 2011
Part of a fine series that also includes Meet Christopher : an Osage Indian boy from Oklahoma /, Meet Naiche : a native boy from the Chesapeake Bay area /, and Meet Lydia : a Native girl from southeast Alaska /, this book tells about the life of a contemporary Tewa girl from northern Arizona. Her time is shared between her modern home in Glendale Arizona, and her family village, Tewa. Although she says her “life at school is pretty much like everyone else’s (p. 18)” most of the book describes her preparations for and participation in the Butterfly Dance, a traditional Hopi social dance (the author explains that the Tewa and Hopi peoples are closely related). Mindy is the niece of Secakuku, and most of the book is written from her point of view. However, we do not always hear Mindy’s voice, but the author’s, as in the following sentence: “I talked to my mom about choosing Pernell Mahle, whom we all call Budge, as my partner (p. 36).” But the author writes from her own experience, having been “raised on the reservation within the Hopi culture and religion (p. 10). The book is very useful in its depiction of a modern Tewa girl who is avidly participating in the life and traditions of her people. No Lexile measure is available, but the book is appropriate for middle school students.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews