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Eight Little Indians
Antelope: A Navaho Indian Boy
The lifestyle of a Navaho boy, silver-working, herding wild horses with his father, etc.
10 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1935
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 17, 2020
These 8 little staple-bound books printed on heavy paper came as a boxed set which I received about age 8 as a Christmas present. Though they were each only about 10 pages long, they gave a window into the lifestyle of various North American Indian tribes through eyes of a child of each tribe. The detailed and colourful illustrations were as full of educational detail as the text.
On the back covers were a black and white picture and a little poem about the child-protagonist of each story. Roger Vernam was a great illustrator, not least because of the soft but distinctive palette he used which made each page so atmospheric. I would enjoy them today as a 70+ year old for the art.
I loved these little books, and never tired of going through them slowly, studying and enjoying the pictures. I kept them carefully until I was about 13 when my mother suggested that I pass them on to a younger child to enjoy.
One of the books, "Antelope, a Navajo Boy" on the last page had black and white drawings of jewellery, in particular a squash blossom necklace, Antelope's silversmith father crafted.
Aged 8, I decided when I grew up that I would have a plain squash blossom necklace like that illustration. When I was 68 I did indeed buy such a heavy, simple and satisfying (man's) necklace; its beads formed from silver mercury-head dimes; and I wear it frequently as it reminds me of New Mexico and Arizona where I had the pleasure of living when I was in my 30's. (I now live in the UK.)
On the back covers were a black and white picture and a little poem about the child-protagonist of each story. Roger Vernam was a great illustrator, not least because of the soft but distinctive palette he used which made each page so atmospheric. I would enjoy them today as a 70+ year old for the art.
I loved these little books, and never tired of going through them slowly, studying and enjoying the pictures. I kept them carefully until I was about 13 when my mother suggested that I pass them on to a younger child to enjoy.
One of the books, "Antelope, a Navajo Boy" on the last page had black and white drawings of jewellery, in particular a squash blossom necklace, Antelope's silversmith father crafted.
Aged 8, I decided when I grew up that I would have a plain squash blossom necklace like that illustration. When I was 68 I did indeed buy such a heavy, simple and satisfying (man's) necklace; its beads formed from silver mercury-head dimes; and I wear it frequently as it reminds me of New Mexico and Arizona where I had the pleasure of living when I was in my 30's. (I now live in the UK.)
September 3, 2023
A white author/illustrator wrote a Native American story in 1935. Hoo boy!
A Navajo boy yearns for adventure like his father had when he was young rather than his day to day humdrum life of herding sheep and goats. The adventure he yearned for--Pawnee stealing Navajo sheep. What?
Oh, no. I looked at a video of Hopalong Cassidy, a cowboy television show for children. I was not impressed. The motto for that era seems to have been "Shoot first, ask questions later." Why were children's shows full of theft and people being shot? During the 1970s there was a lot of amnesia and quicksand.
In this book, a Navajo father takes his son on a trip to collect piñon nuts. During the trip the father sees a Pawnee man hiding behind a rock. He springs into action. The Pawnee man rides out from behind the rock on the side of his saddled horse, without stirrups, while carrying a rifle, and attempts to untie the hobble on the Navajo man's horse in this position. (May I suggest a knife? That would be much quicker and easier than one-handed untying while riding a horse. Better yet, just go after the horse which isn't hobbled.) The Navajo man is able to shoot the Pawnee man's arm which is the only part of his body visible below the horse. Good job for not shooting the horse.
That is some incredible riding and incredible marksmanship. The illustrations do not show any rifles. The attempt to untie the horse is not shown either, just the man's arm below the horse. It's a bit unbelievable, but, hey children! horse theft and shooting people seem to be acceptable means of adding some spice into the lives of young children.
It leaves me wondering if Roger Vernam wrote a positive story about a Pawnee family. Probably not.
Mr. Vernam didn't know the difference between a pony and a horse. He used the term pony in the story, but drew pictures of horses. All of those acrobatics would have been difficult upon a pony.
So the boy had the satisfaction of an attempt of theft of their horse and a man being shot to make his life more interesting. Now he has been initiated and is now allowed to learn the jewelry-making skills of his father.
!!!???
It's fiction. Sometimes I just don't like fiction.
A Navajo boy yearns for adventure like his father had when he was young rather than his day to day humdrum life of herding sheep and goats. The adventure he yearned for--Pawnee stealing Navajo sheep. What?
Oh, no. I looked at a video of Hopalong Cassidy, a cowboy television show for children. I was not impressed. The motto for that era seems to have been "Shoot first, ask questions later." Why were children's shows full of theft and people being shot? During the 1970s there was a lot of amnesia and quicksand.
In this book, a Navajo father takes his son on a trip to collect piñon nuts. During the trip the father sees a Pawnee man hiding behind a rock. He springs into action. The Pawnee man rides out from behind the rock on the side of his saddled horse, without stirrups, while carrying a rifle, and attempts to untie the hobble on the Navajo man's horse in this position. (May I suggest a knife? That would be much quicker and easier than one-handed untying while riding a horse. Better yet, just go after the horse which isn't hobbled.) The Navajo man is able to shoot the Pawnee man's arm which is the only part of his body visible below the horse. Good job for not shooting the horse.
That is some incredible riding and incredible marksmanship. The illustrations do not show any rifles. The attempt to untie the horse is not shown either, just the man's arm below the horse. It's a bit unbelievable, but, hey children! horse theft and shooting people seem to be acceptable means of adding some spice into the lives of young children.
It leaves me wondering if Roger Vernam wrote a positive story about a Pawnee family. Probably not.
Mr. Vernam didn't know the difference between a pony and a horse. He used the term pony in the story, but drew pictures of horses. All of those acrobatics would have been difficult upon a pony.
So the boy had the satisfaction of an attempt of theft of their horse and a man being shot to make his life more interesting. Now he has been initiated and is now allowed to learn the jewelry-making skills of his father.
!!!???
It's fiction. Sometimes I just don't like fiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews