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The Beadworkers
Beth Piatote's luminous debut collection opens with a feast, grounding its stories in the landscapes and lifeworlds of the Native Northwest, exploring the inventive and unforgettable pattern of Native American life in the contemporary world
Told with humor, subtlety, and beautiful spareness, the mixed-genre works of Beth Piatote's first collection find unifying themes in the strength of kinship, the pulse of longing, and the language of return.
A woman teaches her niece to make a pair of beaded earrings, while ruminating on a fractured relationship. An eleven-year-old girl narrates the unfolding of the Fish Wars in the 1960s, as her family is gradually drawn to the front lines of the conflict. In 1890, as tensions escalate at Wounded Knee, two young men at college, one French and the other Lakota, each contemplate a death in the family. In the final, haunting piece, a Nez Perce/Cayuse family is torn apart as they debate the fate of ancestral remains in a moving revision of the Greek tragedy Antigone.
Formally inventive, witty, and generous, the works in this singular debut collection draw on Indigenous aesthetics and forms to offer a powerful, sustaining vision of Native life in the Americas.
Told with humor, subtlety, and beautiful spareness, the mixed-genre works of Beth Piatote's first collection find unifying themes in the strength of kinship, the pulse of longing, and the language of return.
A woman teaches her niece to make a pair of beaded earrings, while ruminating on a fractured relationship. An eleven-year-old girl narrates the unfolding of the Fish Wars in the 1960s, as her family is gradually drawn to the front lines of the conflict. In 1890, as tensions escalate at Wounded Knee, two young men at college, one French and the other Lakota, each contemplate a death in the family. In the final, haunting piece, a Nez Perce/Cayuse family is torn apart as they debate the fate of ancestral remains in a moving revision of the Greek tragedy Antigone.
Formally inventive, witty, and generous, the works in this singular debut collection draw on Indigenous aesthetics and forms to offer a powerful, sustaining vision of Native life in the Americas.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 22, 2019
72 people are currently reading
5805 people want to read
About the author
Beth Piatote
3 books38 followersBeth Piatote is a Ni:mi:pu: (Nez Perce) scholar and author. She is a member of Chief Joseph’s Tribe and the Colville Confederated Tribes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
November 4, 2019
My life wouldn’t be as full if I hadn’t begun beading. Beadwork balances us. It allows us to decolonize that much more. It connects us to our ancestors and our kin. After finishing The Beadworkers by Nez Perce author Beth Piatote I was convinced this collection contains the same good medicine that beading does.
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It is a collection that I instantly fell in love with. It swept me away completely. It’s a sad truth that much of colonial society believes that Indigenous cultures are dead and buried. They believe this because it’s what they want. Books like The Beadworkers are acts of resistance against this ugliness. They are steeped in love and sacred tradition. They prove that Indigenous communities are thriving and many who have been disconnected are finding their way back.
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Each short story felt fully developed and balanced. The characters all managed to feel developed in a short amount of time and each story/poem/play possessed its own strength.
Piatotes writing gives so much insight into the strength of native families, individuals and friendships. She illuminates where our strength manifests. In our ancestors and ceremonies. In our NDN kinship and friendships that call us away from settler society. “Come home,” they say, “your Kookoo made macaroni soup and bannock. it’s time to rest, heal.”
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The Beadworkers is the book version of that safe space. To non-indigenous folk, turn to this book for an opportunity to learn while enjoying an incomparable reading experience. To my Indigenous brothers and sisters, these pages will always welcome you. Come home, it’s time to rest, heal.
.
It is a collection that I instantly fell in love with. It swept me away completely. It’s a sad truth that much of colonial society believes that Indigenous cultures are dead and buried. They believe this because it’s what they want. Books like The Beadworkers are acts of resistance against this ugliness. They are steeped in love and sacred tradition. They prove that Indigenous communities are thriving and many who have been disconnected are finding their way back.
.
Each short story felt fully developed and balanced. The characters all managed to feel developed in a short amount of time and each story/poem/play possessed its own strength.
Piatotes writing gives so much insight into the strength of native families, individuals and friendships. She illuminates where our strength manifests. In our ancestors and ceremonies. In our NDN kinship and friendships that call us away from settler society. “Come home,” they say, “your Kookoo made macaroni soup and bannock. it’s time to rest, heal.”
.
The Beadworkers is the book version of that safe space. To non-indigenous folk, turn to this book for an opportunity to learn while enjoying an incomparable reading experience. To my Indigenous brothers and sisters, these pages will always welcome you. Come home, it’s time to rest, heal.
January 14, 2023
If you're going to go tribal, you can't just take the good-the sharing, the ceremonies, the aunties, the Rez cred-you got to go the whole way. You got to walk through the minefields. You got to take the pettiness, the jealousy, the physical abuse, the diabetes, the bigoted uncle, the family that hates your family since the missionaries arrived. If you're a woman, you got to accept that your body is prime real estate, and if you don't reproduce for the tribe, you've joined the occupation.
Although mostly short stories, this collection begins with poetry and ends with a play, a striking retelling of Sophocles' Antigone, with conflict over excavated Native American bodies in a museum replacing that of burial of a Greek warrior against the orders of the State. Piatote is an enrolled member of Colville Confederated Tribes and Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Native American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her formal experimentation and use of Nez Perce words was challenging, but worth the effort.
Although mostly short stories, this collection begins with poetry and ends with a play, a striking retelling of Sophocles' Antigone, with conflict over excavated Native American bodies in a museum replacing that of burial of a Greek warrior against the orders of the State. Piatote is an enrolled member of Colville Confederated Tribes and Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Native American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her formal experimentation and use of Nez Perce words was challenging, but worth the effort.
November 30, 2020
These short stories, some poetics, and one play/script type story focus on relationships between people in the northwest that have some kind of indigenous background, most often Nez Perce. The author includes some Nez Perce language and some elements of traditional tales (Coyote may show up) but for the most part the stories are contemporary people navigating their lives.
I was immediately drawn in by the cover because Mt Hood was my closest mountain growing up and my morning bus ride often included a view of the sun coming up behind it. Looking closer, the image is rendered in beadwork by Marcus Amerman (beadwork is a tradition mentioned in multiple stories.)
My Mom had a close friend who grew up on the Yakama rez which is mentioned here, and I went to a few salmon bakes in my childhood, so in some ways the characters feel familiar to me. They are diverse - a wide range of rural, suburban, and urban people with shared ancestry that comes along with its own set of expectations and traditions often unknown to the non indigenous people around them, including gifts of blankets and specific locations for ceremonies. Some stories are experimental in form (one revolves around the creation of a board game) while others are more narrative. Highly recommended!
I was immediately drawn in by the cover because Mt Hood was my closest mountain growing up and my morning bus ride often included a view of the sun coming up behind it. Looking closer, the image is rendered in beadwork by Marcus Amerman (beadwork is a tradition mentioned in multiple stories.)
My Mom had a close friend who grew up on the Yakama rez which is mentioned here, and I went to a few salmon bakes in my childhood, so in some ways the characters feel familiar to me. They are diverse - a wide range of rural, suburban, and urban people with shared ancestry that comes along with its own set of expectations and traditions often unknown to the non indigenous people around them, including gifts of blankets and specific locations for ceremonies. Some stories are experimental in form (one revolves around the creation of a board game) while others are more narrative. Highly recommended!
July 27, 2019
Piatote's stories seem to somehow tenderly pull no punches. There are people who seem to think Native Americans and their cultures are something of the past, but they'd be incorrect-- Natives are alive and well, rightly reclaiming their traditions and challenging the effects of colonization. The Beadworkers shows just a few examples of that, whether quiet or loud, and so much more-- unbreakable family ties as well as untethered ones, strained friendships, and unpredictable romances. This collection feels like a warm, tough (yet soft) rebellion, and each story speaks volumes all on its own.
June 22, 2025
The Beadworkers was a really strong short story collection that experimented with form in inventive ways. The author blends traditional narratives, poetry, and even a play. Each form was handled skillfully, and the shifts in structure never feel gimmicky; instead, they add depth and variation to the overall reading experience.
The collection focuses on the lives and relationships of people in the American Northwest with Indigenous heritage, most often Nez Perce. While some stories incorporate Nez Perce language and elements of traditional tales, the majority center on contemporary characters navigating the complexities of modern life. What stood out most was how fully formed these pieces felt. The characters are vivid and layered, with a lot of socio-political and socio-cultural nuance being brought to the table. A lot of the stories in this collection were great, but the final play really stuck with me. It was heartbreakingly beautiful, which caught me off guard as I’m not usually a fan of plays.
Overall, Piatote’s writing offers profound insight into the strength and resilience of Indigenous families, individuals, and friendships. There’s a rich spectrum of experiences in this collection, many of which resonated deeply with me. I hope others give it a chance and find similar meaning in its pages!
The collection focuses on the lives and relationships of people in the American Northwest with Indigenous heritage, most often Nez Perce. While some stories incorporate Nez Perce language and elements of traditional tales, the majority center on contemporary characters navigating the complexities of modern life. What stood out most was how fully formed these pieces felt. The characters are vivid and layered, with a lot of socio-political and socio-cultural nuance being brought to the table. A lot of the stories in this collection were great, but the final play really stuck with me. It was heartbreakingly beautiful, which caught me off guard as I’m not usually a fan of plays.
Overall, Piatote’s writing offers profound insight into the strength and resilience of Indigenous families, individuals, and friendships. There’s a rich spectrum of experiences in this collection, many of which resonated deeply with me. I hope others give it a chance and find similar meaning in its pages!
January 12, 2022
New favorite.
Piatote is Nez Perce, and an associate professor of Native American studies at UC Berkeley. She speaks brilliantly about colonialism and the violence against Native families that persists today, and this ongoing war is a theme in her creative works as well. Also, her passion for Indigenous language rejuvenation is in evidence thought this collection. Alongside these vital topics, Piatote crafts vibrant characters and richly metaphoric writing. I was stunned by her description of a woman reacting to news that her brother has been injured: guilty relieved at how this new crisis disrupts the pain of a recently splintered relationship, she reflects on a poster reading "direct pressure stops bleeding." How profoundly that statement applies for not only literal bleeding, but emotional devastation as well.
Her first person stories are triumphs, quickly establishing the perspective of the narrator. A favorite was Katydid, in which a woman weaves together a story about her new love and how her relationship with an old friend crumbled years earlier. My mind was absolutely exploded by the final piece in this collection, a clever and heart-racing retelling of Antigone.
My taste in short stories tends to gravitate more towards speculative, especially sci fi or weird stuff, so for a contemporary/literary collection to captivate me like this is rare and special.
Piatote is Nez Perce, and an associate professor of Native American studies at UC Berkeley. She speaks brilliantly about colonialism and the violence against Native families that persists today, and this ongoing war is a theme in her creative works as well. Also, her passion for Indigenous language rejuvenation is in evidence thought this collection. Alongside these vital topics, Piatote crafts vibrant characters and richly metaphoric writing. I was stunned by her description of a woman reacting to news that her brother has been injured: guilty relieved at how this new crisis disrupts the pain of a recently splintered relationship, she reflects on a poster reading "direct pressure stops bleeding." How profoundly that statement applies for not only literal bleeding, but emotional devastation as well.
Her first person stories are triumphs, quickly establishing the perspective of the narrator. A favorite was Katydid, in which a woman weaves together a story about her new love and how her relationship with an old friend crumbled years earlier. My mind was absolutely exploded by the final piece in this collection, a clever and heart-racing retelling of Antigone.
My taste in short stories tends to gravitate more towards speculative, especially sci fi or weird stuff, so for a contemporary/literary collection to captivate me like this is rare and special.
March 27, 2022
This is a phenomenally powerful collection of literature! Engaging short stories and an Indigenous retelling of the Greek drama of Antigone. I'm so grateful I got to listen to the audio, read by the author and a whole cast for the performance of "Antíkoni".
About Beth Piatote from the Publishers' website:
"Beth Piatote is an associate professor of Native American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a PhD from Stanford University, is the author of numerous scholarly essays and creative works, and is the recipient of multiple awards and fellowships. She is Nez Perce enrolled with Colville Confederated Tribes and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her two children."
About Beth Piatote from the Publishers' website:
"Beth Piatote is an associate professor of Native American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a PhD from Stanford University, is the author of numerous scholarly essays and creative works, and is the recipient of multiple awards and fellowships. She is Nez Perce enrolled with Colville Confederated Tribes and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her two children."
January 30, 2022
This was a powerful book. It was a collection of short stories with the last one a play. The play was heartbreaking but so beautiful. Each story was very distinct and mostly were stories about urban Indians. One story "wIndin" was about the relationship between two friends while one of them was creating a game that had some commentary on Indian life including giveaways, I found it very funny. For every story, the writing was tight and full of insightful observations. In addition to covering Urban Indian life, the stories really dove into relationships. I was made aware of this book through the Indigenous Reading Circle. There is one suggested book a month.
"Sometimes I think love is a trap, sometimes a promise, sometimes a physics problem. Whether faith is gravity or the ability to fly is still an open question. It seems that it should be easier to chart, easier to calculate: how one loss blooms into another, how one moment of connection is a crash and another is deliverance. Desire is its own force, bringing people into our orbit and flinging our hearts far beyond our bodies, so that we have no choice but to follow."
"Sometimes I think love is a trap, sometimes a promise, sometimes a physics problem. Whether faith is gravity or the ability to fly is still an open question. It seems that it should be easier to chart, easier to calculate: how one loss blooms into another, how one moment of connection is a crash and another is deliverance. Desire is its own force, bringing people into our orbit and flinging our hearts far beyond our bodies, so that we have no choice but to follow."
November 30, 2020
Kitchen table beading lessons with Beth Piatote ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of the most striking features of this collection of stories is the way Beth Piatote uses innovations in form. The story ‘Beading Lesson’ seats you at the kitchen table, giving a beading lesson. Beth Piatote gives her readers a sense of everything that goes into the transmission of these traditions, including traditional knowledge and contemporary kinship.
✨✨✨
“You go ahead and pick some colors you think she would like. Maybe three or four is all, and you need to pick some of these bugle beads.
Yeah, that’s good, except you got too many dark colors.
You like dark colors. Everytime I see you you’re wearin’ something dark. Not me. I like to wear red and yellow, so people know I’m around and don’t try talkin’ about me behind my back, aay?”
✨✨✨
‘Beading Lessons’ was my favourite story because it hit me right in the feels. I also loved ‘wIndin!’ which was a funny story about friends inventing a kind of Native-style Monopoly board game. Readers get to see the rule sheet as it develops (“Breaking protocol can result in arbitrary fines, family shame, and teasing by other players”). The crowning gem of the collection is an Antigone retelling about a Nez Perce/Cayuse family whose ancestors remains are in a museum.
This is a stunning collection of short stories and I can’t wait for more from Beth Piatote.
One of the most striking features of this collection of stories is the way Beth Piatote uses innovations in form. The story ‘Beading Lesson’ seats you at the kitchen table, giving a beading lesson. Beth Piatote gives her readers a sense of everything that goes into the transmission of these traditions, including traditional knowledge and contemporary kinship.
✨✨✨
“You go ahead and pick some colors you think she would like. Maybe three or four is all, and you need to pick some of these bugle beads.
Yeah, that’s good, except you got too many dark colors.
You like dark colors. Everytime I see you you’re wearin’ something dark. Not me. I like to wear red and yellow, so people know I’m around and don’t try talkin’ about me behind my back, aay?”
✨✨✨
‘Beading Lessons’ was my favourite story because it hit me right in the feels. I also loved ‘wIndin!’ which was a funny story about friends inventing a kind of Native-style Monopoly board game. Readers get to see the rule sheet as it develops (“Breaking protocol can result in arbitrary fines, family shame, and teasing by other players”). The crowning gem of the collection is an Antigone retelling about a Nez Perce/Cayuse family whose ancestors remains are in a museum.
This is a stunning collection of short stories and I can’t wait for more from Beth Piatote.
October 18, 2019
Beth Piatote’s short story collection, The Beadworkers, is truly a stunning debut. In this collection Piatote shows us how mainstream American culture continues to erase the identities and traditions of indigenous groups. Exploring the lives of modern Indigenous families through poetry and verse, Piatote gives us unforgettable characters and stories that will make you revisits this book.
The longest and my favorite story is: “Antíkoni”, in this story Piatote addresses how Indian artifacts are treated in the era of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and how “Antigone” the protagonist in this story, steals her brother’s remains back. I highly, highly recommend this collection for those seeking to read more works from Indigenous writers, 5/5 for me.
Many thanks to CounterPoint Press for gifting me this copy.
The longest and my favorite story is: “Antíkoni”, in this story Piatote addresses how Indian artifacts are treated in the era of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and how “Antigone” the protagonist in this story, steals her brother’s remains back. I highly, highly recommend this collection for those seeking to read more works from Indigenous writers, 5/5 for me.
Many thanks to CounterPoint Press for gifting me this copy.
January 16, 2021
The Beadworkers has some really special stories in it. While not every story resonated with me, the nature and messages of these stories is all really special. I'm glad this collection exists and empowers readers. If you like short story collections, especially ones that play with form and content, you will probably really enjoy this set. I loved how she used language (both English and Nimipuutímt) to tell her stories in lyrical ways. Language revitalization and word reclamation is powerful to see.
CW: topics include colonialism, violence, racism, injury, amputation.
CW: topics include colonialism, violence, racism, injury, amputation.
September 15, 2020
I was going through books I need to return to the library and realized I never posted any final thoughts for this book! And oh, does this collection need one more spot in my feed because the writing and creativity (especially in genre) are so worth your time. This is one of those books where I recommend you crack your expectations way open before you start reading - once you settle into Piatote’s writing you’ll want to keep reading. She has such a knack for this simplicity that will take you by surprise. This seems like the work of an inventive and curious mind, and it will sweep you right along with her into the questions, emotions, and very present Indigenous perspective she explores through these stories.
June 10, 2022
Hot damn, this was terrific.
(Yes, I am using the phrase "hot damn" intentionally, because it is currently 101 degrees here, which is a FELONY.)
This is definitely one of the best short story collections I've ever read, and also one of the most intriguing and clever. I typically don't like when there are stories in a collection that are only a few pages long, but in this case the shorter ones worked so well. Piatote makes them into a perfect and layered snapshot of the characters' lives, giving us so much information in so few words. Her skill here was reminiscent to me of Deesha Philyaw in The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, another fave collection of mine. And the longer stories had amazing depth of topic, personality, and meaning. I loved getting a glimpse into various lives and communities of the different Native tribes and peoples here, and learning a little about their realities too. What this country did to the Indigenous people at the outset and has continued to do to them up until the present day and beyond is truly gut-wrenching and the ripple effects are impossible to quantify.
There were multiple times while reading this when my heart was in my throat, where it felt like these were people I actually knew. The characters don't always do or say the right things and at times there is real frustration, but I understood their motivations and felt this boundless empathy for them.
I particularly loved the opening portion, which is a three-part story told as a poem followed by two longer stories building off of it, as well as wIndin! and Katydid. But the entire collection is phenomenal and honestly flawless, to me. I really hope the author writes more fiction in the future, because I will eagerly pick up anything else she puts out.
(Yes, I am using the phrase "hot damn" intentionally, because it is currently 101 degrees here, which is a FELONY.)
This is definitely one of the best short story collections I've ever read, and also one of the most intriguing and clever. I typically don't like when there are stories in a collection that are only a few pages long, but in this case the shorter ones worked so well. Piatote makes them into a perfect and layered snapshot of the characters' lives, giving us so much information in so few words. Her skill here was reminiscent to me of Deesha Philyaw in The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, another fave collection of mine. And the longer stories had amazing depth of topic, personality, and meaning. I loved getting a glimpse into various lives and communities of the different Native tribes and peoples here, and learning a little about their realities too. What this country did to the Indigenous people at the outset and has continued to do to them up until the present day and beyond is truly gut-wrenching and the ripple effects are impossible to quantify.
There were multiple times while reading this when my heart was in my throat, where it felt like these were people I actually knew. The characters don't always do or say the right things and at times there is real frustration, but I understood their motivations and felt this boundless empathy for them.
I particularly loved the opening portion, which is a three-part story told as a poem followed by two longer stories building off of it, as well as wIndin! and Katydid. But the entire collection is phenomenal and honestly flawless, to me. I really hope the author writes more fiction in the future, because I will eagerly pick up anything else she puts out.
June 24, 2020
Poignant and powerful short fiction stories about Native Americans, their lives and culture, mostly set in the Pacific Northwest. Like a lot of good fiction, the stories read like very good, very realistic nonfiction. Author Piatote is an award winning essayist and fiction author, a university professor of Native American studies and a Nez Perce enrolled with the Colville Confederated Tribes. I particularly enjoyed the short story/play “Antikoni” and the short stories “Katydid” and “Fish Wars.”
January 9, 2022
An absolutely extraordinary collection of stories. Piatote exhibits incredible range and depth. Beautiful writing, I loved immersing myself in each story and spending time with these characters. I didn’t want it to end.
Read
December 27, 2021This is a strong collection of 11 stories, including one poem and one play. Unfortunately, the first few stories were my least favorites of the collection, so keep reading if it doesn't grab you right away! Standout stories for me were "Fish Wars," "wIndin!" and "Katydid."
August 14, 2020
Wowow clearly I don’t read enough fiction by indigenous authors because I learned so much about how Native Americans in the US keep their traditions and culture alive today! This book is a collection of short fictional stories painting a picture of the daily fight indigenous groups face against the US’s attempt at cultural erasure.
One thing I was really surprised about was a couple of the stories pointed out the pressure put on Native American women to bear children (in particular with a Native American men) as an obligation to preserve heritage. I want to say that seems problematic? Maybe that was the point?But not my place to say?
My favorite short story was wIndin! which was segmented by game instructions for an Indian spin-off of monopoly which just a comedic critique of all the ways the govt has screwed over tribes throughout history.
The last story was in a play form which ugh I hate reading theater but it was all about a girl who steals artifacts and corpses of tribal chiefs from a museum and it’s all about how museums and the State think they’re bestowing honor upon tribes by displaying artifacts but really they’re just stealing, and in this case the tribal chiefs can never pass into the after life as long as they remain unburied so the museum is stealing that from her ancestors too.
I didn’t feel strongly about the writing style in general, sometimes it felt like the author threw in unnecessary flares that served no purpose , 4/5 stars, but the book does a fantastic job of letting these short stories be a vessel for the pain and erasure of tradition indigenous people face so 5/5
One thing I was really surprised about was a couple of the stories pointed out the pressure put on Native American women to bear children (in particular with a Native American men) as an obligation to preserve heritage. I want to say that seems problematic? Maybe that was the point?But not my place to say?
My favorite short story was wIndin! which was segmented by game instructions for an Indian spin-off of monopoly which just a comedic critique of all the ways the govt has screwed over tribes throughout history.
The last story was in a play form which ugh I hate reading theater but it was all about a girl who steals artifacts and corpses of tribal chiefs from a museum and it’s all about how museums and the State think they’re bestowing honor upon tribes by displaying artifacts but really they’re just stealing, and in this case the tribal chiefs can never pass into the after life as long as they remain unburied so the museum is stealing that from her ancestors too.
I didn’t feel strongly about the writing style in general, sometimes it felt like the author threw in unnecessary flares that served no purpose , 4/5 stars, but the book does a fantastic job of letting these short stories be a vessel for the pain and erasure of tradition indigenous people face so 5/5
January 16, 2020
With one book, Beth Piatote has moved into the circle of my favorite authors. Her writing is honest and raw and moving. Her prose is poetic and her story-telling deep and meaningful. Without explosions, aliens, or manufactured thrills, each of the stories held me tight and transported me into another world. Even the uncomfortable ones. "Fish Wars" took me back to my childhood because of the way the family interacted and I ended the story breathless. This book contains poetry that is delicious but accessible, short stories that read more like personal accounts, and a play that sounded like a Native American version of a Greek Tragedy.
Piatote writes in many voices but really highlights the heroism and struggles of women in her Native American culture. I hope she writes another!
Piatote writes in many voices but really highlights the heroism and struggles of women in her Native American culture. I hope she writes another!
February 20, 2020
A quarter-century ago, they hired a new, young reporter at The Register-Guard, and assigned her a desk next to mine. From the get-go, it was clear that Beth was smart, talented, passionate about her Native American heritage, and skeptical of the constraints that journalistic norms could impose upon free-spirited writing. Now a professor of Native American Studies at Cal-Berkeley and the mother of two, Beth Piatote still possesses all of those qualities — as I affirmed by happy accident when stumbling across this recent collection of her short stories. Her writing is lovely and nuanced, and frequently had me reaching for my pencil to underline yet another remarkable passage.
December 31, 2019
I'm not sure how to categorize this - short stories, a play, a poem/hymn -- but however you categorize it, Piatote's writing is evocative and powerful. At times the writing feels stark and to the point, at other times it feels lush and rich -- but always beautiful.
October 14, 2020
oh my stars! Cannot wait to hear an audiobook of this, as the language is so beautiful in print that it must shine even better when we can hear the words as they originally were. Water is life water is alive. Recommending to everyone!
June 14, 2023
"I think I would give up my fridge magnet of Planet Earth, every glimpse of snowy mountain folds from the window of a plane, the glittering view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower on New Year's Eve- I would give up all these things to see what our ancestors saw, to dream their vivid dreams, to come over a mountain with my mothers and sisters and suddenly see, in the wide open, an enormous blue meadow of blooming camas, an endless, unbroken field of periwinkle, lake, and lapis that today you could barely imagine, a land breathing and rolling with blue, a land so beautiful that you would wonder how to find your voice, find your offering, draw out a song on your breath and press the strength of your body to the earth, into the earth, into the deep wild blue." (Page 8)
The Beadworkers is a collection of tales based on the modern, urban, indigenous experience. They are all different and unconnected, but each have a mention or representation of beadwork within. One section is thoughts, another a story, another a play. They all have a hint of sadness, of loss, of searching for their past, their culture, of who they are and where they are going both as a people and as individuals. There's power in these pages, and you can feel that by reading it. My favorite in this collection was called Katydid. I really enjoyed reading about the connection between Ada and Roberta. I had some trouble following the play at the end, I'll admit, but I believe I got the gist of it. I'd recommend this collection to anyone who enjoyed There There by Tommy Orange. The stories feel similar, if unconnected to each other.
The Beadworkers is a collection of tales based on the modern, urban, indigenous experience. They are all different and unconnected, but each have a mention or representation of beadwork within. One section is thoughts, another a story, another a play. They all have a hint of sadness, of loss, of searching for their past, their culture, of who they are and where they are going both as a people and as individuals. There's power in these pages, and you can feel that by reading it. My favorite in this collection was called Katydid. I really enjoyed reading about the connection between Ada and Roberta. I had some trouble following the play at the end, I'll admit, but I believe I got the gist of it. I'd recommend this collection to anyone who enjoyed There There by Tommy Orange. The stories feel similar, if unconnected to each other.
January 15, 2022
"I would give up all of these things to see what our ancestors saw, to dream their vivid dreams, to come over a mountain with my mother's and sisters and suddenly see, in the wide open, an enormous blue meadow of blooming camas, an endless, unbroken field of periwinkle, lake, and lapis that today you could barely imagine, a land breathing and rolling with blue, a land so beautiful that you would wonder how to find your voice, find your offering, draw out a song on your breath and press the strength of your body to the earth, into the earth, into the deep wild blue."
Right from the beginning I knew I'd love this collection of short stories. As I read I felt that they got more and more compelling. One of my favorites was wIndIn! because, besides the witty game concept, I loved the characters' gentle friendship.
Falling Crows and Katydid were also favorites, though I think reading the collection as a whole and in order is the best way to go. So many topics are brought in and there are really interesting variations of short story styles in this book.
After I made notes about my favorite stories, I got to the final one - Antíkoni. And it blew me away. It's a play but also poetry. It seemed impossibly perfect to me. The sad parts, the intense parts, even the brief funny parts, were perfect. I rarely read poetry or plays so being hit with it and sucked in at the same time was a wild experience. I had to stare off into the distance and ponder the story as well as the genius of Beth Piatote for a while after finishing.
Right from the beginning I knew I'd love this collection of short stories. As I read I felt that they got more and more compelling. One of my favorites was wIndIn! because, besides the witty game concept, I loved the characters' gentle friendship.
Falling Crows and Katydid were also favorites, though I think reading the collection as a whole and in order is the best way to go. So many topics are brought in and there are really interesting variations of short story styles in this book.
After I made notes about my favorite stories, I got to the final one - Antíkoni. And it blew me away. It's a play but also poetry. It seemed impossibly perfect to me. The sad parts, the intense parts, even the brief funny parts, were perfect. I rarely read poetry or plays so being hit with it and sucked in at the same time was a wild experience. I had to stare off into the distance and ponder the story as well as the genius of Beth Piatote for a while after finishing.
November 22, 2021
reading fiction by someone who studies nez perce literature and linguistics was rad. stories like "falling crows" hook-line-and-sinkered me with its triple whammy of language reclamation as a major theme, folklore rendered twenty-first-century real, and characters spun up with sincerity. i also enjoyed "the news of the day," "fish wars," "beading lesson," and "rootless" for one or more of these reasons. that's most of the stories in this collection!
piatote experiments with form to varying degrees of success (as measured by my readerly engagement, which is def not the aim to which she aspired). her lyricism lulled me into zooming through her reimagining of sophocles's antigone in one sitting, but i didn't get what she was trying to do in her introductory triptych. (after reading, i learned from an interview that she'd hoped to welcome readers with the rendition of a feast in words.) overall, though, i dug the titular beadwork as a lens through which to explore family/community, art (like piatote's own writing!), and identity.
i'd especially recommend the beadworkers to bay area inhabitants looking to support local authors because piatote teaches at berkeley. :)
piatote experiments with form to varying degrees of success (as measured by my readerly engagement, which is def not the aim to which she aspired). her lyricism lulled me into zooming through her reimagining of sophocles's antigone in one sitting, but i didn't get what she was trying to do in her introductory triptych. (after reading, i learned from an interview that she'd hoped to welcome readers with the rendition of a feast in words.) overall, though, i dug the titular beadwork as a lens through which to explore family/community, art (like piatote's own writing!), and identity.
i'd especially recommend the beadworkers to bay area inhabitants looking to support local authors because piatote teaches at berkeley. :)
October 16, 2023
This is a collection of Indigenous stories written by UC Berkeley professor, Beth Piatote. I only read her adaptation of the classical Greek play Antigone. Her play (Antikoni) is a masterpiece of adaptation, originality, and engaging characterization. Set in the present and applied to Indigenous history and culture, this play is a complex and nuanced retelling of profoundly human yet uniquely Indigenous concerns... death, burial, conscience, identity, conflict, duty, courage, just to name a few. I hope to read some of the other texts included in this anthology.
June 11, 2021
A semi-quick, but solid read. The telling of each story is able to paint a vivid image within the reader’s mind, and made me feel like I was listening to true oral tradition, that of my elders- in a more modern sense. There were definitely points where I felt as though the book dragged on a bit, but it is unknown to me whether that is to the fault of the writing, or if I just expected it to be faster read than it was. The dragging never lasted more than a few pages.
December 2, 2019
What an inventive, intelligent, ever-changing collection of stories. I felt a little unbalanced in the best possible way. This is a book that rewards and respects its reader, that doesn't over-explain, and where the contortions of its structures feel, always, necessary.
September 9, 2022
a collection with incredible range–the first few pieces were well-written, but I was not prepared to be blown away by wIndin! (read it here) or the best Antigone remix I've read
June 21, 2023
i loved this
November 20, 2023
That last story was perfection. Absolute perfection.
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