Monday, January 09, 2017

Native American Heritage Month 2016 - Overview


Actually being able to start my reading in November did not lead to actually finishing in November, but I don't feel horrible about the time involved. There was a lot of reading, some of it quite challenging. While various concerns came up during the reading, solutions arose as well.

Last year I reviewed one Native American artist each week in November, but I hadn't started the reading quite yet. This year not only did the reading sync up with the listening, but I only reviewed indigenous artists.

One of the concerns - which I mentioned in another post - was this feeling of being rushed. I only reviewed Native musicians not only for immersion but also because I wanted to make sure that I got everyone who was waiting. I read more books because I wanted to be sure to read all of the books.

I can think of some possible reasons (possibly reflecting a sense of foreboding related to the election) for a sense of urgency, but then there was also the thought of another year coming, and what would I do then? Part of the answer came through a completely different concern.

Previously many of the Native American musicians I reviewed came through a special I had watched, For the Generations. I had a list of artists left from that, but as I was getting ready to check out one of the artists, Dawn Dumont, she turned out to be more of a standup comedian than a musician. Well, comics go on tour too.

I didn't want to ignore her, and reviewing standup comedy was an intriguing idea, but I did not see any upcoming performances that I could get to or archives of recorded performances. However, she did have a book. I added that to my reading list, and next year I will read Nobody Cries at Bingo.

The artists themselves provided solutions for me. I have had a hard time finding poets, but one of the books, Dreaming the Dawn, included interviews with poets. I have several more names to check out now. Tracking down their individual work may still be difficult, but it helps.

It seems that they are never only artists. Two of the books I read were by musicians (Robert Mirabal and Jana Mashonee) I had reviewed last year. Many of the musicians also make instruments or weave baskets or make jewelry, and the poets also draw and sculpt. Because creativity is so important to me, I take inspiration from that.

I will have more to say about how they worked together, but here is a quick overview:

Musicians reviewed:

Davidica Little Spotted Horse
Michael Bucher
Wayquay
Pura Fé
Tracy Bone
Martha Redbone
Ulali
Litefoot

Books read:

Sisters in Sprirt: Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Influences on Early American Feminists, by Sally Wagner Roesch

Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide, by Andrea Lee Smith

Skeleton of a Bridge, by Robert Mirabal

To the American Indian: Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman, by Lucy Thompson

American Indian Story - the Adventures of Sha'Kona, by Jana Mashonee

Dreaming the Dawn: Conversations with Native Artists and Activists, by E. K. Caldwell

Seven Hands, Seven Hearts: Prose and Poetry, by Elizabeth Woody

Halfbreed: The Remarkable True Story of George Bent -- Caught Between the Worlds of the Indian and the White Man, by David F. Halaas and Andrew E. Masich

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