Carolyn Lehman
c 2003
** California Indian author or illustrator
* Native American author or illustrator
PICTURE BOOKS
London, Jonathan. Fire Race. Illustrated by Sylvia Long. Chronicle Books; 1993. In this Karuk story, Coyote and the other animals cooperate to steal fire from the Yellow Jacket Sisters so that the world will not be cold and dark. The illustrations are noteworthy for their geographical and cultural accuracy, with one exception--Coyote is wearing a woman's basket hat. There is an afterward by Karuk linguist, Julian Lang.
Santiago, Chioro. Home to Medicine Mountain. Illustrated by **Judith Lowry. Children's Book Press; San Francisco, CA; 1998. This story from Lowry's family tells how two boys at Indian boarding school figure out how to get home so that they can be with their family for vacations and ceremonials. The expressionistic illustrations use bright colors and bold strokes to bring to life the California natural landscape and the intense longing that leads the boys home.
**Norton, Jack. Natasha Goes to the Brush Dance. CARE, 496 Gold Court, San Andreas, CA. 95249 (fax 209-754-9218); 2000. Natasha is a young Yurok girl who prepares for and participates in the traditional Brush Dance with her best friend Rose. Contemporary cultural issues are included in this self-published picture book by historian and Hupa tribal member, Jack Norton. The author's understanding of children within the culture and the use of community photographs give this book the authenticity that most commercial publications do not achieve.
MIDDLE GRADE NON-FICTION
Margolin, Malcolm and Yolanda Montijo. Native Ways: California Indian Stories and Memories. Heyday Books, P. O. Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709; 1995. Traditional California Indian life is described by Indian people themselves and illustrated through photographs and drawings. Care is taken in distinguishing among the different California tribes. While the intended audience is non-Indian school children, the respectful attitude is refreshing for all. There is a very short chapter that describes recent history (from white contact on) and present day life, although references to today's Indian people are made throughout the book.
Mayfield, Thomas Jefferson. Adopted by Indians. Heyday Books. The story of Indian Summer (see below) edited and illustrated for middle graders. This personal account (recorded in the earlier part of the 20th century) is a reminiscence in old age of Mayfield's childhood experience growing up in the Choinumne Yokut community in California's San Joaquin Valley. Strictly speaking, it is a white settler narrative, but it does give a view into Choinumne daily life before the genocide and shows variety in the relationships between Native residents and white newcomers at that time. The black and white illustrations give additional information about Chinomne material culture.
Smith-Trafzer, Lee Ann and *Clifford E. Trafzer. Creation of a California Tribe. Sierra Oaks Publishing, 1370 Sierra Oaks Court, Newcastle, CA, 95658-9791 (916-663-1474); 1988. Travis and Laura and their classmates hear Maidu stories from Grandfather.
**Yamane, Linda. Weaving a California Tradition. Lerner; 1997. This excellent photo essay about a contemporary Western Mono girl who is learning the tradition of basket making is unfortunately out of print. Look for it through your library. This book is unique for its authentic and positive portrayal of the daily life of a contemporary California Indian child.
**Yamane, Linda. The Snake that Lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains and When the World Ended... Oyate; Berkeley, CA. These are small press collections of Ohlone stories re-told by an Ohlone basket maker, historian and story teller. Both books contain some discussion of storytelling and translation. They acknowledge the original tellers.
YOUNG ADULT
**Lang, Julian. Ararapikva: Creation Stories of the People. Heyday Books; 1994. Traditional Karuk literature, language and lifeways are the focus of this bi-lingual volume by Karuk scholar Julian Lang.
**Lowry, Chag, editor. Northwest Indigenous Gold Rush History. ITEPP; phone: 707-826-5199, 1999. Oral histories collected by HSU students tell the impact of the Gold Rush on the native people of Humboldt County. Illustrated with historic photographs.
**Margolin, Malcolm, editor. The Way We Lived: California Indian Reminiscences, Stories and Songs. Heyday Books; Berkeley, CA; 1981.
Mayfield, Thomas Jefferson. Indian Summer. Heyday; 1993. This is the original taped (and edited) reminiscence of T. J. Mayfield. Unlike Adopted by Indians, Indian Summer gives a short picture of the violence that decimated the Choinumne and shows how Mayfield hid his childhood with the Indians out of fear of white violence. Excellent primary source material on the Gold Rush era.
**Wilson, Darryl Babe. The Morning the Sun Went Down. Heyday; 1998. A moving autobiography of a Pit River (Achumawe and Atsugewi) man's childhood in the mid-20th century, this book vividly reflects the strong bonds as well as the struggles of a California Indian family in the Hat Creek/Burney area.
* **Voices through the Ages. A Native American Anthology. ITEPP; Humboldt State University; 1999. This collection of student essays about growing up Native American was published on an educational grant.
Sources for Books on California Indian Experience: