The Death of Sitting Bear, New and Selected Poems --N. Scott Momaday

 Nonfiction / Poetry / Passages

192 pages

5 Stars

 

I don’t think it is within the realm of the possible for Mr. Momaday to write anything that I would not find beautiful.

 

He brings the histories and legends of the Native peoples to the Europeans in ways accessible to them, whether in prose or poem or passage.

 

When one reaches a certain age To An Aged Bear strikes a ringing chord: “Hold hard this infirmity. / It defines you. You are old.”

 

His poetry of the land, of the people-whether us or of another culture, another country, are not to be missed.

In the Bear's House --by N. Scott Momaday

 Fiction / Nonfiction / Poetry

96 pages

5 Stars

 

 

Mr. Momaday and I share something in common,  as he says in the Introduction, he “hungers for wild mountains and rivers and plains. I love to be on Bear’s ground, to listen for that old guttural music under his breath, to know only that he is near. And Bear is welcome in my dreams, for in that cave of sleep I am at home to Bear.”

 

The first portion of the book is a series of dialogs between Yahweh and Urset, God and Bear. They are short, delightful, and well worth thinking about. Then there are poems and finally passages. Momaday writes deceptively easy poems that, when considered, pack a wallop. Momaday brings a Native American perspective to us, an explanation if we choose it, as to how and why indigenous peoples relate to nature. I love the different points of view of the transformation. It reminds me I am mortal, not to fear.

 

The illustrations are by the author and are wonderful. This is a book I shall read more than once.

The Man Made of Words --N. Scott Momaday

Mix / Essays, Stories, Passages

224 pages

5 Stars

My only "complaint" was there was an end to the book. No matter how slowly I read, how I parsed the pages, I still came to the end. The saving grace is, it's my book, and I can reread it as often as I want—though there will still be an end.

This is a wonderful compilation of essays and stories and passages from the Master. We learn about his childhood, the influence of his grandparents, of the environments in which he was raised. We learn some of the Kiowa mythologies. We who read this book are blessed by the words therein, and the art that goes along with them.

Momaday is a poet, who carries that sense of rhythm and beauty into his prose. He tells of the oral culture and the book culture, and their differences. "Books are to be read; they are to be consumed and digested; they are to be turned over in the mind; they are to be taken seriously." This book is flavorful, there are textures to be chewed and savored before swallowing; there are textures that are smooth and delicate as flan. A well-balanced meal for your brain.

If I were to be sent to a desert island and allowed only 5 books for the rest of my life, this would be one of those books.

For those of you who want to know what the other books I'd take to that desert island: Errata by George Steiner (essays), Never in a Hurry by Naomi Shihab Nye (essays), Dune by Frank Herbert (novel), Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation by John Phillip Santos (memoir).

House Made of Dawn --N. Scott Momaday

Fiction / Native American

212 pages

5 Stars

If you have ever wondered what it would be to grow up in two cultures that had little in common, this is the book to read. Abel was such a young man. Native American raised in the old ways, and also raised in the culture of the dominant white man. How does one survive? How does one choose? What happens as he decides?

This is Momaday's first novel, and it is obvious, beautifully so, that he was a poet before a novelist. What a marvelous gift to us!

In the Presence of the Sun - N. Scott Momaday

Fiction / Stories & Poetry

169 pages /4898 KB

5 Stars

This is a marvelous collection of Momaday's stories, poetry, and art. He draws on his Kiowa heritage and paints gorgeous, gentle, and dignified word pictures for us. His artwork adds to the inspiration. A most beautiful book.

The Way to Rainy Mountain --by N. Scott Momaday

Nonfiction / History, Myth, Memoir, Prose Poems

89 pages / 846 KB

5 Stars

I'm not all that sure how to categorize this book, other than Beautiful. Each numbered section is in three parts—History, Myth, Memoir. It tells the search Momaday undertook to find his roots (Kiowa), to reconnect to the land, the people, his family.

A fast reader, I thought I'd have this book devoured in a relatively short time. It took several nights; because I would read a bit, then have to think about what I'd read. Not just the words, but also the artistic way they were placed next to each other and on the page as a whole.

When I finished the book, I realized I had learned a great deal. What a beautiful way to get an education!