| Summary: | Bruchac, Joseph. Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places. Illustrated by Thomas Locker. Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0-15-200042-9. $16.00.Upaginated.” 3+ FI PB Reviewed by Helen Hoopes Joseph Bruchac, an Abenaki-Native American, has written a beautiful poetic story about Little Turtle and his uncle, Old Bear, who decide to go walking in the magnificent world created by Kit-se-le-mu-kong . They first visit Ma- hi-ka-ni-yewk, the Hudson River Land where their Delaware ancestors had lived. Old Bear tells Little Turtle that this land is sacred to their people. Little Turtle asks the meaning of the word “sacred.” Drawing a circle on the soft earth, Old Bear answers: They can be found in all of the Seven Directions. They are found in the East and in the North, in the South and in the West, as well as Above, Below, and the place Within. Without those places we lose our balance. The rest of the book answers Little Turtle's next question:”Are Delawares the only Indian people with sacred places?” First, Old Bear explains about the Wamoanoag, who lived in the East; then the Seneca, who lived in the North, the Navajo from the West; the Cherokee from the South; the Papago from the West, the Hopewell from the Center, the Cheyenne from Above, the Hopi from Below, the Walapai from the Balance Lost, and the Abenaki from the Balance Held. Each of the tribes is allotted a full-page spread with a picture on one side, the narrative on the opposite, and a small piece of the painting to add color. The text conveys the message that we keep our balance by making sacred all the places we go if we “remember that we always carry the teachings with us.” Indeed,”the seventh direction is within us all, the place that helps us see right and wrong and maintain the balance by choosing to live in a good way. Everything is sacred between Earth and Sky.” Thomas Locker has once again outdone himself in these lavish illustrations. Each page is rich with greens of the forests; golds of the sunshine on white rock and cliff dwellings; reds of the deserts, sunset, and canyons; whites of the spray from the waterfalls and snow on the mountains; and blues of the waters and skies. The paintings seem to come alive with the energy Locker has created in every scene. This is truly a book to be shared, not only for the beauty of the illustrations, but also the depth and wonder of the Native American beliefs. Also of interest is a map of the United States that identifies all the areas where many of those “original Native nations lived, most of which still exist to this day.” Also included is a “suggested” guide to pronunciations to many of the words used in the book. 32 p.: col. ill., col. map; 24 x 29 cm. Children's Book and Play Review, November / December 1997
|
|---|