"Native American voices spanning a hundred years present a collective sense of childhood and a scope of individual experience. Similar in format to Philip’s Earth Always Endures: Native American Poems (1996) and In a Sacred Manner I Live: Native American Wisdom (1997), this collection speaks more closely to a young audience in its subject matter. From the words of Charles A. Eastman and Sarah Winnemuca to the more contemporary voices of Louis Two Ravens Irwin and James Sewid, the narratives describe aspects of childhood life in many tribes. Subjects range from playing house and playing war to having hair cut at a boarding school and being buried alive in order to hide from white men. Like the previous collections, this is illustrated with archival photographs, printed in duotone, that are evocative, but overly romantic in tone. The fact that the experiences were recorded, in word or picture, almost entirely in the late-19th and early-20th centuries gives an overall sense of distance and of “The-Indian-of-the-Past” to this collection, although readers may find the narratives themselves immediate. Philip gives both English and actual names of people and tribes after each selection, as well as sources for all pictures and texts at the end of the volume. A bibliography of further reading and indexes of speakers, writers, and Indian nations enhance the collection. Wonderful words in a museum-quality package, readers may find their way slowly to this book, but they should find the trip worthwhile. (introduction, indexes, further reading, source notes)"

Drawn from a variety of memoirs and biographies, this collection of childhood stories paints a nuanced picture of growing up Native American. The one- and two-page vignettes represent 20 different tribes (most from western North America) and are organized by theme. The book begins with warm images of children at play, sternly affectionate elders, and favorite pranks. Later the tone darkens as one girl describes a cruel grandmother, and several others recall harsh treatment at the white schools they were forced to attend. Luther Standing Bear's recollection of being made to choose an Anglo name that was then stitched into his shirts is particularly poignant. The book ends on a spiritual note, with tales of powerful visions and dreams. This is an excellent choice for curriculum support and brief read-aloud material; teachers can pair selected passages with traditional nonfiction titles to round out the study of a particular tribe. The selections are indexed by author and tribe, and all have source notes.
TCI Lesson 3: The Peopling of the US