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The Sky Clears : Poetry of the American Indians
The Sky Clears Poetry of the American Indians Author:A. Grove Day The intention of this book is to acquaint readers with the first rate translations of North American Indian poems produced during the past hundred years. These compositions are not only valuable as poetry, but also serve to reveal the mental and emotional capabilities of the Indians. They are in their own right, a significant but relatively unkn... more »own part of American literature.
From the totem-pole makers of the Northwest to the hunters of the eastern woodlands, from the horse nations of the plains to the desert dwellers of the Southwest and the Mayas and Aztecs of ancient Mexico--from some forty tribal groups--A. Grove Day has collected examples of traditional American Indian verse. "This is a book to be read for pleasure," he writes; its purpose is "to show the variety and excellence of many kinds of authentic Indian poetry." Set in their cultural context, the selections also illustrate the major role, practical as well as aesthetic, that poetry played in the lives of Native American peoples. The translations are those of professional students of Indian languages who were also endowed with poetic powers of their own: people such as Franz Boas, Natalie Curtis, Frances Densmore, Washington Matthews, Herbert J. Spinden.« less