Native American Phase IV

Norton’s PHASE IV: Historical Fiction

Studying the historical fiction in Phase IV introduces types of conflict that were encountered by members of the culture.

    Armer, L.A. (1931). Waterless mountains. New York: David McKay. GR:5-8
Story, told in beautiful poetic prose, of the training of a present-day Navajo Indian boy who feels a vocation to become a medicine man. This portrayal of the life of a tribe that has lived in Northern Arizona gives the reader an acquaintance with the animals, trees, and prehistoric cliff dwellings of the west and the mystical beauty of the legends and traditions of the Navajo through the eyes and mind of the hero.

    Armstrong, N. (1994). Navajo long walk. Niwot, CO: Roberts Rinehart Publishers. GR:4-8
In 1864, a young Navajo boy travels with his tribe from Arizona to a government internment camp nearly three hundred miles away in New Mexico. Ultimately, the main character, Kee, realizes the frailty of his people in the presence of the white soldiers and that to survive, they must find a way to get along with the white man.

    Baylor, B. (1972) When clay sings. New York: Scribner. GR:1-4
The daily life and customs of prehistoric Southwest Indian tribes are retraced from the designs on the remains of their pottery.

    Hunter, S. (1996). The unbreakable code. Rising Moon. Gr:1 and up
A young Native American boy hides to avoid having to move away from his reservation. His grandfather finds him and comforts him with the true story of how Navajo language, faith, and ingenuity helped win World War II.

    O’Dell, S. (1970). Sing down the moon. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. GR:5-up
Based upon two years 1863-1865 in the history of the Navajo Indians. Author Scott O’Dell attempts to put himself into the mind and heart of another culture and make it believable.

    Velie, A.R., Ed. (1991). The lightning within: An anthology of contemporary American Indian fiction. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
This is an anthology of stories by N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, Leslie Marmon Silko, Gerald Vizenor, Simon J. Ortiz, Louise Erdich, and Michael Dorris.

    Wunderli, S. (1992). The blue between the clouds. New York: H. Holt. GR:5-up
Two Moons, an eleven-year-old Navajo boy living in Utah in 1939 in the home of his school mate Matt, becomes best friends with Matt and helps him pursue his dream of flying. This is a story of friendship set in the 1940’s.