Writers of the Native American Renaissance

In Beauty I Walk: The Literary Roots of Native American Writing Edited by Jarod Ramsey and Lori Burlingame 395 pages, softcover: $27.95. University of New Mexico Press, 2008. "Appreciation" is a slippery word, especially when applied to culture. More shallow than understanding, but deeper than mere pleasure, you might describe it as knowledge lite. Perhaps that's why In Beauty I Walk: The Literary Roots of Native American Writing, which emphasizes the "appreciation" of Native texts, leaves you feeling like you've brushed against something far more tangled and complex than the soothing, earth-toned cover would suggest. The selections range from traditional creation myths, stories, songs and poetry to modern short stories and plays. Contributors, including Sarah Winnemucca, Mourning Dove and Lynn Riggs, address themes many people are familiar with as history but not necessarily as narrative -- betrayals of trust between white settlers and Indians, assimilationist boarding schools, failed interracial marriages. Editors Jarold Ramsey and Lori Burlingame provide background for and analysis of most of the writings, even while noting the controversies involved...HCN