FLYING WITH THE EAGLE, RACING THE GREAT BEAR - Joseph Bruchac

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph. 1993 Flying with the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear: Stories from Native North America. Ill. by Murv Jacob. N.p.: BridgeWater Books. ISBN 0-8167-3026-1

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Flying with the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear  is an anthology of sixteen Native American traditional stories representing tribes in the Northeast, the Southeast, the Southwest, and Northwest regions. These stories focus on boys’ transitions to adulthood, with challenges, quests, guides, and rites of passage. They show the consequences of poor decisions, the rewards of wise decisions, and an individual’s interdependence with other people and the natural world. In the introduction to the book, Bruchac said that these stories help the young prepare for their adult lives, but also help adults remember their own youth. While most of the stories are traditional tales, there are two biographical stories included, told in the style of a traditional tale.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

While it would be impossible to collect all the stories told by Native American tribes, Bruchac has amassed a representative sample. His choice to group the stories into fours is greater than a simple organizational scheme. Bruchac explains in the introduction that the number four holds significance for Native Americans, and can often be found woven into the stories they tell. He provides an introduction to each section, giving background information that will help the reader connect with the stories through themes, symbols, language, and culture. Bruchac helps the reader to see similarities between the stories told by different tribes and in different regions, while maintaining each tribe’s unique perspective and heritage. Unless children are of Native American descent, it is unlikely that they will recognize any of these stories, though some elements have been absorbed into popular culture. The representations in this book are more culturally authentic than what is shown in many books, movies, or television shows. Bruchac, himself, is Native American, and the afterword describes the input from individuals from multiple tribes who have shared their stories with him. This book could be read by older children or shared between children and adults. Some of the stories would be short enough that they could be presented as a read aloud.

Traditional tales fulfill two roles: the enjoyment of the story and passing wisdom and lore down to new generations. In their capacity of entertainment, these stories are full of drama, cliffhangers, magic, revealed identities, battles, and adventure. In the role of oral education, the stories carry messages to the listeners about the tribe’s mores. The alignment of characters, either human or animal, between good and bad is fairly straight forward. Many characters represent a virtue or a vice, some of which are relatively universal and others of which are specific to Native American cultures. There are, however, characters in between, who start the stories making poor decisions and then learn from their mistakes. Challenges and choices are an inherent component of these stories, as they are in the lives of real people. The power to change is honored. Conflicts may be external with animals, monsters, or other tribes. The conflict may be internal as well, where the resolution is increased wisdom or a new perspective. Not all the stories have happy endings: sometimes there are consequences to your actions that cannot be undone. Even if not happy, justice and balance prevail. Some are pourquoi tales, explaining the origin of a natural phenomenon or animal.

As in many folk tales, time passes to suit the needs of the story. Sometimes, the passage of time is accelerated to move a character from being a baby or child to becoming an adult. Some spans are made explicit, especially if tied to a significant number, like four. As oral histories, they are rooted in times gone by. Except for the biographical stories, there is little to tie them to a specific time period. Bruchac describes settings in broad brush strokes, matching what would be expected in the historical territory of a certain tribe. Locations are referenced by tribe names rather than a specific geographic marker.

As an anthology of stories, Flying with the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear does not have the same quantity of illustrations as a picture book. Murv Jacob, also a Native American, has created illustrations for the cover, title page, and regional introductions, presenting montage of characters and events that will appear in upcoming stories. He also used traditional decorative motifs to frame those pages. As they are different for each region, they may be patterns that are unique to the tribes featured in that section. The illustrations help to set the stage, adding visual cues to help the reader visualize the stories.

Most of the stories in the Flying with the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear anthology begin with “long ago.” One even starts with, “Ne onendji. Hear my story,” formally incorporating the storyteller into the telling. Stories wrap up with statements like “and so,” explicitly pointing out what the main character learned or how the story relates to the tribe’s culture or something that can be observed in the world. It is easy to imagine sitting with a group and listening to someone tell these stories by memory. A common element in traditional tales, these stories make use of many supernatural or magical devices. Travels to the stars, bringing people back to life, transformations, bows and arrows with special powers, and the like are found in many of the stories. Talking animals appear in stories form other cultures, but guidance from animals is a part of Native American cultures, giving this greater importance to the story. Maintaining authenticity to the culture and to the story was important to Bruchac as he recorded them. In the afterword, he urges the reader to look for stories transcribed by Native Americans as more accurate. The book contains a small bibliography of other recommended readings by Native Americans.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) AND AWARDS
Baker & Taylor Elementary School Core Collection - Level 1, 1997

CLS Opening Day Collections Audit, June 2002 and ongoing

Skipping Stones Honor Award, 1994

Lifetime Achievement Award, Native Writers Circle of the Americas

Storyteller of the Year, Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers

Kirkus: “…[Bruchac] has drawn few (if any) of these stories from printed sources; thus, he offers readers new insight into a range of Native American cultures--and into history, too…”

Publishers Weekly: “Words and phrases from various Native American languages liberally stud the well-cadenced text, enhancing the already authentic atmosphere.”

School Library Journal: “A volume that will be useful to students of multicultural folklore as well as to those interested in good storytelling.”

Booklist: “The tales are easy to follow and to envision, but they can be understood and interpreted on many levels.”

5. CONNECTIONS

-          Balance Flying with the Eagle, Running with the Great Bear with other Native American stories which feature girls and families.

 * Bruchac, Joseph, and Ross, Gayle. The Girl Who Married the Moon: Tales from Native North America. ISBN 978-1555915667 (This book is a companion to Flying with the Eagle, Running with the Great Bear, looking at stories for girls.)

Bierhorst, John. Is My Friend at Home?: Pueblo Fireside Tales. ISBN 0-374-33550-8

Clark, Ann Nolan. In My Mother’s House. ISBN 978-0-14-054496-1

Ebensen, Barbara Juster. The Star Maiden: An Ojibway Tale. ISBN 0-316-24955-6

Kavasch, E. Barrie. Apache Children and Elders Talk Together. 0-8239-5225-8 (This title is part of a series which features a number of different tribes.)

Keams, Geri. Snail Girl Brings Water: A Navajo Story. ISBN 0-87358-662-X

Miller, Jay. American Indian Families. ISBN 978-0-516-20133-7

-          Examine other Native American tales to look for commonalities and differences.

Ardagh, Philip. North American Myths & Legends. ISBN 0-7166-2611-X

Goble, Paul. The Great Race of the Birds and Animals. ISBN 0-689-71452-1 (Goble has transcribed many Native American tales.)

McDermott, Gerald. The Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest. ISBN 978-0-15-265661-4 (McDermott has transcribed many Native American Tales.)

Rodanas, Kristina. Dragonfly’s Tale. ISBN   978-0-329-02692-9

Ross, Gayle. The Legend of the Windingo: A Tale from Native North America. ISBN 0-8037-1898-5 (Ross Partnered with Bruchac in The Girl Who Married the Moon. This book was illustrated by Murv Jacob, who also illustrated Flying with the Eagle, Running with the Great Bear.)

Sita, Lisa. Indians of the Northeast: Traditions, History, Legends, and Life. ISBN 0-8368-2646-9 (This title is part of a series looking at different Native American tribes.)

Steptoe, John. The Story of Jumping Mouse: A Native American Legend. ISBN 0-688-01903-X

-          Expand Native American stories by incorporating crafts and other activities.

Caduto, Michael J., and Bruchac, Joseph. Keepers of the Animals: Native American Stories and Wildlife Activities for Children. ISBN 978-1555913861 (This title is part of a series looking at different topics, including the environment.)

Rudolph, Nancy Lyn. Paper Animal Masks from Northwest Tribal Tales. ISBN 978-0-7567-7073-0

Thomson, Ruth. Indians of the Plains: Facts, Things to Make, Activities. ISBN 0-531-14157-8

-          Read Native American poetry to see how it matches poetic forms students have already studied or how it is different. Look for similar messages, symbols, and motifs.

Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk. Dancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth. ISBN 978-0-8234-0724-8

Bruchac, Joseph. The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet. ISBN 978-0698116474

-    Try putting on a play.

-                                Bruchac, Joseph, and Flavin, Teresa. Pushing Up the Sky: Seven Native American Plays for

                         Children. ISBN 978-0803721685 (These plays are arranged for use with groups of children.)

-          Learn more about Joseph Bruchac, his life, and the books he has written.

Parker-Rock, Michelle. Joseph Bruchac: An Author Kids Love. ISBN 978-0766031609

Visit the author’s website: Joseph Bruchac Storyteller & Writer at http://www.josephbruchac.com/

-          Study Native American art and create images similar to Jacob’s illustrations.

-          Rewrite story from the perspective of a different character, like the mother or the weasel.

-          Take a look at Native American languages.

http://www.native-languages.org/

http://ourmothertongues.org/Home.aspx

http://www.plumsite.com/palace/native.htm

http://www.nativeweb.org/resources/languages_linguistics/native_american_languages/

-          Watch online Native American storytellers. These videos are long, and should be previewed to select the best segments for your students. The presenters give factual information as part of their presentations. Other videos can be found online, but should be evaluated for their cultural authenticity.

Tales From the Longhouse - Native American Winter Storytelling Festival at the Smithsonian. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UbmB6HG1yg

Seminole Stomp Dancers at the Smithsonian. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DWK2VE6FyE