"These are the poems of a master poet. . . . When you read these
poems, you will learn to hear deeply the sound a soul makes as it sings
about the mystery of dreaming and becoming." -- Joy Harjo, Mvskoke
Nation, U.S. Poet Laureate
Pulitzer Prize winner and celebrated American master N. Scott Momaday
returns with a radiant collection of more than 200 new and selected
poems rooted in Native American oral tradition.
One of the most important and unique voices in American letters,
distinguished poet, novelist, artist, teacher, and storyteller N. Scott
Momaday was born into the Kiowa tribe and grew up on Indian reservations
in the Southwest. The customs and traditions that influenced his
upbringing--most notably the Native American oral tradition--are the
centerpiece of his work.
This luminous collection demonstrates Momaday's mastery and love of
language and the matters closest to his heart. To Momaday, words are
sacred; language is power. Spanning nearly fifty years, the poems
gathered here illuminate the human condition, Momaday's connection to
his Kiowa roots, and his spiritual relationship to the American
landscape.
The title poem, "The Death of Sitting Bear" is a celebration of heritage
and a memorial to the great Kiowa warrior and chief. "I feel his
presence close by in my blood and imagination," Momaday writes, "and I
sing him an honor song." Here, too, are meditations on mortality, love,
and loss, as well as reflections on the incomparable and holy landscape
of the Southwest.
The Death of Sitting Bear evokes the essence of human experience and
speaks to us all.
