Life Woven with Song (Volume 41) (Sun Tracks) - Softcover

Dauenhauer, Nora Marks

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9780816520060: Life Woven with Song (Volume 41) (Sun Tracks)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0816520062 ISBN 13: 9780816520060
Publisher: University of Arizona Press, 2000

Synopsis


The Tlingit Indians of southeastern Alaska are known for their totem poles, Chilkat blankets, and ocean-going canoes. Nora Marks Dauenhauer is a cultural emissary of her people and now tells the story of her own life within the context of her community's. Life Woven with Song re-creates in written language the oral tradition of the Tlingit people as it records memories of Dauenhauer's heritage--of older relatives and Tlingit elders, of trolling for salmon and preparing food in the dryfish camps, of making a living by working in canneries. She explores these recurring themes of food and land, salmon and rainforest, from changing perspectives--as a child, a mother, and a grandmother--and through a variety of literary forms.

In prose, Dauenhauer presents stories such as "Egg Boat"--the tale of a twelve-year-old girl fishing the North Pacific for the first time alone--and an autobiographical piece that reveals much about Tlingit lifeways. Then in a section of short lyrical poems she offers crystalline tributes to her land and people. In a concluding selection of plays, Dauenhauer presents three Raven stories that were adapted as stage plays from oral versions told in Tlingit by three storytellers of her community. These plays were commissioned by the Naa Kahidi Theater and have been performed throughout America and Europe. They take the form of a storyteller delivering a narrative while other members of the cast act and dance in masks and costumes.

Collectively, Dauenhauer's writings form an "autoethnography," offering new insight into how the Tlingit have been affected by modernization and how Native American culture perseveres in the face of change. Despite the hardships her people have seen, this woman affirms the goodness of life as found in family and community, in daily work and play, and in tribal traditions.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author


Nora Marks Dauenhauer is internationally recognized for her work in preserving Tlingit oral literature and for fourteen years was Principal Researcher in Language and Cultural Studies at Sealaska Heritage Foundation. Her writings have been widely anthologized, and she has received both the Alaska Governor's Award for the Arts and the Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award. She lives in Juneau.

From the Back Cover

The Tlingit Indians of southeastern Alaska are known for their totem poles, Chilkat blankets, and ocean-going canoes. Nora Marks Dauenhauer is a cultural emissary of her people and now tells the story of her own life within the context of her community's. "Life Woven with Song" re-creates in written language the oral tradition of the Tlingit people as it records memories of Dauenhauer's heritage--of older relatives and Tlingit elders, of trolling for salmon and preparing food in the dryfish camps, of making a living by working in canneries. She explores these recurring themes of food and land, salmon and rainforest, from changing perspectives--as a child, a mother, and a grandmother--and through a variety of literary forms. In prose, Dauenhauer presents stories such as "Egg Boat"--the tale of a twelve-year-old girl fishing the North Pacific for the first time alone--and an autobiographical piece that reveals much about Tlingit lifeways. Then in a section of short lyrical poems she offers crystalline tributes to her land and people. In a concluding selection of plays, Dauenhauer presents three Raven stories that were adapted as stage plays from oral versions told in Tlingit by three storytellers of her community. These plays were commissioned by the Naa Kahidi Theater and have been performed throughout America and Europe. They take the form of a storyteller delivering a narrative while other members of the cast act and dance in masks and costumes. Collectively, Dauenhauer's writings form an "autoethnography," offering new insight into how the Tlingit have been affected by modernization and how Native American culture perseveres in the face of change. Despite the hardships her people haveseen, this woman affirms the goodness of life as found in family and community, in daily work and play, and in tribal traditions.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
University of Arizona Press
Publication date
2000
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0816520062
ISBN 13 
9780816520060
Binding
Paperback
Edition number
1
Number of pages
139
Rating
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars
    21 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780816520053: Life Woven with Song (Sun Tracks)

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0816520054 ISBN 13:  9780816520053
Publisher: University of Arizona Press, 2000
Hardcover