The Magic Hummingbird: A Hopi Folktale

Two abandoned children occupy themselves by making a sunflower hummingbird which comes to life and brings them food and water and reunites them with their family

Gr 2-4-This Hopi pourquoi tale explains the cause of a great drought and the events that brought about its end. In Oraibi, a drought-stricken village, two young children are abandoned. To divert his thoughts from hunger, the boy makes a toy hummingbird from a sunflower stalk. When his sister hurls it into the air, it comes to life, first bringing the children food, then journeying to the underworld to request rain from the fertility god, and finally reuniting the youngsters with their parents. The full-color illustrations are both odd and arresting. In form and layout they resemble the bold patterns of Southwestern Indian artwork. However, the faces of the children and of Muy'ingwa, the fertility god, have slits for eyes and mouths, giving them a space-age look, as if they are wearing helmets. The text lacks the seamless feel of well-told story, not quite fitting into either an oral or a written form. Nonetheless, the tale is compelling and will hold listeners' attention. A good companion to Tomie dePaola's The Legend of the Bluebonnet (Putnam, 1983), another Native American story about drought and resolution.-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA

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