Tapahonso, Luci

Blue Horses Rush In: Poems and Stories (Sun Tracks , Vol 34)

Wrapped in blankets and looking at the stars, a young Navajo girl listened long ago to stories that would guide her for the rest of her life. "Such summer evenings were filled with quiet voices, dogs barking far away, the fire crackling, and often we could hear the faint drums and songs of a ceremony somewhere in the distance," writes Luci Tapahonso in this compelling collection. Blue Horses Rush In takes its title from a poem about the birth of her granddaughter Chamisa, whose heart "pounded quickly and we recognized / the sound of horses running: / the thundering of hooves on the desert floor." Through such personal insights, this collection follows the cycle of a woman's life and underlines what it means to be Navajo in the late twentieth century. The book marks a major accomplishment in American literature for its successful blending of Navajo cultural values and forms with the English language, while at the same time retaining the Navajo character. Here, Luci Tapahonso walks slowly through an ancient Hohokam village, recalling stories passed down from generation to generation. Later in the book, she may tell a funny story about a friend, then, within a few pages, describe family rituals like roasting green chiles or baking bread in an outside oven. Throughout, Tapahonso shares with readers her belief in the power of pollen and prayer feathers and sacred songs. Many of these stories were originally told in Navajo, taking no longer than ten minutes in the telling. "Yet, in recreating them, it is necessary to describe the land, the sky, the light, and other details of time and place," writes Tapahonso. "In this way, I attempt to create and convey the setting for the oral text. In writing, I revisit the place or places concerned and try to bring the reader to them, thereby enabling myself and other Navajos to sojourn mentally and emotionally in our home, Dinétah."

Saanii Dahataat: The Women Are Singing : Poems and Stories (Sun Tracks, Vol 23)

In this cycle of poetry and stories, Navajo writer Luci Tapahonso shares memories of her home in Shiprock, New Mexico, and of the places and people there. Through these celebrations of birth, partings, and reunions, this gifted writer displays both her love of the Navajo world and her resonant use of language. Blending memoir and fiction in the storytelling style common to many Indian traditions, Tapahonso's writing shows that life and death are intertwined, and that the Navajo people live with the knowledge that identity is formed by knowing about the people to whom one belongs. The use of both English and Navajo in her work creates an interplay that may also give readers a new way of understanding their connectedness to their own inner lives and to other people. Luci Tapahonso shows how the details of everyday life—whether the tragedy of losing a loved one or the joy of raising children, or simply drinking coffee with her uncle—bear evidence of cultural endurance and continuity. Through her work, readers may come to better appreciate the different perceptions that come from women's lives.

Songs of Shiprock Fair

Seen through the eyes of Nezbah, a young Navajo girl, the Shiprock Fair is a magical time with family and friends. Award-winning poet Luci Tapahonso's poetry captures the anticipation and exhilaration of Nezbah's experience, and Anthony Chee Emerson's illustrations bring the color and excitement of the fair to life. For young readers, ages four to ten.

A Breeze Swept Through: Poetry

This popular poetry volume expresses Navajo lifein its wholeness and sweetness, stressing thecolloquial wisdom, humor, and courage of ordinaryNavajo people. Some of the text is in Navajo. JoeBruchac says of the author of this volume, "Shepresents a wide cast of characters, talking, living, arguing, even dying against the background of a place and a time which are uniquely Native American, yet accessible to a wide range of readers."

Navajo ABC: A Dine Alphabet Book

A simple alphabet book describes aspects of Navajo life, joining A with Arroyo, B with Belt, C with Cradleboard, and so on, in an introduction to one of the largest Native American tribes in the United States.

Bah's baby brother is born

Seasonal Woman: Luci Tapahonso