Native American Literature INDIAN SHOES by: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Bibliography: Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2002. INDIAN SHOES. Ill. Madsen, Jim. New York: HarperCollins ISBN 0060295317

Summary

There are six stories about a Cherokee-Seminole boy named Ray who is being raised in Chicago by his grandfather. It is a story of family, life’s lessons and community. Ray realizes that his grampa is homesick and knows that he can’t afford a bus ticket for his grampa to go back to Oklahoma to visit relatives, but has seen a pair of moccasins in a shop that reminded grampa of home so he trades his high-top shoes so grampa can have the moccasins. Although Ray and Grampa usually go to Oklahoma on Christmas this year they are unable to because the pickup broke down. They find themselves caring for the animals of neighbors gone for the holidays. After the electricity goes out they collect the menagerie and bring them to the warmth of their home. The stories all revolve around the relationship between Ray and his Grampa.

Critical Analysis

I have to admit that I was not impressed with this book. I found the sentence structure choppy and felt that there was too much information compressed into one story. In the first story which takes the title of the book “Indian Shoes” one paragraph said “meanwhile Grampa Halfmoon talked about this wild-haired mutt he’d had when he was a kid an how he’d named it Catastrophe. Grampa talked about Ray’s parents, who were killed by a tornado back when Ray was just a babe. And Grampa talked about how he used to take Ray’s daddy fishing by starlight.” When I read a book I like more detail. I would like to know the story of how the dog came to be called Catastrophe, or more about the tornado that killed Ray’s parents. When Ray came home with the moccasins how did his Grampa feel, what was his reaction? I missed the endings to the storylines, they seem incomplete. The book did draw upon the close relationship of Ray and his Grampa which is an important component in Native American cultures. It also is a book that does not focus on the Native American, but rather a contemporary urban family relationship. I realize that this is considered a “beginning chapter book” and maybe that is why I did not enjoy it. I did read in Dr. Vardell’s notes that in the language and style of Native American books much is implied, rather than stated directly, that details and descriptions may seem sparse and few and that plots may seem indirect or even boring to the naïve reader. I guess that makes me a naïve reader. Also from my notes I knew that the author of this book had won an award a Wordcraft Circle award given to Native authors and presented at their annual conference, so I felt that if her writing was worthy of recognition by a group of her contemporaries she must be on the right track with the portrayal of the Native American. I also went to http://www.oyate.org/, an organization that evaluates fiction about Native people as well as text, resource materials and conducts workshops. The book INDIAN SHOES was on the recommended list of reading.

Searching for cultural markers in the text I found it curious that Grampa Halfmoon had what I would consider to be his “Indian” name. I don’t know if this is culturally acceptable, but the other family members had names like Ray, Wilhelmina and Leonard. There did not seem to be significance to the name Halfmoon. Grampa used phrases such as don’t fret and I reckon, but Wilhelmina and Leonard did not have this dialect. Since they all came from the same area of Oklahoma I found this to be curious. The group with which the family belonged was described as Cherokee-Seminole. When visiting Oklahoma Ray wrapped himself in a Cherokee Seven Clan quilt and I assume this connects with the seven clans of the Cherokee. While fishing together early one morning Grampa tells Ray he can still feel Ray’s father there at times. This was where he and Ray’s dad fished when he was a boy and Ray replies “so can I”. This might connect to spirituality, but could also be memories. The pencil illustrations reflect the noticeable cheekbones of the Cherokee and Grampa wears his long hair pulled back into a ponytail. Other than the facial features there are no noticeable markers. They wear the typical clothing of contemporary families. When reading the text I think of Grampa as an old man maybe in his 70-80’s, but the illustrations reflect a much younger man.

Ms. Smith has written the story to focus on the storyline versus the heritage of the characters and it seems from our reading that is what those involved in the advancement of multicultural literature are looking for, contemporary fiction with characters of various ethnicities. Ms. Smith’s book has met these criteria.

Reviews

School Library Journal: Smith adds her voice to the precious few authors portraying realistic contemporary life for Indian children. Although she tells little of his background, the author uses six vignette chapters to introduce Ray, an affable mixed-blood Cherokee-Seminole boy living in Chicago with his Grampa Halfmoon. With humor, compassion, and ingenuity, Ray trades his own high-tops for some old-time Seminole moccasins for his grandfather, overcomes wardrobe trouble to serve as ring bearer in a family friend's wedding, and harbors a houseful of neighbors' pets during a winter power outage. He wins third place in a local art contest, inspires team spirit for his baseball team with a unique and colorful haircut, and enjoys the quiet splendor of a predawn fishing trip with his grandfather during a visit with relatives in Oklahoma. There are no mystical nature spirits or cathartic history lessons, only the everyday challenges common to any contemporary kid, as experienced by an Indian boy who is firmly grounded in his own family's heritage. With its unadorned portrayal of urban Indian life, Shoes is a good book for any elementary-aged reluctant reader, and a necessity for indigenous children everywhere.

Connections

Venn Diagram: Compare/Contrast Ray’s relationship with his Grampa with students’ relationships with their grandparents.

Write and illustrate a story about a fun time with a grandparent.
References: http://www.oyate.org/ (accessed June 30, 2007)
Lecture notes Dr. Sylvia Vardell, Texas Woman’s University 2002.
http://www.manataka.org/