CHRIS

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CHRIS

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Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons

by Joseph Bruchac

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CHRIS said: "

The reason I wanted to read this book was because it is a primary example of local literature. My copy of "Thirteen Moons on Turtles Back" was personally signed by Mr. Bruchac to me back in 2005. One of the first things I noticed about this book wa

The reason I wanted to read this book was because it is a primary example of local literature. My copy of "Thirteen Moons on Turtles Back" was personally signed by Mr. Bruchac to me back in 2005. One of the first things I noticed about this book was how easy to read it was. It all flowed together in individual tales and was a pleasure to read. This book is as informative as it is easy to read.It demonstrated a lot of Native American culture and their concepts and beliefs of the year and its seasons. Also the book is constructed of many different tribes over the north east for they all have their own stories to tell.
The Native tribes have always depended on nature for their survival. And they have tales for every aspect of the beautiful world around them. A way of determining their changing world around them they told the time by counting the 13 moons in a year. They can relate to this by counting the 13 "moons" on turtles back. The book is introduced by a child watching his grandfather carve a turtle. The grandfather then begins to explain the stories behind the turtle. This shows the importance of story telling to the children in the Native American life. The first of the stories explains the beginning of the chilling winter. When Frost Giant strikes the children have to stay " where the fire is bright". They learn from this why they must stay indoors during the raging winters. The next story teaches the relationship between man and the animals around us. this seems to take place in winter as a young girl is saved from certain death by a mother bear and becomes part of the pack. The third story taught more than was written. It was a tale in the spring time of a tribe who decided to just lay beneath the maple tree and simply let the sap pour into their mouthes. How ever the creator chastised them for their laziness and sent one of his helpers (a common theme) to correct them into making real maple syrup. The stories continued to teach valuable lessons and explain the world to he curious reader. One of my favorite stories was in the autumn when "The Creator" planted the first oak tree for the Pomo tribe to thrive off. Once a year the tree would fill with acorn nuts which fed the tribe as are their content took them. I think the author was clever by naming the time of year "when the sun shines the brightest". He uses imagery to better your understanding of the tale.
All in all, I found this book to be a wise and worth-wile read. The tales of creatures and past generations the Natives documented orally is phenomenal. All of these teach valuable lessons but in no way feel like a law book. It makes you appreciate the values and morals of the tribes and their non-violent and calming way to live. I would undoubtedly suggest this book to a friend. ...more "

Dec 02, 2012 06:08PM · see review