Dear Lisa,
The following list may be more broad than you're looking for, but it may
provide a good starting place. I'm listing some specific essays/stories and
also just some authors (all Natvie Americans) to look into. Hope it helps
and good luck!
--Linda Hogan (poet, novelist)
--Roberta Hill Whiteman (poet, essayist) in particular a story called
"Summer Girl"
--Leslie Marmo Silko (novelist) in particular a short story called
"Storyteller" and novel "Almanac of the Dead"
--Paula Gunn Allen--Laguna, Sioux, Lebanese descent (author, feminist) she
has written a lot and edited some great stuff. Try "Spider Woman's
Granddaughters" writings by Nat. Am. women, edited by Gunn Allen. Also,
"Grandmothers of the Light: a medicine woman's sourcebook"
--Laura Cottelli has a book of her interviews with Nat. Am writers called
"Winged Words" (?) I'm not positive on the title
--Carter Revard "Report to the Nation: Claiming Europe" (short story)
--Duane Niatum "She Keeps the Dance Turning like the Earth" (short story)
--Simon Ortiz "men on the moon" and "hiding, west of here" and "what indians
do" all from a collection of stories by Ortiz called "Fightin'"
--N. Scott Momaday, in particular "The way to Rainy Mountain"
--The book "I Tell You Now" edited by B. Swann and A. Krupat is a collection
of autobiographical essays by Nat. Am. writers.
You might also look into a book called "Wisdom of the Elders" by David
Suzuki and Peter Knudtson and "The Voice of the Great Spirit: prophocies of
the Hopi Indians" by Rudolk Kaiser. These books are about Native american
philosophy/prophecy, but not by Nat. Am.
Plus, there's always "Black Elk Speaks" story of the Lakota prophet as told
to John Neihardt
If you're looking at specific tribes and interested in the Navajo (a
matriarchal society) there is work by Gary Witherspoon. He's married to a
Navajo woman and spent countless years in their society. He's an
anthropologist, but very good.
I hope this helps. There is a lot of great authors out there, it'll just
take some time sifting through it all. The interviews and auto-essays may
be a good place to start to get to know the authors themselves. If I think
of any more I'll let you know.
Good luck,
Kim Hart
ethnobotany/ecology grad student
BYU, Utah
>Hi all-
>I am currently working on an undergraduate thesis about the metaphor of
>land-as-woman in the United States (influenced by Annette Kolodny's
>exploration in _The Lay of the Land_), and more generally the equation of
>nature with femaleness. I am looking at "alternatives" to the masculinist,
>European take on this metaphor in the writings of women and Native
>Americans. I am hoping to see if there have been approaches to using the
>land-as-women metaphor which are non-oppressive or exploitative (perhaps in
>the sense of cultural ecofeminism). I would love to get some input about
>ecofeminism and Native Americans; also, if anyone could recommend any
>Native American authors who explore the landscape in a "gendered" way, that
>would be really helpful. I am already looking at some women authors, like
>Terry Tempest Williams and Mary Austin, who approach the land-as-woman
>relationship from a non-masculinist perspective. Thanks and cheers--
>
>Lisa Franzetta
>Brown University
>Providence, RI USA
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
>
Kimberly Hamblin Hart
47 S. Eastwood
Orem, UT 84058
