In The Moon Of Dark Red Cherries
"Horse Raid: The Making of a Warrior" is the story of a fourteen-year-old Lakota Indian boy, Lone Bull, who participates in a horse-stealing raid against the Crow Indians to prove his bravery and manhood. The book is set in a time when there was no apparent threat from white expansion and is recounted entirely from the point of view of Indian tribal cultures. The book is intended for children between the ages of 4 and 8.
The famed author and illustrator Paul Goble revised his early book, "Lone Bull's Horse Raid" (1973) for this new work. The English born and educated Goble felt the lure of American Indian culture at an early age. He moved to the Black Hills area in 1977 where he was adopted by an Indian Chief, Red Cloud. He has written many books on American Indian culture for children, including "The Girl who Loved Wild Horses" which won the 1979 Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished children's picture book. The Native American children's book writer and storyteller Joseph Bruchac wrote the Foreward to Goble's new book.
The story is told in the first person by Lone Bull many years after the fact. Eager to make a name for himself, the adolescent seeks to join his father in a horse-stealing expedition but is rebuffed. And so, one day in the "Moon of Dark Red Cherries" in July, young Lone Bull and a friend, Changing Bear, secretly follow and join the expedition with the assistance of Lone Bull's grandfather. The book is poetically and romantically told, with the horse-stealing practices assuming a religious significance for the plains Indians.
The book describes the long journey over the plains until the group finds a village of the Crow Tribe and their horses. They steal the horses at night and the Crows follow in pursuit. In the resulting battle, three of the Crows are killed, including a young boy killed by Lone Bull. As was Lone Bull, this eager young boy was involved in his first fight. The band returns in triumph to the village of the Lakota Sioux where Lone Bull and his companions celebrate their success.
Horse-raiding was a common part of the culture and an initiation rite into manhood for all the plains Indian tribes, including both the Lakota and the Crow. The book is beautifully and stylistically illustrated with photos of Indian warriors, horses in full regalia, tipis, buffalo, and, of course, horses. Several large insets at the climactic moment of the book show the raid into the Crow village during the black of night.
The text of this book is extensive and detailed for a children's book. The introductory material by both Bruchac and Goble is sophisticated and probably more suitable for the parents of the young readers. Probably only strong readers of the intended age group, or even somewhat older children, will be able to read this book for themselves. Parents or teachers can read and discuss this book with their children.
"Horse Raid" is a beautifully told and illustrated story which will encourage children to appreciate cultures and ways of life other than their own. The book is published by Wisdom Tales Press, which specializes in presenting non-denominational spiritual and cultural stories to children and teen readers. Wisdom Tales kindly provided me with a review copy of this book.
Robin Friedman
