Culture 4 - Native American: The Girl Who Married the Moon

Bruchac, Joseph and Gayle Ross. THE GIRL WHO MARRIED THE MOON. Colorado: Fulcrum Publishing, 1994. ISBN 9781555915667

This is a collection of various nations' stories celebrating female rites of passage. It shows women as strong, brave and role models for younger generations.

The book begins with a note from Gayle Ross. Readers will learn much from reading this because it contains information about the importance of women in different nations and different regions in North America. "[A]mong all Native cultures, no force was considered more sacred or more powerful than the ability to create new life."
The book is divided into four sections for four regions in North America. Each section consists of four stories. Four is an important number in Native American culture, "four seasons, four winds, four directions, four stages in a person's life."
"Arrowhead Finger" tells the story of a girl who shows bravery and strength in the face of danger. Native language is seen in several stories. This one begins with the work, "Kita!" for listen. This story, like others, also gives details about lifestyle, foods, the importance of names, and types of houses. Different regions and landforms have different types of houses: longhouses, lodges and teepees.
The themes of respect and obeying elders is seen in most of the stories. Grave consequences follow those who do not follow advice from their elders as seen in "Chipmunk Girl and Owl Woman" when Chipmunk Girl's heart is cut out and eaten because she spoke to Owl Woman. Chipmunk Girl had been told by her grandmother "to be careful of dangerous people like Owl Woman and never talk to them."
Native traditions and ceremonies are also shown in relation to various tribes. In "How Pelican Girl was Saved" a girl disobeys after her special ceremony for her becoming a woman and became very sick. It took much to heal her but she learned from her mistakes to become a wise woman who was able to teach others.
This book is an encouraging book for girls of any culture but gives us a special glimpse into a culture we know little about because of stereotypes. This is a book that should be read if doing any type of lesson on Native Americans. The sources listed in the back of the book is also a valuable resource.

BOOKLIST: "Ross introduces the collection by noting that the role of women in traditional native cultures is 'perhaps the most falsely portrayed,' and indeed these tales bring a perspective that is little known outside the communities they represent."

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: "An afterword and source notes close this useful resource for storytelling and multicultural learning."

Rewrite a chosen story as a Reader's Theater.

Read other books by Gayle Ross:
HOW RABBIT TRICKED OTTER (AND OTHER CHEROKEE STORIES)
ISBN 9780930407605