Native American Literature, C
148. CAPPEL, Jeanne L'Strange. "Wa-be-no O-pee-chee." Chippewa Tales. (Los Angeles): (Wetzel Publishing) (1928). Chippewa stories for young people, in which the author retells stories her grandmother had told her when she was growing up in northern Minnesota. Signed by the author, who also seems to have written her address on the title page. Near fine, with a tipped-in photographic frontispiece; without dust jacket. An uncommon volume of stories by an Indian woman, from a time when few such collections had been published, at least as retold by Native authors rather than white anthropologists, historians, etc.
149. CARDIFF, Gladys. To Frighten a Storm. Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press (1976). The first book, a collection of poems, by this writer who is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee tribe. This book won the Washington State Governor's First Book Award in 1976. Fine in wrappers.
150. -. Another copy. Label removal shadow over price on rear cover; else fine in wrappers.
151. (Carlisle Indian School). Invitation to Commencement. 1902. A printed invitation to the 14th graduating exercises of the Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Printed in two colors; 5" x 4". Foxing on (blank) verso; else fine. Uncommon ephemera from the most famous -- some would say notorious -- school for Indians in the late 19th and early 20th century. One of the mottoes of an early director of Carlisle was "We must kill the savage to save the man," and the attempts to enforce assimilation were sometimes brutal.
152. (Carlisle Indian School). Carlisle 1917. Carlisle: Carlisle Indian Press, 1917. The school yearbook for 1917, with photos of the graduating class, short articles on the sports teams, etc. Carlisle was, by this time, notable for having graduated Jim Thorpe, the Indian athlete who had won the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics and been crowned the greatest athlete in the world. The yearbook gives a good representation, if somewhat sanitized, of what the school was about: the "civilizing" process for the young Indian students was in large part about preparing them for agricultural, industrial or, for the females, household work in the larger, white society. The focus on academics was somewhat perfunctory, it would appear -- as might be expected, given the overall tenor of the times and of Indian-white relations. A revealing look at the most famous expression of the formal attempt by the Indian Services of the U.S. Government to promote assimilation through education. Near fine in stapled wrappers.
153. CARTER, Cecile Elkins. Caddo Indians. Where We Come From. Norman: U. of Oklahoma Press (1995). A history of the tribe by the Cultural Representative of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma. Illustrated with photographs. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
154. CARTER, Forrest. The Education of Little Tree. (n.p.): Delacorte (1976). Carter's most famous book, which its publisher identified as "a true story" while it identified the author as a "part-blood Cherokee who is Storyteller in Council to the Cherokee Nations." A dozen years after its initial publication, The Education of Little Tree was chosen by independent booksellers as the book they most liked to sell and it became a word-of-mouth bestseller in a paperback edition published by the University of New Mexico Press. Later, Carter was discovered to be a white man from Alabama -- a stunning irony in that he had worked for right-wing politician George Wallace, writing racist propaganda. This revelation raised the question of "authenticity" -- whose experience as a Native American is authentic enough to bestow proper authorial "authority?" Carter was shown to have lacked the requisite credentials. However, as a work of fiction, The Education of Little Tree is no less touching than it is as memoir. And if it relies on the idea of "the noble savage" for its moral authority rather than ethnic authenticity, it is a reminder that that notion -- European invention that it was -- was a sophisticated construct, and one which represented an admirable and idealistic manifestation of European values. Carter may have written racist tracts for George Wallace, but in The Education of Little Tree he endorsed humanist values of a high order, which he ascribed to Native American traditions -- respect for the land and one's family, honoring one's elders, promoting generosity and good faith, abhorring hypocrisy and brutality. Memoir or fiction, The Education of Little Tree raises serious and difficult questions, but it stands as a much-loved book, which has been taken by many as strongly promoting a healthy sensitivity to, and respect for, Native American traditions and perspectives. Like his previous books, this one is bound in the cheap "perfectbound" style, with the pages glued to the spine rather than sewn in signatures. Such bindings have proven extremely fragile over the years, which helps explain the scarcity of relatively recent titles such as this one. Spine lean; spotting to page edges; near fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with modest edge wear.
155. CARTER, Forrest. Watch for Me on the Mountain. (NY): Delacorte/Friede (1978). A novel of Geronimo, reflecting the author's interest in Indians and in Southwestern American history. Slight foxing to top edge; else fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket and signed by the author. A very scarce signature.
156. CASTANEDA, Carlos. The Teachings of Don Juan. Berkeley: U. of California Press, 1968. The author's first book, originally presented as a scholarly work, later seen as a popular culture landmark, and still later debunked by a number of serious critics as fiction. The premise of the book, as described in the dust jacket copy -- "It has been assumed that the West has produced no way of spiritual knowledge comparable to the great system of the East. The present book is accordingly nothing less than a revelation..." -- gives a fair indication of its impact, regardless of whether it is fact or fiction: it popularized the idea that there were significant, coherent spiritual disciplines among Native American cultures. In so doing, it played an important role in revising the popular Western view of Native American cultures and helped fuel the cultural renaissance that has taken place among Native Americans in the past three decades, a renaissance that has had a significant impact on mainstream Western culture. The Teachings of Don Juan is one of the most important books published in the U.S. in the 1960s, for its far-reaching impact on our view of the nature of spirituality and the metaphysical -- with implications for everything from politics to ecology. This is a fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with little of the rubbing common to this title. Later reprinted by Simon & Schuster in an edition that has the earmarks of a first printing but is actually a later edition. The first edition is extremely scarce, especially in collectible condition.
157. CHEECHOO, Shirley. Path with No Moccasins. West Bay: (Self-published) (1993). A play that was written, produced and performed by the author, a member of the Cree tribe. Near fine in wrappers. The cover reproduces one of the author's paintings.
158. (Cherokee). BLANKENSHIP, Bob. Cherokee Roots. (Cherokee): (Self-published), 1978. The names of members of the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, before and after 1838, prepared by a member of the tribe to assist individuals in tracing their Cherokee ancestry. Includes a Cherokee Syllabary and a brief history and overview of the tribe. This is apparently the first edition; the book has been reprinted several times in the years since this was done. Spine-tanned; near fine in wrappers.
159. CHINO, Velma. The Boy and the Turtle. (Pueblo of Acoma): Spider Mountain Press, 1992. A traditional Acoma story, told by a member of the tribe. Inscribed by the author. Near fine in stapled wrappers with a color photograph of the author tipped inside the front cover.
160. CLARK, Ann. Bringer of the Mystery Dog. (Lawrence): United States Indian Service (1943). A Plains Indian story, about the young boy who brought the horse to the Indian tribes of the Plains for the first time, around 1700. A Sioux/English bilingual edition. Illustrated with drawings by Sioux artist Oscar Howe. Oblong quarto; fine in stapled, tapebound wrappers. Copies of Ann Clark's books written for the Indian Service are not uncommon, but first printings are fairly scarce, especially in very nice condition, as this one is. One of 5000 copies printed at Haskell Institute.
161. CLARK, LaVerne Harrell. They Sang for Horses. (Tucson): U. of Arizona Press (1966). A study of the impact of the horse on Navajo and Apache folklore, illustrated with black-and-white drawings by Ted DeGrazia, a student of both José Orosco and Diego Rivera, and with color illustrations of horses by four native artists -- Adee Dodge, Andy Tsinajinie, Harrison Begay and Beatien Yazz. This is a complimentary copy, inscribed by the author: "This copy is for/ ____ ____,/ And it is inscribed on the happy birthday/ of the horse - October 23, 1966 - at DeGrazia's/ Gallery of the Sun, Tucson, Arizona,/ With my best wishes/ LaVerne Harrell Clark." Large quarto. Foxing to top edge; else fine in an all-but-edge sunned dust jacket with a couple small tears; about near fine.
162. COEL, Margaret. The Eagle Catcher. (Niwot): U. Press of Colorado (1995). Her first novel, a mystery set among the Arapahos of Wyoming's Wind River Reservation. Coel's novels have been praised for the authenticity of their depiction of contemporary Arapaho life in much the same way Tony Hillerman's have been praised for their depiction of Navajo life. Small first printing, typical of a university press's fiction offerings. This copy was inscribed by the author two months prior to publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket with dust jacket blurbs by Tony Hillerman and John Dunning, among others.
163. COEL, Margaret. Hole in the Wall. Royal Oak/Mission Viejo: ASAP, 1998. A short story featuring Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden, who has been featured in Coel's full-length novels. This was issued as a limited edition; of a total edition of 326 copies, this is one of 200 numbered copies signed by the author, the illustrator, Phil Parks, and Edward Hoch, who provides an introduction. The author also provides a holograph inscription in Arapaho of the seventh commandment, around which the story revolves. Color photo frontispiece of the author tipped in, and color illustrations by Parks tipped in. Quarto; fine, without dust jacket, as issued.
164. COEL, Margaret. Honor. Royal Oak/Mission Viejo: ASAP, 1999. Another in her volume of limited edition short stories. Of a total edition of 261 copies, this is one of 200 numbered copies signed by the author, the illustrator, Phil Parks, and Jan Burke, who provides an introduction. With an inscription by the author in Arapaho of the fifth commandment, which is the anchor for the tale. Quarto; fine, without dust jacket, as issued.
165. COFFER, William E. (Koi Hosh). Spirits of the Sacred Mountains. NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold (1978). American Indian creation stories, compiled by a writer of Choctaw/Cherokee ancestry. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
166. -. Another copy. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with a snagged edge tear.
167. COFFER, William E. (Koi Hosh). Sipapu. The Story of the Indians of Arizona and New Mexico. NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold (1982). Trace foxing to top edge; else fine in a very near fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
168. COMMUCK, Thomas. Indian Melodies. NY: Lane & Tippett, 1845. An early, perhaps the first, book of music by an American Indian -- the author being a Narragansett Indian who had converted to Methodism some years prior to assembling this compilation of his original songs, most of which carry as titles the names of various Indian tribes, although the lyrics are generally straightforwardly Christian. The harmonies for the music were done by Thomas Hastings, the noted composer who wrote the "Rock of Ages" hymn, among many others. Publications by American Indians from this period are very scarce, and we know of know other published music by an Indian writer/composer prior to this date. Pencilled notes to the pages and endpapers. Two pages have corners inexpertly repaired, not affecting text. Front hinge cracked. Wear and staining to the boards and leather corners. A good copy of an extremely uncommon and historically noteworthy volume. Sabin 14999.
169. (COMMUCK, Thomas). First Annual Report and Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin for the Year 1854, Volume I. Madison: Beriah Brown, 1855. The majority of the text is given over to appendices, most of which recount Indian activity and encounters with the Native population or matters of Indian names and language. One of the Appendices is a Sketch of Calumet County, by Thomas Cammuck [sic], one of the Brothertown Indians. Commuck was a Narragansett who, together with a handful of families from several other eastern tribes, had moved west into New York state to found the new community of Brothertown. The area covered by Calumet County was settled by a group of Stockbridge and Brothertown Indians, including Commuck, who moved west from New York. Front cover detached, but present; thus only a good copy in wrappers. A fragile and rare item.
170. CONLEY, Robert J. Mountain Windsong. Norman: U. of Oklahoma Press (1992). A novel of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, glowingly praised by Tony Hillerman, Wilma Mankiller (then-Chief of the Cherokee Nation) and Max Evans. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
171. CONLEY, Robert J. Zeke Proctor: Cherokee Outlaw. NY: Pocket Books (1994). Paperback original. A historical novel based on the life of an individual who has become a Cherokee legend. Fine in wrappers.
172. (CONLEY, Robert J.). The Blue Cloud Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 3. (Marvin): Blue Cloud Abbey (n.d.)[c. 1972]. Conley contributes three poems. Predates his first book. Labeled for mailing; fine in stapled wrappers.
173. COOK-LYNN, Elizabeth. Then Badger Said This. NY: Vantage Press (1977). The first book by this important author who is a member of the Crow Creek Sioux. A collection of stories and poems published by a "vanity press." Illustrations by two Native American artists, Sam Leader Charge and his wife, Sonny Tuttle. Cook-Lynn is the author of The Power of Horses and From the River's Edge, among others, and is one of the most highly praised and frequently anthologized Native American writers working today. She has recently co-authored The Politics of Hallowed Ground: Wounded Knee and the Struggle for Indian Sovereignty and a novel, Aurelia: A Crow Creek Trilogy. Trace rubbing to spine base, else fine in a near fine dust jacket. Scarce.
174. (COOK-LYNN, Elizabeth). Woyake Kinikiya, Vol. 1. Fort Thompson: Oak Lake Writers Press, 1994. Cook-Lynn contributes six poems to the first issue of this literary journal, published on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation and primarily featuring younger, aspiring Sioux writers. Fine in stapled cardstock covers.
175. COPWAY, George. "Kah-Ge-Ga-Gah-Bowh." The Life, History, and Travels of Kah-Ge-Ga-Gah-Bowh (George Copway) A Young Indian Chief of the Ojebwa Nation... Philadelphia: James Harmstead, 1847. The second edition of this autobiography of a chief of the Ojibway Nation, his first book, originally published in Albany in 1847. Copway, who was born in 1818, received a traditional education and then, in 1838-39, attended Ebenezer Academy in Illinois and became the assistant to a Methodist missionary before becoming a missionary himself. Contemporary blue cloth rebinding. Also bound in are review excerpts of the first edition, as well as several pages of hymns, both before and after the text of the book. Minor foxing; a near fine copy of an early and important book by a Native American author.
176. COPWAY, George. The Ojibway Conquest. A Tale of the Northwest. NY: Putnam, 1850. First edition of the Ojibway chief's second book, published for the author by G.P. Putnam. The author renders in verse a history of the traditional warfare between the Ojibway and the Sioux, culminating in the final victory by the Ojibway and the Sioux's relinquishing all of their lands east of the Mississippi (and some to the west as well). The manner of telling is an attempt to recapture the oral traditions of storytelling of historical narratives within the Ojibway nation. This copy is inscribed: F.D. Galbraith/ Presented by the Author." Deep, but not dark, staining throughout the text; cloth split on rear joint at mid-spine and worn at extremities; a good copy in the original cloth of a scarce and important book -- an early poetic narrative by a Native American writer.
177. COPWAY, George. Running Sketches of Men and Places in England, France, Germany, Belgium and Scotland. NY: J.C. Riker, 1851. Ex-library copy with bookplate so indicating on front pastedown and one rubber stamp in text block. An account of travels in Europe and the people met there, written by a hereditary chief of the Chippewas who later converted to Christianity. Copway was one of the first American Indians to publish an autobiography (1847) and later edited a short-lived Indian newspaper (Copway's American Indian). Copway traveled to Europe in 1850 as a representative of the Christian Indians at a Peace Conference held in Germany. At the Peace Conference, Copway created a significant stir by delivering a lengthy, passionate antiwar speech while dressed in full traditional Ojibway clothing. In his most famous book, his autobiography, Copway described his spiritual awakening and began what has become a common and continuous thread in Native American autobiographical writings -- articulating both the virtues of traditional Ojibway society and at the same time emphasizing the capability of Native Americans' in adapting to the ways of the Europeans. Like many Native writers since, he was scathing in his criticism of the whites who introduced alcohol to Indian tribes and helped to bring about their downfall by weakening the moral fiber of the traditional societies, which had as their emphasis universal human values that could serve to link white and Indian cultures. In this volume, Copway recounts his trip to Europe as well as his encountering a number of important historical figures, including Benjamin Disraeli, Lord John Russell, Baron de Rothschild and others. Faint but considerable dampstaining to pages and boards. A good copy.
178. CORNPLANTER, Jesse. Legends of the Longhouse. Philadelphia: Lippincott (1938). A retelling of ancient Seneca legends by a modern Indian writer, with illustrations by the author. Cloth foxed; very good in a near fine dust jacket with several small chips and tears.
179. (Cree). BAUER, George W. Cree Tales and Beliefs. (Orono): (University Press) (1971). An early collection of Cree tales compiled by a white writer. Published at approximately the same time that Howard Norman began his lengthy project of collecting tales from the Swampy Cree Indians of northern Canada. Volume XII in the Northeast Folklore Series. Fine in wrappers.
180. CRYING WIND. Crying Wind. Chicago: Moody Press (1971). Book Club edition of this autobiography of an Indian girl who becomes a Christian; published by the Moody Bible Institute. Owner name; very good in a poor dust jacket without a rear panel and taped to the book.
181. CRYING WIND. My Searching Heart. Irvine: Harvest House (1980). Book Club edition. Owner name and partial ownership label. Very good in a good, edgeworn dust jacket with some internal dampstaining.