Bear Dancer: The Story of a Ute Girl
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Book Overview
Elk Girl, sister of a Ute chief, lives a traditional life with her tribe high in the Rocky Mountains in 1860. Elk Girl is bold: She loves to hunt deer with her brother, and she races her pony to win. She also knows the importance of ceremonies like the Bear Dance, which wakes the bears from hibernation and celebrates spring.But all of that changes when Cheyenne warriors capture Elk Girl. They take her to the Great Plains and make her a slave. On the Plains, Elk Girl encounters white men for the first time, and she sees how the Cheyenne have come to depend on their handouts. She also sees the truth of what her brother has told her: The white men are the real enemy. Their soldiers are everywhere. Even if Elk Girl could escape, how would she get home?Thelma Hatch Wyss has crafted a moving story based on the life of a real girl. It is both a gripping personal adventure and a compelling look at two cultures confronting each other at a pivotal time of change.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:1416902856
ISBN13:9781416902850
Release Date:September 2005
Publisher:Margaret K. McElderry Books
Length:181 Pages
Weight:0.10 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 5.6" x 7.9"
Age Range:10 to 13 years
Grade Range:Grades 5 to 8
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
At the Crossroads of Native American Culture
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
This short novel is an excellent introduction to the destruction of flourishing Native American cultures. It is written for ages 9 and up but I recommend it for 11, 12 and up. The subject matter, although not treated graphically, is best for a maturing child. It would still be appropriate in early high school and may provoke fruitful discussions. Elk Tooth Dress is a young Tabeguache Ute woman coming of age in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado when she is captured by Cheyenne warriors. A long two years of miserable captivity follow in which she is taken by the Arapaho and finally the feared white man. When she finally returns to her people they are beaten down by poverty and smallpox. All the neighboring tribes are "in the same canoe", so to speak, because the white settlers and their treaties are now the norm. Elk Tooth Dress becomes a liason between different factions due to her unique experience.
What can I say, she's my aunt.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
I love my aunt Thelma and her books!
From the Indian viewpoint
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Elk Girl, later a pivotal figure in the Meeker bloodbath, tells her story of kidnap, exile, despair, courage and return in a fully engaging "biography" appropriate for ages 9-14. Reading level is about 4th grade, with large print, 175 pages goes quickly. Biography of Native woman who deserves wider readership.
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