Wind from an Enemy Sky
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Book Overview
A tragedy of good intentions gone hopelessly wrong, Wind from an Enemy Sky tells the story of the Little Elk People, a fictional Northwestern tribe. Through the eyes of Antoine, grandson of the tribal leader, we see the tribe attempt to overcome their demoralization at the hands of advancing white civilization. The Indians respond to the building of a dam by trying to gain the return of a sacred medicine bundle. McNickle's ability to depict psychologically complex characters of both races, such as Bull, the aging leader of the Little Elk, and Rafferty, the Indian Agency Superintendent, results in a convincing story and leads the reader to hope that tragedy can be averted. At the same time, McNickle provides a sensitive portrait of the religious depth and human warmth of Indian culture. But although whites and Indians grow in their understanding of one another, the mistakes of the past compound to bring about the violent final confrontation, envisioned in the dreams of the mysterious Two Sleeps.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0826311008
ISBN13:9780826311009
Release Date:July 1988
Publisher:University of New Mexico Press
Length:269 Pages
Weight:0.85 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.4" x 8.6"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Wind from an enemy sky, Chucks review
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
This is an exelent book full of detail, facts, laws and rules of life. This is one of the best books ive read you should try it to.
McNickle took three decades to write this and it shows
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
I am told that D'Arcy McNickle took three decades to write this book. I was also told that it is based on a true story, even more significant today because of all the discussion of dam breaching and the terrible effect hydro-electric dams have had on the ecology.McNickle writes excellent prose, but what I like most about his novels is his grasp of human nature. Perhaps because of his mixed heritage, he allows that people often do all the wrong the things for all the right reasons. This is not a book of racial hatred, but of deep misunderstanding.This is a fairly straight-forward narrative. McNickle does not make as much use of spiritualism and ancient beliefs as some of the modern Native American writers. I think he was targeting the non-Indian audience and trying to create a better understanding of his own culture. If so, he succeeds admirably.
A subtly told story of cross-cultural exchanges and betrayal
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
There are no simple dualities in this story. Things don't simply stack up in white vs. red conflicts. McNickle has created a cast of white and Indian characters who line up across the spectrum of "purely" Indian and "purely" white. The motivations of each character are complex and frought with cultural misunderstandings, good intentions, and understandable anger and frustration. This is a novel about the complexities of understanding across cultures and languages, and a warning against the failure to do so.
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