The Butterfly Dance: Tales of the People

With its bright, stylized illustrations and distinctive Native voice, this appealing book gives a vivid sense of stepping into another culture. It chronicles one important day seen through the eyes of a young Hopi girl named Sihumana, or Flower Maiden, who is a member of the Rabbit Clan and winningly portrayed as a rabbit. After going with her grandfather to greet the sun and bless the day, Sihumana travels with family to another village to take part in the traditional Butterfly Dance, performed late each summer in order to bring rain to the dry lands of the Southwest. The tale ends happily with the sound of rain on the roof and the promise of butterflies in the days to come.

About the Tales of the People series

Created with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Tales of the People is a series of children's books celebrating Native American culture with illustrations and stories by native artists and writers. In addition to the tales themselves, each book also offers four pages filled with information and photographs exploring various aspects of Native culture, including a glossary of words in different Indian languages.

Author: Gerald Dawavendewa
Publisher: Abbeville Kids
Published: 04/01/2001
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 9.56h x 9.52w x 0.39d
ISBN: 9780789201614

Review Citation(s):
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2001 pg. 72 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2002 pg. 72 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw

About the Author
Gerald Dawavendewa is Hopi-Cherokee, enrolled in the Hopi Tribe and a member of the Sun Clan. He received a B.A. in fine arts from the University of Arizona, Tucson. He is a graphic designer and artist as well as a consultant to various museums across the country, and a guest lecturer at schools, universities, and community colleges. One of his original artworks, now on display at the University of Arizona, traveled aboard the space shuttle Endeavour in 1994.