North American Indian Music

Reviewed with Geraldine Woods' The Navajo.

Gr. 5-7. Two titles in the Watts Library--Indians of the Americas series offer glimpses of Native American culture and history. Woods' title about the Navajo includes the Navajo creation tale, describes the land where the tribe has lived for centuries, and looks at housing and clothing, ceremonies and spiritual life, and the clan system. Also mentioned are the Navajo code talkers, who devised the only unbreakable code in World War II, and the continuing dispute over land with the Hopi, as well as a brief look at contemporary concerns and successes. North American Indian Music describes the many uses of music since ancient times and explains the unique beat, rhythm, and melody that characterize much Indian music. Subsequent chapters focus on music from specific tribes.

The colorful photos in both titles enhance the texts nicely, but some of the drawings of historical events are inappropriate and of poor quality. The authors cite their information sources, but both titles show an outsider's perspective. Each book concludes with a glossary, a bibliography, and time line. Whenever possible, teachers should provide native sources to complement this series. Karen Hutt
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