North American Studies Area Books : Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder

Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder

£5.73


Uncomfortable reading - After meeting a native from the Siletz rez, I wanted to learn more about Native culture and social history. He wholeheartedly recommended this book, not only because it accurately and vividly portrays how natives feel, but it was a sympathetic yet challenging account from a white person. There are so many passages in this book that are challenging and to be honest, really uncomfortable to read. The dialogue is unrelentlessly honest, and sad and uplifting at the same time. There is a real current of human emotion and a wonderful insight into how one very intelligent and astute elder perceives his culture, history and treatment at the hands of white invaders.It s one of the most confrontational books I ve read - but not in the traditional sense. There are no accusations or judgements, just a continual dialogue documenting a lifetime of neglect and abuse at the hands of the US government and society. This is a book I will read time and time again.

Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder - This book had a profound effect upon me and I would also say that it changed my life, my understanding of humanity, and drew me back to my own Pagan roots. As part Irish Gypsy and part shabby genteel English I grew up trying to hide from the very genes within me that were to teach me the most profound spirituality. My people were just people , trying their best to live in this crazy world, just as native American people are just people living hard lives in hard times and making the best of it. We are all one, we have harsh Karma to atone for - yes, but we have a life to live and ultimately the one road leads to the same source. To all native Americans my soul cried out SORRY.

Okay - but no masterpiece. - I was looking forward to reading this after seeing all the great reviews on Amazon, but, now that I have read it, I have to admit to feeling a bit let down. The book isn t particularly well written - certainly not in the same league as Kerouac! This was a little like reading a newspaper report about something that happened to somebody else. I don t mean to sound harsh, but I think it s unfair to raise people s expectations only to have them feel as disappointed as I did.Also, I really did want to understand old Dan s views on how Indians currently feel about their treatment, but I just found myself wishing the writer would challenge him a bit more, instead of carefully tip-toeing around everything in a desperate effort not to offend the old man. To me, that was just as patronising as their treatment had been at the hands of other, less sympathetic, writers.I also wondered why the writer didn t say to him that many cultures (including the Scots) have been stripped of their language and culture, and had their children forced to speak their non-native language, and yet they have chosen to embrace education and progress, rather than accept the role of the underdog. I think that s what bothered me most - the defeatist attitude. Not what I expected at all.And yet I sincerely hope that the passage of time will see them rise above the tragedies in their past and make a place for themselves in the 21st century. I think it s their only hope - even though Old Dan would probably say there isn t any.Verdict: read it if you must, but don t expect to read a classic.

Thoughtful! - Not many books make you review your reality, or your thinking. This one does. Beautifully written and presented. Highly recommended to anyone, especially those with a fixed idea of the American Indian, it will alter your perception I think. Enjoy.

My thoughts on this book - I have just finished reading this book neither wolf nor dog . I am English (white, middle aged, middle class), not your typical seeker of answers to questions regarding the native americans! I have always been fascinated by the tribes since childhood. My burning desire is to answer the question why did God let this happen to them? And not just this, but what happened to the whole of the rest of the tribes in the USA, even those who tried to co-operate, and integrate, like the Cherokees. I am tantalised by this book. I feel somehow that this book has created more questions than answers in my mind. So many gaps in the story which were never filled in. We come abruptly into Dan s life, and just as abruptly, leave it. It has left me desperately wanting to know more.To read this book is to acutely re-live the pain and trauma of past events, and to glimpse behind the scenes into the reality of its legacy to present-day native americans. These are truths that needed to be told.




Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder