Watt, Eva Tulene & Basso, Keith H. Don't let the sun step over you; a White Mountain Apache family life, 1860-1975

Kliatt, Jan, 2005 by Edna Boardman

WATT, Eva Tulene & BASSO, Keith H. Don't let the sun step over you; a White Mountain Apache family life, 1860-1975. Univ. of Arizona Press. 340p. illus. notes. bibliog. index. c2004. 0-8165-2301-6. $24.95. SA

Eva Tulene Watt, a White Mountain Apache born in 1913, tells what it was like growing up and living with wrenching social change. In 200 hours of interviews, she told of the persons she knew or who touched her life, cultural characteristics, travels, daily life, and the Apaches' relationship with the government and church. She recounts events, including many homey family happenings, that shed light on the culture. Especially interesting are her stories of the boarding schools, those problematical institutions that tore at the fabric of Indian life and acclimated them to the white world.

Readers will be taken aback at the level of poverty endured when a caretaker bureaucracy failed, and will be warmed by the resilience of a people who overcame much and are still with us. This book comes close to letting the voice of an Indian person be heard, a difficult thing for many scholars. An excellent addition to Native American and biography collections. Edna Boardman, Bismarck, ND

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.