Thunder Rides a Black Horse: Mescalero Apaches and the Mythic PresentThe impressive four day and four night Mescalero Apache girls' puberty ceremonial provides the structure for Farrer's consideration of the ways in which old myths and legends inform contemporary actions and beliefs. Why people behave as they do is as much a focus as is their actual behavior. Through instructions given to Farrer by Bernard Second, her Apache teacher for fourteen years, readers gain insight into the importance of narrative, not just in ceremony but especially in everyday living on contemporary Indian reservation in the American Southwest. Sights and smells are almost palpable as the author provides the best in reflexive ethnography by allowing readers to see her as a person rather than an all-knowing anthropologist. She neither romanticizes nor patronizes the Apachean people, who are presented as people with foibles as well as possessing much worthy of admiration. -- |
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Alamogordo alcoholism Anglo Apache Indian Reservation Apachean Auntie basket begin Bernard Bernard Second Big Dipper camera camp camp-out areas camp-out home ceremonial arena ceremonial girls ceremonial grounds ceremonial mesa ceremonial tipi Chiricahua Claire coffee colors cooking arbor Creator dance Delores east family members Farrer photo fictive family friends front fry bread godmothers hair head singer Hilda land Lauren learned Lightning Horse Lipan Apache lived present look mainstream American matrilineal Mescalero Apache Indian Mescalero Apache Tribe moccasins morning mother Mountain God dancers moved mythic present Nancy narrative Native American Navajo night one's person photograph pickup trucks poles pollen blessing polychronic powwow proper puberty ceremonial rain ritual Ruidoso share shawl singing sisters smell sometimes songs star clock stars Stephanie sung sunrise The-Three-Who-Went-Together things Thunder Horse tipi flap told usually walk wanted Warrior Twins White Painted Woman wickiup Woden women