The much-heralded writing of Sherman Alexie has received yet more acclaim.

Today, Alexie won the 2010 PEN/Faulkner award – one of writing’s most prestigious awards — for “War Dances,” a collection of stories, essays and poems. Alexie, who is Spokane/Coeur d’Alene, is the first Native American to win the award, which comes with $15,000.

One of the judges, Al Young, had this to say about “War Dances,” Mary Ann Gwinn of the Seattle Times writes here:

”’War Dances” taps every vein and nerve, every tissue, every issue that quickens the current blood-pulse: parenthood, divorce, broken links, sex, gender and racial conflict, substance abuse, medical neglect, 9/11, Official Narrative vs. What Really Happened, settler religion vs. native spirituality; marketing, shopping, and war, war, war. All the heartbreaking ways we don’t live now — this is the caring, eye-opening beauty of this rollicking, bittersweet gem of a book.”’

Alexie also has a fistful of other awards

Among them are the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for his autobiographical novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” and the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Gwen Florio

Tags: "War Dances", buffalo post, Gwen Florio, National Book Award for Young People's Literature, Native American news, Native Writers' Circle of the Americas, PEN/Faulkner Award, Sherman Alexie, Spokane/Coeur d'Alene, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Above, “Christmas in the iglu” by Elisapee Ishulutak. (Artwork courtsey of Uqqurmiut, via Nunatsiaq News.

Sometimes we feel that Buffalo Post could be a blog solely about art, so many are the supremely gifted people about whom we write. Painters and sculptors, jewelers and quilters, writers and musicians and filmmakers – all entranced us this year. Here are just a few:

Brian Jungen‘s art is not only beautiful and impressive, it’s also a lot of fun. He uses a lot of modern materials – sneakers, anyone? – in contemporary sculptures that reference Native traditions. “Native cultures are living, and shouldn’t be in the Museum of Natural History. . . . It’s good for people to realize native art isn’t just beads and carving,” says Jungen, of the Dunne-za First Nation in British Columbia. Jungen was the first living artist to be featured in a solo show at the Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. His work has also been featured in London’s Tate Modern and New York’s New Museum as well as the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.

You’d think it would be enough that at the age of 25, Josh Marceau‘s photo already hangs on the Wall of Fame in the Native American Research Lab at the University of Montana. Marceau is a doctoral student at UM, pursuing his degree in biomedical science. But he’s also a talented jeweler, and says the two pursuits actually dovetail nicely.

Writer Sherman Alexie seems to be on track to surpass Joyce Carol Oates in terms of productivity. Alexie makes us a little grumpy because he writes superbly in too many genres – adult fiction, young-adult fiction and poety – but we’ve got to get over that because he’s just so good. Besides, he’s passionate on the subject of reading and books: “I think white folks should be ashamed that it’s taking an Indian to save part of their culture,” he says. Alexie’s got a new book, “War Dances,” and of course he won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for his young-adult novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” It’s not as though his success comes from bending over backward to please everyone: “If you’re not offending a pretty high percentage of people who read your books, you’re not doing it well enough. … At my public performances, if somebody doesn’t walk out at some point I feel like I haven’t done my job.”

Jereldine Redcorn had already received multiple honors for her pottery, for which she mastered ancient Caddo techniques, although using them sometimes in modern designs. This year, she has one more kudo – First Lady Michelle Obama selected one of Redcorn’s works, “Intertwining Scrolls,” to decorate the White House. Her work is included with pieces by internationally renowned artists such as painters Mark Rothko and Jasper Johns, and ceramic artist Maria Montoya Martinez of the San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico. “Life and unity are universal and timeless,” Redcorn says.

The film, “The Only Good Indian,” swept the American Indian Film Festival this year. University of Kansas faculty member Kevin Wilmott won best director, and actors Wes Studi and Winter Fox Frank won best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. The film was based on a script written by KU alumnus Thomas L. Carmody and “The Only Good Indian” was inspired by the early history of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence. It recounts the story of a Kickapoo boy forcibly taken from his family – yes, that would be kidnapping – and sent to boarding school. He later escapes, but is tracked by a bounty hunter – who is Cherokee. Those two are, in turn, pursued by an Indian sheriff. Many of the cast and crew are from the University of Kansas, Haskell, and the nearby Kickapoo Indian Reservation.

And speaking of movies, “New Moon,” the second movie in the “Twlight” teen vampire series got buzz and more buzz for the number of hunky young Native actors taking roles of Quileute tribal members who – in the books and movies – also turn into werewolves.

We could go on – and on and on. There’s Henry Real Bird, Montana’s new poet laureate; poet Joy Harjo; painter Joe Yazzie; basketmaker Julia Parker; quilter Almira Buffalo Bone Jackson – you get the, ahem, picture. We love reading about their work and hope you do, too.

Gwen Florio

Tags: "Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian", "New Moon", "The Only Good Indian", "Twlight", "War Dances", American Indian Film Festival, Brian Jungen, Caddo, Dunne-za First Nation, Haskell Indian Nations University, Henry Real Bird, Jereldine Redcorn, Joe Yazzie, Josh Marceau, Joy Harjo, Julia Parker, Kevin Wilmott, Kickapoo, Maria Montoya Martinez, Michelle Obama, Museum of the American Indian, National Book Award, Quileute Nation, Sherman Alexie, University of Montana, Wes Studi, White House, Winter Fox Frank

Here’s a really interesting review of what sounds like a really interesting book.

Lisa Garrigues, a correspondent for Indian Country Today, takes a look at Cari M. Carpenter’s “Seeing Red.”

The book explores the anger surrounding Native American issues in the 19th century, as presented by three American Indian writers: S. Alice Callahan, E. Pauline Johnson, and Sarah Winnemucca.

Garrigues points out that people might take exception with Carpenter’s focus on anger – but also notes that the writers whose book her work explores laid the foundation for present-day writers such as Joy Harjo and Sherman Alexie.

“By shining the light on the anger that was, with varying degrees of success, expressed by these early American Indian writers,” Garrigues writes, “Carpenter helps us look at what part anger plays as an agent of change in the contemporary world, in Native discourse and resistance, and in our daily lives.”

Gwen Florio

Tags: "Seeing Red: Anger, buffalo post, Cari M. Carpenter, Joy Harjo, Native American literature, Native American news, Sentimentality and American Indians", Sherman Alexie

Here’s why we love this guy – he stands firm in defense of books. You know, those things that you read on (gasp) paper.

In this case, Alexie’s comments came during an appearance this week on “The Colbert Report” to talk about his new book, “War Dances.” In his humorous way, Alexie – a National Book Award winner – manages to send a serious message about the value of books and reading and community. He won’t allow his books to be reproduced electronically – i.e., on Amazon’s electronic reader, Kindle. Watch the video and see why.

Gwen Florio

Tags: "The Colbert Report", "War Dances", Amazon.com, buffalo post, Kindle, National Book Award, Native American news, Sherman Alexie, Stephen Colbert

While the “sweat” ceremony tragedy is a worthy topic, it weighs heavily on our hearts.

It helps to be reminded that there is beauty in the world, and reader Mark Ratledge did just that when he sent us this link to an extended video interview from the NewsHour with writer Sherman Alexie, shown above accepting the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for his young-adult novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.”

It features this excerpt from his poem,”Ode to Mix Tapes”:

These days, it’s too easy to make mix tapes.
CD burners, iPods, and iTunes
Have taken the place
Of vinyl and cassette. And, soon
Enough, clever introverts will create
Quicker point-and-click ways to declare
One’s love, lust, friendship, and favor.

We enjoyed it and hope you will, too.

Gwen Florio

Tags: buffalo post, Native American news, Sherman Alexie

And you wonder why his books (deservedly) sell in the bazillions? OK, we exaggerate, but not by much. After years of critical acclaim, author Sherman Alexie also is seeing commercial success – and he’s not about to apologize for it.

In this New York Times piece, Alexie calls the advance the thriller he’s now writing, “pornographic,” then hastens to add, “I like porn.”

Well, we like Alexie, not the least because he’s straightforward enough to say that he turned down a film adaptation of his young-adult novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” for fear the filmmakers wouldn’t find a young Indian actor who was as good a ballplayer as he was. “Diary” is based on Alexie’s own Spokane Reservation boyhood.

“I’d rather see myself played by a Puerto Rican or an Italian with a tan than have them ruin the basketballness of me,” Alexie tells the Times.

(We also like Alexie because he uses phrases like “the basketballness of me.”)

The colonization remark stems from Alexie’s frustration with Indians frequently being portrayed as so, well, Indian.“You’d never know it from reading the rest of the Native writers,” he says, “but Indians actually grew up with American pop culture.”

That’s the thing about Alexie – whether you agree with him or not, you pay attention to what he’s saying. Can bazillions be far behind?

In the video above, Alexie reads from “Diary” and answers questions at the Texas Book Festival a couple of years ago.

Gwen Florio

Tags: "The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian", buffalo post, Native American news, Sherman Alexie

King salmon fishing ban hurts Native fishermen
Until recently, fishing provided meaningful income, fed families throughout the year, and kept alive long-held traditions of Yup’ik people and Athabascan Indians. But this year, a total ban on commercial fishing for king salmon on the river in Alaska has strained poor communities and stripped the prized Yukon fish off menus in the lower 48 states, according to this New York Times story. Unprecedented restrictions on subsistence fishing have left freezers and smokehouses half-full and hastened a shift away from a tradition of spending summers at fish camps along the river.

Criticisms of Dine College president spur meeting
The Navajo Times reports here that the Diné College Board of Regents will meet Wednesday to discuss the college’s president, Ferlin Clark. A former program administrator says Clark has created an atmosphere where staff and faculty are afraid of losing their jobs. Former Distance Education Director Mia Kalish – whose position was eliminated this past summer – says 13 people (of a total of 64) resigned or were forced out at the end of the last school year due to Clark’s policies and efforts by him and others to get rid of those who criticized his administration.

Sherman Alexie embraces his role as troublemaker
The writer, who is Spokane/Coeur d’Alene, tells the Portland Oregonian, here, that “if you’re not offending a pretty high percentage of people who read your books, you’re not doing it well enough. … I’d just feel terrible if I didn’t displease somebody. At my public performances, if somebody doesn’t walk out at some point I feel like I haven’t done my job.” (Don’t get him started on Amazon’s Kindle device.) He’s about to start a tour for his new book “War Dances,” and is writing the sequel to “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” which won the 2007 National Book Award for young people’s literature.

Henry Real Bird combines writing, riding
Montana’s new poet laureate, who is Crow, was in Billings, Mont., last week to read his poetry and talk about it at a High Plains BookFest program at the Western Heritage Center. “I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was 10 years old,” he said. “And ride horses.” Now he’ll have a great platform from which to spread his ideas. As poet laureate, his role is to encourage appreciation of poetry and literary life in Montana by giving readings and presentations. It will be a change of pace from his work raising horses on the O-W Ranch in Bighorn County, outside Garryowen. Read more about Real Bird here.

Head of National Indian Gaming Commission resigns
National Indian Gaming Commission chairman Phil Hogen, an Oglala Sioux Tribe member, the Rapid City (S.D.) Journal reports here. Hogen, 64, was appointed chairman by former President George W. Bush in 2002, the longest tenure for any chairman of the agency, which provides federal oversight of the $27 billion Native American gambling industry.

Gwen Florio

Tags: Apsaalooke, Athabascan, buffalo post, Crow Tribe, Dine College, Ferlin Clark, Henry Real Bird, National Indian Gaming Commission, Native American news, Navajo, Phil Hogen, Sherman Alexie, Spokane/Coeur d'Alene, Yupik