Walking on Earth & Touching the Sky: Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School (Module 6; Book 2)

Walking on Earth & Touching the Sky Edited by Timothy P. McLaughlin Review done by Elaine Alexander

BIBLIOGRAPHY
McLaughlin, Timothy P., S. D. Nelson, and Joseph Marshall. Walking on Earth & Touching the Sky: Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2012. ISBN: 9781419701795

SUMMARY
A powerful collection of poems by students at the Lakota Youth at the Red Cloud Indian School, this book reveals the unique perspective of Native Lakota children, as they express their connections to the natural world, their culture and utilize poetry and prose to make sense of the larger world around them.

ANALYSIS
Although this collection of poems highlights Lakota students at the Red Cloud Indian School, many of the selections hold universal appeal since the selections from these young writers seek to honor nature, question the tragedies and truths of hardships and poverty, and seek to understand their place in the world. While some poems touch on innocence and reverence for the natural world and spiritual connectedness, others are raw and demonstrate the darkness of extreme poverty, drug use and death, as well as racism and ancestral loss. At times, this collection is difficult to read. The poems encompass the burden of generations of hardship and pain. Other times, there is such beauty and richness in the language that the reader truly feels the reverence the Lakota have for their tribe, their land, and the importance of preserving their way of life.

The layout of the book is broken into seven sections that cover topics of self-expression that reflect the Native American experience, with particular focus on the Lakota Tribe. There are a mix of poems that cover the core values of the tribe, such as respect, courage, and connection to tribal traditions and the spiritual world. But, there are also poems that reflect the hardships that are so prevalently experienced by the Lakota, such as extreme poverty, substance abuse, and death. Still, throughout the book, each section is prefaced by both a beautiful piece of artwork by S.D. Nelson and accompanied by an introduction to help readers have a full understanding of the circumstances of how the poems were written, the ways of the Lakota people, and of the culture that they represent.

The quality of the poetry was refreshingly honest, with candor and frankness that belies the ages of the writers. Many of the poems and prose were packed with emotion, touching on the importance of spiritual or natural connections, or exploring the frustration of the darker sides of poverty and despair. All the selections reflected a thoughtfulness and deep awareness of the past and present, as though each child writer carried the traditions and words of their ancestors with them into the uncertain future. There was truly a duality in the works. I was keenly aware that each student had one step in the past and another walking toward the unknown. This duality was visceral. I often felt the confidence of the entire Lakota people in the connections with nature and the past, yet when the poems covered modern times, that is when those shades of darkness and uncertainty cropped up. The poems were tremendously moving, but heavy in subject matter and tone. This collection of student poetry serves as a perfect example of why "own voices" need to be represented in literature for children and teens.

Last, the collection ends with an important author's note from Timothy McLaughlin, who edited this collection of student poems. This note discusses how McLaughlin, a non-Native, worked with the students through a volunteer program and how the experience not only led to the formation of the book, but also to an extensive career teaching in Native communities. He describes the student's initial reactions to his presence at school, their skepticism on whether he would last on the reservation and his persistence in developing trust and engaging students in a way that coaxed such meaningful and vividly descriptive writing.


Use & Highlight Poem
My selection for a highlight poems is Still I Dream. There is something about this poem that makes me think of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech, "I Have a Dream" and it encompasses the ability of people to hope against odds for something more. I would pair this poem with a brief history of the Lakota Tribe and the Pine Ridge Reservation to put the words into perspective. Students could try their own hand at writing a poem based on their own heritage, or perhaps on challenges they might have overcome or dreams that they held onto, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Despite the dark aspects of this book, there is equal parts of light and hope. The true lesson for students and young writers is to look for that hope and find a way to connect to it.

Still I Dream

There are people putting drugs in their bodies
and trash all over the ground.
But still I dream good dreams.
There are people dying.
But still I dream about the past and how happy we were.
People are starving and have no home.
But still I dream all of us are a family,
and we have food and a home to live in.
--Chanelle Douville