For more than twenty-five years Ray A. Young Bear has offered the world a voice rich in his Meskwaki traditions, forceful in its individuality, and articulate and original in its poetic treatment of political and cultural questions. (His tribe's name...

Iowa City. University of Iowa Press 2001. 53 pages. $24.95 ($13 paper) ISBN 0-87745-770-0 (771-9 paper) RAY YOUNG BEAR IS a significant figure among the present generation of American Indian poets, and The Rock Island Hiking Club must therefore be taken seriously...

Ray Young Bear's 'Black Eagle Child: The Facepaint Narratives' attempts to upset the apathy he observes among his Mesquakie Indian tribe while it critically discusses the treatment they have been subjected to by Anglo-Americans. The book's stories impart a significant political message. One of...

In the following essay, Ruppert discusses Young Bear's poetic language, contending that it is "mediative," that it includes "a fusion of public and private voice," and that it "creates a persona in the process."

Bruchac is an Abenaki poet, short story writer, novelist, author of children's books, editor, educator, and critic. In the following excerpt, Young Bear discusses the development of his literary style and his use of Indian heritage and oral traditions in the composition of his works.

Former president of the Association for the Study of Native American Literatures, Ruppert is an educator and critic who specializes in English and Native studies. In the following excerpt, he analyzes Young Bear's attempts to recreate the Native American "story world" in his poetry, discussing his focus on song and dreams.