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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I liked some things about this book but disliked others. It is a historical fiction novel set in the 1870s, and the title character's clan belongs to the Blackfeet tribe. His name is White Man's Dog in the first part of the book but gains a new name later with his changing reputation. The author grew up as a member of the Blackfeet and so can be considered an authority on that culture. The book is beautifully written, and social mores and customs vividly rendered.
Within the story, there are women are generally disrespected even if the male characters express affection for particular women. Women are expected to get married very young, fifteen or sixteen, after very little interaction with their future husband. Men take three or four wives, and can marry again without the support of existing wives. Rape is normalized, as is cutting off the nose or ears of wives who offend their husbands. About 90% of the conversations in the book are between men, and most of the rest are between a man and a woman. I can think of only one conversation that was between two women. In that conversation and in the internal dialogue of the few female characters the focus is on the men in their life or on their children. Self-sacrifice in service of male honor (self-mutilation, fasting, physical labor while pregnant) is enthusiastically embraced by women. I don't know enough about any Native American cultures to say whether or not this authentically depicts gender relations. It did occur to me that since this book was written in the 1980s, some conservative ideas of gender from that era may have colored how characters are portrayed in the book. At any rate, misogyny is not challenged at all in the book. No characters push back against the system or express any discomfort with it.
The central focus of the story is on Fools Crow as he grows to manhood. He is 17 or so at the beginning of the story, which covers a few years. He worries a lot about maintaining personal integrity and living the right kind of life. This goal is complicated by the encroachment of whites, which has some of the younger men insisting on violent resistance. There are several incidents of violence against white women, while only at the end of the book is there a massacre of a Blackfeet village. This incident is based on a historic event, but the way it is rendered in the book it seems to be a natural consequence of the young Blackfeet rampages. Throughout the story people are also seeking out white trade goods more and more. Older members of the tribe lament that people now want flashy fabrics and steel implements as opposed to ones they make themselves. I remember hearing this explanation previously, blaming lack of willpower for Native American dependence on white materials. More recent histories however argue that it is more accurate to describe this dependence as a result of reduced numbers in the face of epidemics. Many Native American groups just didn't have the manpower to create as many artifacts as before, and instead had to focus on acquiring enough food and shelter. In a few places the author also mentions Blackfeet children who are attending mission schools. The European haircut and clothing of the children is commented on as is some mild sadness at their disconnection with their own culture. These were local Jesuit day schools - the book doesn't cover the period within a decade or two when children started being kidnapped and taken to far-off boarding schools.
I hoped to find some articles about changing views of this novel, but I haven't found much yet. It was a groundbreaking novel for its time, but prefer more recent Native American literature.
Within the story, there are women are generally disrespected even if the male characters express affection for particular women. Women are expected to get married very young, fifteen or sixteen, after very little interaction with their future husband. Men take three or four wives, and can marry again without the support of existing wives. Rape is normalized, as is cutting off the nose or ears of wives who offend their husbands. About 90% of the conversations in the book are between men, and most of the rest are between a man and a woman. I can think of only one conversation that was between two women. In that conversation and in the internal dialogue of the few female characters the focus is on the men in their life or on their children. Self-sacrifice in service of male honor (self-mutilation, fasting, physical labor while pregnant) is enthusiastically embraced by women. I don't know enough about any Native American cultures to say whether or not this authentically depicts gender relations. It did occur to me that since this book was written in the 1980s, some conservative ideas of gender from that era may have colored how characters are portrayed in the book. At any rate, misogyny is not challenged at all in the book. No characters push back against the system or express any discomfort with it.
The central focus of the story is on Fools Crow as he grows to manhood. He is 17 or so at the beginning of the story, which covers a few years. He worries a lot about maintaining personal integrity and living the right kind of life. This goal is complicated by the encroachment of whites, which has some of the younger men insisting on violent resistance. There are several incidents of violence against white women, while only at the end of the book is there a massacre of a Blackfeet village. This incident is based on a historic event, but the way it is rendered in the book it seems to be a natural consequence of the young Blackfeet rampages. Throughout the story people are also seeking out white trade goods more and more. Older members of the tribe lament that people now want flashy fabrics and steel implements as opposed to ones they make themselves. I remember hearing this explanation previously, blaming lack of willpower for Native American dependence on white materials. More recent histories however argue that it is more accurate to describe this dependence as a result of reduced numbers in the face of epidemics. Many Native American groups just didn't have the manpower to create as many artifacts as before, and instead had to focus on acquiring enough food and shelter. In a few places the author also mentions Blackfeet children who are attending mission schools. The European haircut and clothing of the children is commented on as is some mild sadness at their disconnection with their own culture. These were local Jesuit day schools - the book doesn't cover the period within a decade or two when children started being kidnapped and taken to far-off boarding schools.
I hoped to find some articles about changing views of this novel, but I haven't found much yet. It was a groundbreaking novel for its time, but prefer more recent Native American literature.
Closer to 3.5 stars but I decided to round up because this isn’t my usual type of literature. I enjoyed hearing this native perspective with no “whitewashing”. It made an excellent November read and really makes you think about how scary it would be to be attacked by an illness you felt powerless to stop and really didn’t understand.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this in graduate school, shortly after I left my work teaching public school. I remember liking it, even wrote a paper on it. However, I don't recall as much of it now. May have to reread it someday. I read it for a course in Native American literature, which was one of the first courses I took for my masters. Out of the list of books in that class, this was one of the better ones.
An amazing coming of age tale set against the backdrop of a civilizational clash. "Fools Crow" follows the tale of White Man's dog (later Fools Crow after blooding himself in a raid), a young Blackfeet Indian charged with great mystic powers and his struggle to preserve his people in the face of manifest destiny.
Welch creates a surreal world in which the past and the present, myth and reality amalgamate to weave a mystical tapestry in which humanity confronts itself. Fools Crow and his tribe of Lone Eaters are the Earth's children, humble in sophistication but intelligent in their living. The juxtaposed whites meanwhile are afflicted by hubris and possessed of the belief that the end of the Indian is neigh.
The distinctiveness of Welch's work can be gauged from the fact that his Indians are not the stereotypic monochromatic naturists of the Occidental purview. They are progressive in their own right, have property rights and are astute statesmen among themselves. They are able to discern the true intent behind the settler's design for them, but are not possessed of a keen insight into the white psyche to adjudge their next course of action.
While their fellow Indians take to their weapons to confront the whites, Fools Crow and the Lone Eaters emphasize co-existence. The novel ends with two poignant events. The 1870 massacre of unarmed friendly Blackfeet by the US 2nd Cavalry, and Fools Crow's resolve that the Blackfeet will preserve their culture while living in the White Man's world.
"Fools Crow" is a warrior's story, a tale of necessary sacrifices for a better future and the pursuit of justice in a changing world.
Welch creates a surreal world in which the past and the present, myth and reality amalgamate to weave a mystical tapestry in which humanity confronts itself. Fools Crow and his tribe of Lone Eaters are the Earth's children, humble in sophistication but intelligent in their living. The juxtaposed whites meanwhile are afflicted by hubris and possessed of the belief that the end of the Indian is neigh.
The distinctiveness of Welch's work can be gauged from the fact that his Indians are not the stereotypic monochromatic naturists of the Occidental purview. They are progressive in their own right, have property rights and are astute statesmen among themselves. They are able to discern the true intent behind the settler's design for them, but are not possessed of a keen insight into the white psyche to adjudge their next course of action.
While their fellow Indians take to their weapons to confront the whites, Fools Crow and the Lone Eaters emphasize co-existence. The novel ends with two poignant events. The 1870 massacre of unarmed friendly Blackfeet by the US 2nd Cavalry, and Fools Crow's resolve that the Blackfeet will preserve their culture while living in the White Man's world.
"Fools Crow" is a warrior's story, a tale of necessary sacrifices for a better future and the pursuit of justice in a changing world.
Welch’s writing is atmospheric and his stories are tragic. I liked this more and more as I went, and it was a powerful read alongside my Montana history class.
This is the book you need to read if you want to come at me asking about books that sum up Montana, or the West, America, or any of that garbage lit people like to hump each others' legs over.
Arguably life-changing. Hypnotic. Poetic. Moving. Devastating. You get the picture.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"We will go on, he thought; as long as Mother Earth smiles on her children, we will continue to be a people. We will live and die and live on."
Fools Crows is the story of the Pikuni (Blackfeet) tribe in the Montana territory shortly after the Civil War. As the white man is encroaching more and more on their land, the tribe is faced with the choice of whether to stand their ground and fight or surrender and sacrifice their resources, land and way of life.
The story is almost entirely from the male perspective, primarily the main character named White Man's Dog, who is later re-named Fools Crow (a common tribal tradition). He begins the story as a boy struggling to find his place and become a man and ends it as one of the leaders and medicine men of his band, known as the Lone Eaters.
Although there were some women characters, the author definitely doesn't have the gift of a connection with the feminine soul like some other male authors I've read, so unfortunately they were flat and unemotional.
For me, this was an educational book that taught me some important things about one of the most awful aspects of my country's history. What it did not do was have a lasting emotional impact on me, so it's not likely to live long in my memory. Regardless, it made me better, so for that I am grateful.
Fools Crows is the story of the Pikuni (Blackfeet) tribe in the Montana territory shortly after the Civil War. As the white man is encroaching more and more on their land, the tribe is faced with the choice of whether to stand their ground and fight or surrender and sacrifice their resources, land and way of life.
The story is almost entirely from the male perspective, primarily the main character named White Man's Dog, who is later re-named Fools Crow (a common tribal tradition). He begins the story as a boy struggling to find his place and become a man and ends it as one of the leaders and medicine men of his band, known as the Lone Eaters.
Although there were some women characters, the author definitely doesn't have the gift of a connection with the feminine soul like some other male authors I've read, so unfortunately they were flat and unemotional.
For me, this was an educational book that taught me some important things about one of the most awful aspects of my country's history. What it did not do was have a lasting emotional impact on me, so it's not likely to live long in my memory. Regardless, it made me better, so for that I am grateful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Alcoholism
I thought that 95% of the book were incredibly dull. I had to turn on the audiobook most of time time because I constantly lost concentration while I was reading.
Starting with what I thought was well done: The ending describes awful historical events such as the smallpox disease amongst the indigenous population as well as the Marias Massacre. I had a bit of knowledge on both before easing but reading about it as parts of a story made it more real to me. I can’t say I enjoyed it but I appreciate how informative it was and how it truly brought those awful historical events closer to the reader. I always like that about historical fiction and it was the case here as well.
Unfortunately, apart from that it wasn’t a book for me. I was looking forward to reading it and learning more about indigenous traditions and customs. However, the story only progresses slowly and not much happens which made it hard for me to really enjoy this read.
2 stars for how it manages to convey information and the important history of indigenous peoples to a wider audience.
Starting with what I thought was well done: The ending describes awful historical events such as the smallpox disease amongst the indigenous population as well as the Marias Massacre. I had a bit of knowledge on both before easing but reading about it as parts of a story made it more real to me. I can’t say I enjoyed it but I appreciate how informative it was and how it truly brought those awful historical events closer to the reader. I always like that about historical fiction and it was the case here as well.
Unfortunately, apart from that it wasn’t a book for me. I was looking forward to reading it and learning more about indigenous traditions and customs. However, the story only progresses slowly and not much happens which made it hard for me to really enjoy this read.
2 stars for how it manages to convey information and the important history of indigenous peoples to a wider audience.