I’ve always been fascinated with Native American culture. As far back as I can remember, really. I was the annoying girl in early grade school that *insisted* she was a “real Indian Princess” (and yes, Princess had to be capitalized). It wasn’t because I wanted to show off or be obnoxious, but because somewhere, deep down, I truly wanted it to be true. Ok, there may have been a little bit of show-off there. As a teenager, I was around Native Americans more than I would have expected, as my father worked extensively with tribes around the Pacific Northwest on a variety of projects. I came to learn then that the romantic ideal wasn’t what it was cracked up to be - it wasn’t all peace and harmony. Like people all over the world, the tribes had their politics, their petty jealousies, and their difficulties. But there was still something so ALIVE within them, and there were so many of their beliefs that seemed to make sense to me - more sense than much of what I had learned in the my own white world. As an adult, it came around full circle to a deep and abiding respect for the culture as a whole and the ways of life that have so much to draw from. But this respect was tempered by a reality that there are those out there who seek to profit from what they don’t truly understand or care about. They pass off “knowledge of the elders” like it was candy to be sold to the children who had the most quarters in their pockets. Rarely does one run across someone who speaks with such reverence for a culture to which he does not belong. Someone who makes it clear at the outset that there are some things to which we are, and will always be, outsiders. So it was with some hesitation that I picked up ‘The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo’. It sounded interesting, but sometimes…you don’t really know. I had never read any of Nerburn’s work before and so wasn’t sure what to expect.
What I found was a story of power and love, of dreams and friendship, and a haunted history that has remained hidden for far too long. It was a strange combination of what many would see as fantastical juxtaposed with an “insane” asylum that wouldn’t be out of place in the worst horror novel. Knowing this was written as truth, and seeing the respectful way Nerburn passed along this story, has me convinced to read the other books in the series. I want to learn more about how the events in this book came to be and about the people themselves. As will you by the time you finish reading.
One other thing, a strong suggestion - research the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians. Then pass it along. This piece of history is one that needs to be told, and those who lived and died there deserve to be remembered with honor and respect.
