In the Trail of the Wind: American Indian Poems and Ritual Orations

by John Bierhorst

An ALA Notable Book

A story--and history--reaching back thousands of years unfolds in this diverse and unusual collection of Native American poetry, which gathers dozens of works that have been translated from over forty languages. Representing all the best-known Indian peoples of North and South America, In the Trail of the Wind is a cross-cultural anthology--the first of its kind--that brings into focus the similarities between tribes as widely separated as the Sioux and the Aztec, the Cherokee and the ancient Maya.

Here we find an array of omens, battle songs, orations, love lyrics, prayers, dreams, and mysteries incantations. Beginning with the origin of the earth and the emergence of humanity, the sequence of poems proceeds through that rituals of birth, love, war, and death to the foreshadowing of the Conquest, the days of despair, and, finally, the apocalyptic visions of a new life.

Editor John Bierhorst also offers a detailed Introduction; a richly thorough Notes section on the translators, meanings, contexts, and specific references of these poems; and a complete Glossary of Tribes, Cultures, and Languages. In the Trail of the Wind concludes with a Suggestions for Further Reading page.

Genres: Poetry, Collections, Native American

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

John Bierhorst is the author, editor, or translator of more than thirty books on Native American lore, including Latin American Folktales, The Mythology of South America, The Mythology of North America, and The Mythology of Mexico and Central America.

Reviews

[R.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

for the Read Harder task: a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much was lost in translation, but this book gives excellent visibility to the artistry of many different people groups.

[Katherine]

"In the Trail of the Wind" is, strictly speaking, a book of poetry, with far too little supplemental information for a curious reader interested in the history and context of these songs and poems. The poems and orations are presented in English and by translation only; the original language is not included on the page. Below each poem/oration Bierhorst lists the tribe who produced each work. The introduction makes it clear that many of these poems have been translated "freely;" however, you would only know that by consulting the endnotes for each individual poem.

It's difficult to be pleased by Beirhorst's decision to place relevant and helpful information, like the names of the translators (only some are Beirhorst's translations) and the date translated/published, in the endnotes. Had he presented each poem with a paragraph description relating the salient details, when and where this poem or song was heard and written down, "In the Trail of the Wind" would be a more interesting and informative read. I hope that the translation's original publication (before being collected in Bierhost's book) gives the name of the person who sang the songs, recited the poems and repeated the prophecies. Their names should be on the page too. Personally, not even including the name of the translator on the page (or any other information) is very strange in any collection, let alone in a book consisting only of translations. All in all, the format chosen makes it a much less interesting book, poetry simply presented, but these works are historical works that should to be rooted in their respective contexts so that the reader can more fully appreciate their meaning.

For myself, I'm curious enough to check out the revised edition.