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Ishi: The Last of His People
Recounts the life of Ishi, sole survivor of a small band of Yahi Indians, who was found in 1911 near Oroville, California.
32 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 18, 2026
It's a decent overview of Ishi's later half of life- I will say that it felt like the history of his people was glossed over and he was only asked to show people how he lived for a fun past time and not to actually keep any of the practices alive. As a children's book its entertaining enough for its audience as well as an informational read.
July 20, 2010
SS4H1 The student will describe how early Native American cultures developed in North America.
a. Locate where Native Americans settled with emphasis on the Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Southeast (Seminole).
b. Describe how Native Americans used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.
SS5H3 The student will describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century.
e. Describe the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans; include the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the relocation of Native Americans to reservations
A great picture book that students can us a supplemental text that will allow students to utilize illustration to construct tools used by the Yana. Write a story of what it would be like to be the last person alive of your family line (compare to ISHI). Discuss the role of men and woman of in the Yana tribe. Write and describe the conflict between the Yana and settlers with possible solutions. Write a description of ISHI's house and what it would be like to have to live in Tepee. Also a great introduction to talk about the effects of The Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tear along with the effects of the Gold Rush.
a. Locate where Native Americans settled with emphasis on the Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Southeast (Seminole).
b. Describe how Native Americans used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.
SS5H3 The student will describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century.
e. Describe the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans; include the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the relocation of Native Americans to reservations
A great picture book that students can us a supplemental text that will allow students to utilize illustration to construct tools used by the Yana. Write a story of what it would be like to be the last person alive of your family line (compare to ISHI). Discuss the role of men and woman of in the Yana tribe. Write and describe the conflict between the Yana and settlers with possible solutions. Write a description of ISHI's house and what it would be like to have to live in Tepee. Also a great introduction to talk about the effects of The Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tear along with the effects of the Gold Rush.
September 28, 2010
I was weeding the juvenile biography section when I came across this one (single copy). I'm glad I took it home to give it a read first. The story is this - it's 1911, and a man wanders into a small town in California. He speaks a language that no one else speaks. No one knows who he is. The name that he is given - Ishi - is simply a word for "man". It turns out this man is the last of his people, the Yahi tribe. He is also quite possibly the last Native American in this area to have lived most of his life completely outside of Euro-American culture. Even written in a simple format for children, the story of his "discovery" and introduction to society is fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews