The Serpent's Tongue: Prose, Poetry, and Art of the New Mexican Pueblos

by Nancy Wood (Editor), Tony Hillerman, Willa Cather

A colorful anthology captures the Pueblo culture through an array of stories, poems, and paintings depicting the Pueblo way of life as well as their celebrations, beliefs, symbols, and more.

Genres: Poetry

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Nancy Wood / Nancy C. Wood

"It is a tale of the universal spirit of all living things, and their eternal connection to each other," says Nancy Wood of OLD COYOTE, her simple story of a wise creature's final journey, masterfully illustrated by Max Grafe. These words could apply to virtually all of Nancy Wood's books, from inspirational collections of her own poetry and prose to an anthology chronicling the history of the Taos Pueblo Indians, her friends for more than thirty years. The author of more than ten books for children, teens, and adults, Nancy Wood has garnered such honors as a prestigious Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and an International Reading Association Teacher's Choices Award for her stunning SPIRIT WALKER: POEMS, illustrated by Frank Howell. Indeed, many of her poems have had such a powerful impact on readers that they are often read at weddings and funerals.

Nancy Wood says that she wrote the story of OLD COYOTE when her seven-year-old grandson came to her, grief-stricken, after his dog was run over by a car. "He wanted to know if Buddy had gone to heaven," she says. "I explained that Buddy had dreamed himself into another world; that he was, at that very moment, beginning a new life, maybe as a horse this time, or a bear. He had begun a new and natural circle." Certainly the deeply moving OLD COYOTE suggests a universal meaning as well. "OLD COYOTE is a book about beginnings, and endings, and love among all creatures of the earth," Nancy Wood says. "It is a metaphor for the mystery, beauty, and certainty of death. How easy life would be if, like Old Coyote, we accepted death as a natural part of life. Life may be long or short, happy or sad, but whatever we're given, we should make the most of it, the way Old Coyote does as he changes one world for another, unafraid."


Most recently, Nancy Wood penned HOW THE TINY PEOPLE GREW TALL, an original creation tale illustrated by Rebecca Walsh. Of her fanciful tale, Nancy says, "We are all Tiny People at heart. Though the story of these Tiny People is based on an American Indian emergence myth, it could be about people and animals anywhere."


The award-winning poet, novelist, photographer, and children's book author Nancy Wood lives near Santa Fe, New Mexico where she still occasionally glimpses Tiny People dancing in the wilderness.

Reviews

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology is a window into the past and present lives of the New Mexican pueblos chronicling the spirit of the people, what they celebrate, and the hardships they have endured. With the exception of an excerpt from a Spanish chronicle, most of the writings in this volume express much dignity, good will, and kindness.

In addition to the prose and poetry, a variety of artwork and photographs is also included. The portraits are dignified and majestic, and the artwork spread throughout the anthology serves nicely as a complement to the writings, especially depicting the relationship of the Pueblo people to the natural world.

[Online Footprint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for a home shelf