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The Good Rainbow Road / Rawa 'Kashtyaa'tsi Hiyaani
This is the story of two courageous boys and of how they saved their village.
Their village is called Haapaahnitse, Oak Place, and it lies at the foot of a mountain. Once there was a lake and a stream nearby, but they have dried up. Once rain and snow came, but no more. Not only did the crops wither and die, even the hardy oak trees have become brittle sticks. The land has become barren and dry.Two brothers, Tsaiyah-dzehshi, whose name means First One, and Hamahshu-dzehshi, Next One, are chosen for an important mission. They are sent on a westward trek to the home of the Shiwana, the Rain and Snow Spirits, to ask them to bring the gift of water to the village again. The brothers cross deserts and mountains on an arduous journey until they are finally stopped short by a treacherous canyon filled with molten lava.
The Good Rainbow Road tells how the brothers overcome this last challenge and continue on to their destination. Written in the tradition of Native American oral storytelling and accompanied by colorful illustrations from celebrated Native artist Michael Lacapa, it brings the powers of language, memory, and imagery to a tale that will captivate children ages seven and up.
As Simon Ortiz writes, "The Good Rainbow Road is located in the Native American world, but it is not limited to that world. Even considering humankind's many ethnic and racial differences, we are all part of each other as people and the rest of all Creation, and our stories join us together." This is the foundation of The Good Rainbow Road, and on that road young readers will broaden their understanding of humanity's common bonds.
The Good Rainbow Road is presented in Keres, the language of Acoma Pueblo and six other Pueblo communities in New Mexico, and in English, with an additional Spanish translation in the back of the book.
Their village is called Haapaahnitse, Oak Place, and it lies at the foot of a mountain. Once there was a lake and a stream nearby, but they have dried up. Once rain and snow came, but no more. Not only did the crops wither and die, even the hardy oak trees have become brittle sticks. The land has become barren and dry.Two brothers, Tsaiyah-dzehshi, whose name means First One, and Hamahshu-dzehshi, Next One, are chosen for an important mission. They are sent on a westward trek to the home of the Shiwana, the Rain and Snow Spirits, to ask them to bring the gift of water to the village again. The brothers cross deserts and mountains on an arduous journey until they are finally stopped short by a treacherous canyon filled with molten lava.
The Good Rainbow Road tells how the brothers overcome this last challenge and continue on to their destination. Written in the tradition of Native American oral storytelling and accompanied by colorful illustrations from celebrated Native artist Michael Lacapa, it brings the powers of language, memory, and imagery to a tale that will captivate children ages seven and up.
As Simon Ortiz writes, "The Good Rainbow Road is located in the Native American world, but it is not limited to that world. Even considering humankind's many ethnic and racial differences, we are all part of each other as people and the rest of all Creation, and our stories join us together." This is the foundation of The Good Rainbow Road, and on that road young readers will broaden their understanding of humanity's common bonds.
The Good Rainbow Road is presented in Keres, the language of Acoma Pueblo and six other Pueblo communities in New Mexico, and in English, with an additional Spanish translation in the back of the book.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2004
About the author
Simon J. Ortiz
36 books57 followersSimon J. Ortiz is a Puebloan writer of the Acoma Pueblo tribe, and one of the key figures in the second wave of what has been called the Native American Renaissance. He is one of the most respected and widely read Native American poets.
After a three-year stint in the U.S. military, Ortiz enrolled at the University of New Mexico. There, he discovered few ethnic voices within the American literature canon and began to pursue writing as a way to express the generally unheard Native American voice that was only beginning to emerge in the midst of political activism.
Two years later, in 1968, he received a fellowship for writing at the University of Iowa in the International Writers Program.
In 1988, he was appointed as tribal interpreter for Acoma Pueblo, and in 1989 he became First Lieutenant Governor for the pueblo. In 1982, he became a consulting editor of the Pueblo of Acoma Press.
Since 1968, Ortiz has taught creative writing and Native American literature at various institutions, including San Diego State, the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, Navajo Community College, the College of Marin, the University of New Mexico, Sinte Gleska University, and the University of Toronto.
Ortiz is a recipient of the New Mexico Humanities Council Humanitarian Award, the National Endowment for the Arts Discovery Award, the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Writer's Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and was an Honored Poet recognized at the 1981 White House Salute to Poetry.
In 1981, From Sand Creek: Rising In This Heart Which Is Our America, received the Pushcart Prize in poetry.
Ortiz received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Returning the Gift Festival of Native Writers (the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers) and the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas (1993)
After a three-year stint in the U.S. military, Ortiz enrolled at the University of New Mexico. There, he discovered few ethnic voices within the American literature canon and began to pursue writing as a way to express the generally unheard Native American voice that was only beginning to emerge in the midst of political activism.
Two years later, in 1968, he received a fellowship for writing at the University of Iowa in the International Writers Program.
In 1988, he was appointed as tribal interpreter for Acoma Pueblo, and in 1989 he became First Lieutenant Governor for the pueblo. In 1982, he became a consulting editor of the Pueblo of Acoma Press.
Since 1968, Ortiz has taught creative writing and Native American literature at various institutions, including San Diego State, the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, Navajo Community College, the College of Marin, the University of New Mexico, Sinte Gleska University, and the University of Toronto.
Ortiz is a recipient of the New Mexico Humanities Council Humanitarian Award, the National Endowment for the Arts Discovery Award, the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Writer's Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and was an Honored Poet recognized at the 1981 White House Salute to Poetry.
In 1981, From Sand Creek: Rising In This Heart Which Is Our America, received the Pushcart Prize in poetry.
Ortiz received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Returning the Gift Festival of Native Writers (the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers) and the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas (1993)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 31, 2020
In this original story from Acoma Pueblo poet and scholar Simon J. Ortiz, a southwestern village called Haapaahnitse (the "Oak Place") is suffering from a terrible drought. Hungry, feeling hopeless and unhappy, the people take to blaming one another. Then an old woman steps forward to remind them that they haven't yet sought help - help from the Shiwana, the rain and snow spirits who live in the west - and suggests that two young men be sent on a quest. And so it is that two brothers, Tsaiyah-dzehshi ("First One") and Hamahshu-dzehshi ("Next One") are dispatched on the long journey to the Shiwana, crossing blistering deserts and cold mountains. When they confront the fiery chasm of a volcano, the younger brother, Hamahshu-dzehshi, is afraid to continue, until a blind old woman happens along to show him the way...
A trilingual picture-book - the main text, in English and Keres (the language of Ortiz's Acoma Pueblo), is accompanied by Hopi/Tewa/Apache artist Michael Lacapa's illustrations, while a Spanish translation by Mayan author Victor Montejo is included at the rear - The Good Rainbow Road is not a traditional folktale, something Ortiz makes very clear in his afterword, but an original work of fantasy that is grounded in the folk tradition. As such, I think it is what we would call a "fairy-tale," and I have shelved it as such. The story itself is engrossing - readers will be rooting for Tsaiyah-dzehshi and Hamahshu-dzehshi - and the artwork, which looks to be done in colored marker or pencil, and which incorporates many folk motif borders, is colorful and attention-grabbing. I liked the fact that, while the two main questers here are male, women play such a decisive role in moving the action forward, both in suggesting the quest, and (in the form of Spider Woman) aiding the young men. I also liked the fact that the story ends, not with the granting of the young men's request, but with their reaching of their object. It's an interesting conclusion, and will leave readers wanting more. Always a good thing, when it comes to storytelling!
All in all, a wonderful book, one I would recommend to young readers who enjoy adventure stories - although a picture-book, the text is long and extensive, and is probably best suited for upper elementary school students and above - and to anyone looking for texts (although I understand that there is some controversy connected to writing them down) in any of the Keresan languages.
A trilingual picture-book - the main text, in English and Keres (the language of Ortiz's Acoma Pueblo), is accompanied by Hopi/Tewa/Apache artist Michael Lacapa's illustrations, while a Spanish translation by Mayan author Victor Montejo is included at the rear - The Good Rainbow Road is not a traditional folktale, something Ortiz makes very clear in his afterword, but an original work of fantasy that is grounded in the folk tradition. As such, I think it is what we would call a "fairy-tale," and I have shelved it as such. The story itself is engrossing - readers will be rooting for Tsaiyah-dzehshi and Hamahshu-dzehshi - and the artwork, which looks to be done in colored marker or pencil, and which incorporates many folk motif borders, is colorful and attention-grabbing. I liked the fact that, while the two main questers here are male, women play such a decisive role in moving the action forward, both in suggesting the quest, and (in the form of Spider Woman) aiding the young men. I also liked the fact that the story ends, not with the granting of the young men's request, but with their reaching of their object. It's an interesting conclusion, and will leave readers wanting more. Always a good thing, when it comes to storytelling!
All in all, a wonderful book, one I would recommend to young readers who enjoy adventure stories - although a picture-book, the text is long and extensive, and is probably best suited for upper elementary school students and above - and to anyone looking for texts (although I understand that there is some controversy connected to writing them down) in any of the Keresan languages.
January 7, 2021
I am happy that I came across this book. I was doing a little research about Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, a writer whom we heard at the 2020 UUA General Assembly. Dunbar-Ortiz' book (one of several she has written) An Indigenous People's History of the United States was her topic. It was a great lecture and I read the book and found it excellent, very informative.
So The Good Rainbow is NOT based on a traditional tale but it is written very well in a Native American storytelling style. The artwork by Michael Lacapa is stunning. What was most fascinating is the the book is presented in English with a side-by-side translation in Keres, the native Acoma Puebloan language, followed by a translation into Spanish.
So The Good Rainbow is NOT based on a traditional tale but it is written very well in a Native American storytelling style. The artwork by Michael Lacapa is stunning. What was most fascinating is the the book is presented in English with a side-by-side translation in Keres, the native Acoma Puebloan language, followed by a translation into Spanish.
July 20, 2021
I have a friend from Pitt's library school 30+ years ago who is my Indian book whisperer. He grandfather was Mohawk (if I remember correctly) and her husband was Seneca from The Rez, so she has some credible background. Naturally I consulted her about this book and her immediate reply was ".....anything by Simon Ortiz is good stuff, and Michael Lacapa is a good Native illustrator." I bow to her opinion.
This is the story of 2 boys who are sent by their people to visit the spirits of rain and snow and to bring back rain to relieve a drought. It is written in English and Keres (a New Mexico Pueblo language)...Ortiz is a native of Acoma Pueblo in NM. Very successful venture.
This is the story of 2 boys who are sent by their people to visit the spirits of rain and snow and to bring back rain to relieve a drought. It is written in English and Keres (a New Mexico Pueblo language)...Ortiz is a native of Acoma Pueblo in NM. Very successful venture.
August 22, 2019
Really interesting. This is a trilingual (yes, tri!) children’s book that is not a traditional Native story, but it a modern story by a Native author told in a traditional style. Written in Keres and English, followed by a Spanish translation, it has the feel of an old oral story passed down through the generations. Definitely unique.
November 11, 2019
This book keeps K-2 enraptured. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the quest of the two brothers creates suspense and worry. Adults love the illustrations and the kids love story.
March 16, 2026
good message at the end, but it could be easily half as long if the same point weren't repeated multiple times every few pages. it drags and I ended up skipping a bunch of it.
April 19, 2011
Rating folklore is difficult, I'm not going to say that the stories of a people are good or bad. But I will say when the retelling of a story makes it more or less accessible. To me this account doesn't deserve a high rating because the story in the book is incomplete. It tells part of two boy's quest to save their village, the fate of the village or their quest isn't told. Perhaps it is a cultural bias that wants a story to have an ending, but I think it is more that I want to know what happened. It is also the feeling that this is just part of a larger tale that we are getting out of context.
July 31, 2009
multicultural - native American story, with spanish translation. Very interesign book. Great pictures.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews