#Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women in Around the World in 80 Books

Nov 16, 2019 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: poetry, biography, memoir-and-autobiographical-essays, essays

This is, by design, a mixed bag. It’s the granddaughter of those cheap mimeographed zines that girls used to send each other back in the days before the Internet.

I was looking for a poetry anthology to read during Native American Heritage Month, so I borrowed this from the library. I was surprised to find that it’s a large aspect ratio fornat, similar to a picture book. This collection is intended for teens (young teens, I’d think), and I’d say they nailed it with the size and cover art, because This is, by design, a mixed bag. It’s the granddaughter of those cheap mimeographed zines that girls used to send each other back in the days before the Internet.

I was looking for a poetry anthology to read during Native American Heritage Month, so I borrowed this from the library. I was surprised to find that it’s a large aspect ratio fornat, similar to a picture book. This collection is intended for teens (young teens, I’d think), and I’d say they nailed it with the size and cover art, because my teen daughter asked me what I was reading (and she never asks about other poetry books I read). I was not the intended audience. I was disappointed, but that doesn't mean this is a bad book, it's just not what I was looking for.

This belongs in every junior high school library in North America.

The content was a bit light, but probably appropriate to the intended audience. The artwork is mostly a mix of oddly posed photos and computer sketches. The short bios and Q & A portions are very short, reminding me of kids’ Ranger Rick type magazines.

I wanted poetry, so I was disappointed that there were only fourteen poems. Here is one of them:

When I Have a Daughter by Ntawnis Piapot
When I have a daughter . . . I’ll tell her.
Don’t wait. Don’t whine. Don’t “pine.”
Go for it. Work for it. Earn it.
I’ll tell her stories of my younger years.
Spilt beers, unfounded fears.
I’ll hold her close as my mother did . . .
When her heart is broken, when her spirit is down
When all the men have left and all the women have turned their backs.
And I’ll cry with her … knowing this won’t be the last time.
Knowing there’s more hurt in the world that I can’t protect her from.
I’ll hold her up when she succeeds and hold her more when she fails.
When I have a daughter … I’ll remind her of what happened.
Of why she never met her kokum. And what happened to our people.
I’ll tell her grand stories of her mushum ... and how he made it rain.
How he fought and sacrificed and envisioned her in this moment …
I’ll dance with her in my arms late at night as a baby.
And imagine the beauty she’ll hold as a young woman.
When I have a daughter … I’ll tell her to never lower her standards.
That as women, our ambition and strong words scare weak-minded people.
That as much as you want to be an opinionated woman fighting for justice –
You’ll be shunned.
You'll be ostracized.
You’ll be labeled and emotional rebel.
Troublemaker. Truth-teller.
And I hope I’ll instill enough courage for her to walk alone. And love wholeheartedly.
And laugh that Cree laugh and be proud of her features.
When I have a daughter … I’ll name her and hold her high.
And I’ll look at her as you looked at me.