Light of the Feather: Pathways Through Contemporary Indian America

Much to his surprise, the author, an Anglo born and reared near Philadelphia, went West in the late 1970s and soon found himself on an Indian reservation in Arizona, teaching Pima children poetry and language skills. In his first book, Fedullo describes his cultural clashing and eventual meshing there and on other isolated reservations from 1979 to 1990. Some stories are merely instructive, like Fedullo's administrative ``coup'' in New Mexico, and some prove entertaining--like a reggae concert on the Hopi reservation and Native American fascination with the music. But while the author attempts to bring closer understanding between Native Americans and the dominant white culture, his approach seems too fawning, simplistic and self-serving. Author tour. (Sept.)