The Butterfly Dance: Tales of the People

By Gerald Dawavendewa

Book Overview

With its bright, stylized illustrations and distinctive Native voice, this appealing book gives a vivid sense of stepping into another culture. It chronicles one important day seen through the eyes of a young Hopi girl named Sihumana, or Flower Maiden, who is a member of the Rabbit Clan and winningly portrayed as a rabbit. After going with her grandfather to greet the sun and bless the day, Sihumana travels with family to another village to take part in the traditional Butterfly Dance, performed late each summer in order to bring rain to the dry lands of the Southwest. The tale ends happily with the sound of rain on the roof and the promise of butterflies in the days to come.

About the Tales of the People series

Created with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Tales of the People is a series of children's books celebrating Native American culture with illustrations and stories by native artists and writers. In addition to the tales themselves, each book also offers four pages filled with information and photographs exploring various aspects of Native culture, including a glossary of words in different Indian languages.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789201615
• ISBN13: 9780789201614
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Abbeville Kids
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.5" x 9.6"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

Excellent and accurate book

This is the story of a young Hopi girl who will be in her first Butterfly Dance. This children's book is an accurate presentation of the Hopi culture and the Hopi world view. It is written and illustrated by a Hopi man of the Sun Clan. This book is suitable for all children, including Hopi children, as it does not discuss sacred matters.