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Reviews 161 From Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains: Major Stephen Long’sExpedition, 1819-1820. Edited by Maxine Benson. (Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum, 1988. 410 pages, $20.00.) The 1988 publication ofFrom Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains: Major Stephen Long’s Expedition, 1819-1820 (compiled by Edwin James in 1823) takes us back a step nearer the physical truth novels such as Lonesome Dove attempt to use for a backdrop. In 1819, Major Stephen Long led a party of naturalists, topographers and artists on a two-year expedition to discover the secrets of the “unknown” American continent. He returned with illustrations and narratives that contributed strongly to the image of the “Great American Desert” to be held bymany Americans. Objective observation of geology and biology provides the rationale for the report. Yet it is the subjective observation that brings the story to life. Our geographers not only see but are beset by lice, ticks, flies, snakes and mosqui­ toes. Sun, wind, cold and weather must be dealt with daily. The relationship with abiding natives is fraught with danger and intrigue. And how to bathe? Ironically, the members of the Long expedition were “exploring” land that was thoroughly known. When they were lost, all they had to do was turn to a tribesman or trapper for their location. Yet it was contact early in the game, before massive inundation by “tabbyboos,” as white men were called. The meticulous descriptions that resulted continue to distinguish the Long trek report with great meaning. If Lonesome Dove made for successful and absorbing commercial television, From Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains may find a place on public television. Although it has entertainment value for the truly interested, it is a report after all, not a novel. There are few, if any, superhuman deeds and no love interest. It is the type of document authors such as McMurtry study in order to build an authentic backdrop for their tall tales. DAVE ENGEL Rudolph, Wisconsin Meditations with The Hopi. By Robert Boissiere. (Santa Fe, New Mexico: Bear and Company, 1986. 143 pages, $7.95.) Meditations with The Navajo. By Gerald Hausman. (Santa Fe, New Mexico: Bear and Company, 1987. 143 pages, $6.95.) These two volumes are part of a series intended to familiarize an uniniti­ ated readership with Native American literary tradition and myth. In addition to poems and folklore, each book contains “meditations” by Boissiere or Hausman. These insightful explanations of the preceding chapter aid the reader in interpreting selected tribal literature by exposing the root myth from 162 Western American Literature which each poem or tale evolved. Additionally, as the term suggests, these meditations invite the reader to thoughtful contemplation. Boissiere arranges his volume by devoting each chapter to one particular root myth. “The Emergence,” for instance, centers on the story of how the Hopi people entered into being, while “The Migrations” traces Hopi wander­ ings. It is important to note that Boissiere clearly points out the narrative and thematic threads common to both Native American and Judeo-Christian tradi­ tion. Such insights help the reader to recognize the shared purposes of myth­ making the world over. Perhaps the most striking chapter in Boissiere’sbook is “The Ceremonies,” which explores sacred Hopi rites and rituals. “The Rabbit Dance,” for instance, is a poetic rendering of one aspect of the sacred Hopi mating ritual. This simple yet poignant poem portrays human sexuality and reproduction as a Hopi rabbit hunt. Although Boissiere promises never to disclose any “information which could in any way violate the Hopi right of privacy,” the meditation on this chapter reveals some significant details about Hopi sex-related rituals. In contrast to Boissiere, Hausman organizes his chapters around certain Navajo deities. As Hausman points out, Navajo gods are “capable of every human emotion,” and this humanness lends a more intimate quality to the literature than one might at first expect. Hausman interprets the behavior of these Navajo deities by correlating them to literary archetypes thereby univer­ salizing his subject matter much as Boissiere has done in his volume. Hausman characterizes “Changing Woman,” for example, as the Navajo variation of the earth goddess figure. Because Navajo gods were often human in personality and animal in...

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