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Literary Reviews Our Tellings Salish Stories of the People context for the cultural history of the Nlha7kapmx. Invaluable introductory material describes Hanna's own journey as he documents the geographical and socio-historical aspects of his people, his personal history and the genesis o f the book. Review by Moire Claire Thompson literary The Reconstruction B y Claudia Casper V i k i n g . 256 pp. $27.99 hard cover Review by Gloria Loree Interior Nlha7kdpmx C o m p i l e d and edited Darwin Hanna and M a m i e Henry U B C Press, 224 pp. $25.95 paperback A, Lt the last Vancouver International A l s o interesting are the photographs and brief biographies of some of the tellers and translators, as well as appendices providing an orthographic key and glossary for the Nlha7kapmx alphabet and words. The collection itself consists of two types of narratives: sptakwelh (creation stories) and spflaxem (noncreation stories). The sptakwelh are based on the period when the world was inhabited by animals who had human form and special powers. They talk of the Coyote. Bear. Grizzly and O w l when they roamed the country, shaping the physical world. The most well known of the sptakwelh are the Coyote stories. A few of the Coyote stories recorded in Our Tellings are moral fables teaching respect and humility. Some explain the origin of the Fraser River salmon run. the existence of lakes and other natural phenomenon. The spflaxem are about the history, culture, teachings and way of life of the Nlha7kapmx people. The elders feel it is important to include these stories as they serve as a part of their cultural revitalization. Our Tellings was created entirely by the hands, minds and spirits of Nlha7kapmx people. It represents their commitment to record and preserve their culture and history, to end the silence and begin again to tell their own story. A s a non-native, reading the stories of Our Tellings is a wonderful experience. It is great to learn about Nlha7kapmx culture and beliefs without the bias, racism, interference and sterilization typical of other (nonnative) representations.-- Moire Claire Thompson and is pursing has a BA in a masters at of UBC. Writers and Readers Festival. Barbara Gowdy (author of Mr. Sandman) told a laughing audience that she goes into libraries and hides copies of her first novel on the wrong shelf and behind other books. This 1996 Booker Prize nominee said she's considered buying up all remaining copies to keep more people from reading it. Her first novel is not a source of pride for her. First novels are exciting to read and The Reconstruction is North Vancouverite Claudia Casper's first novel. In it I read enough to make me look forward to her next one. Casper's main character. Margaret, is a sculptor hired by a museum to build a life-sized model of . ^ ^ j nnong o the many collections of First Nations lore and stories. Our Tellings is a rarity. Compilers and editors Darwin Hanna and Mamie Henry spent two years searching for tellers and recording Nlha7kapmx elders as they told their stories of myth and legend. The uniqueness of Our Tellings stems from the dedication of Hanna and Henry to capturing the spirit and substance of these tales by carefully translating them. The two show a clear concern in assuring the Nlha7kapmx culture, history and language are preserved and allow the reader to share in this preservation. Interior Salish Stories of the N l h a y k d p m x People Hanna notes the stories told in the first anguage of the teller flow smoothly and evenly while those told in English are choppy and difficult to follow because of the colloquial or "unpolished" language. To their credit, the editors refused to "translate" or alter the language of the stories told to them in English. Nlha7kapmx is translated as "people" or "nation" and refers to a group who were the first inhabitants along the Fraser. Thompson and N i c o l a rivers. Linguistically. the Nlhu7kapnix people are part of the Interior Salish division of the Salishan language. Culturally, they arc a distinct nation. The historical information included in the book provides a rich What Are You Looking At?!! It's an ad. A small reasonably priced one. And if you're looking here, so are others. So, why haven't you advertised here yet? For information about our rates call 984-9537 psychology library and information science