American Indians' Kitchen-Table Stories

Although Cunningham's ( The Oral Tradition of the American West ) book never lives up to its promise, it nonetheless makes an interesting and important contribution to Native studies. In allowing Natives to speak in their own voices, the author goes far toward exploding the twin stereotypes of Native persons as either bloodthirsty savages or noble and stoic, if humorless, icons. These Indians tell jokes, play Beatles songs on the banjo and routinely negotiate two cultures. In fact, many of the stories echo the popular folklore of white America (e.g., vanishing hitchhikers, pets exploding in microwave ovens and mice found in soda bottles). In Cunningham's very success at portraying his subjects as complex individuals lie the seeds of the book's problem. These Indians often seem almost fully assimilated, virtually indistinguishable from their white counterparts. The frequently brief tales tantalize without satisfying. Further, the Hopi, Zuni and Navajo are the primary focus, and readers will learn very little about other modern Native cultures. Likewise, Cunningham's Jungian analysis seems artificial and not particularly helpful. (July)