Books | Native Earth Words | Amy Krout-Horn

The Native American Book of Wisdom

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:05:53 -0500

The Native American Book of Wisdom The Circle of Life is an American Indian symbol for the Four Directions. The four colors represent the four stages of life, from childhood to old age; the cycle of seasons, from spring to winter; and the four races of people. Each of the Four Directions symbolizes a certain power. In this circle, East is knowledge, South is life, West is the power of change, and North is wisdom. The Native American Book of Wisdom examines the belief systems of several American Indian tribes and the power that these beliefs continue to hold for the People. From the Great Mystery: WakanTanka investigates the complex spirituality of the People from the concept of the Great Mystery, or WakanTanka, to the belief that all life is sacred and interrelated. Medicine Man is the story of a tribal healer who visits an elementary school. The children are amazed by what he tells them about the traditions and the power of the People.

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Ceremony - In the Circle of Life

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:56:15 -0500

White Deer's first book for children portrays the beauty of his home--the "Land of Flowers" (Florida)--the destruction which Civilized Man has wrought, and his love of the Native children, portrayed through the symbolism of the Wheel of Life.

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Notable Children’s Trade Award – National Council of Social Studies Teachers

Formally adopted by The California State School Board

Formally adopted by the Manitoba School Board

“One of the few contemporary stories about an American Indian child … a powerful testimony to the preservation of Indian culture.” – San Francisco Chronicle.

“The teachings explain the sacred nature of the circle and the way all life must be balanced and interconnected. The colourful illustrations help to express the spiritual nature of the text.” - GoodMinds.com

The Native American Book of Change

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:56:02 -0500

The Native American Book of Change The Circle of Life is an American Indian symbol for the Four Directions. The four colors represent the four stages of life, from childhood to old age; the cycle of seasons, from spring to winter; and the four races of people. Each of the Four Directions symbolizes a certain power. In this circle, East is knowledge, South is life, West is the power of change, and North is wisdom. The Native American Book of Change chronicles the struggles of the American Indians since the Europeans came into their world. Poets, Prophets, and Peacemakers After the Conquest focuses on the clash between American Indian tribes and those seeking to exploit these people and their resources. Dads Signs, Now Mine is the story of an American Indian teacher exploring painful minority stereotypes with his students. The children learn about the power of their words and how to create personal shields positive images that tell who and what we are.

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The Native American Book of Knowledge

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:55:58 -0500

The Circle of Life is an American Indian symbol for the Four Directions. The four colors represent the four stages of life, from childhood to old age; the cycle of seasons, from spring to winter; and the four races of people. Each of the Four Directions symbolizes a certain power. In this circle, East is knowledge, South is life, West is the power of change, and North is wisdom. The Native American Book of Knowledge reveals the true history of the American Indian people. We Have Always Been Here tells of the origins of the People based on their own accounts, scientific theories, and archaeological evidence; and Poets, Prophets, and Peacemakers Before Columbus introduces the Native American supernatural and cultural heroes of the past. From the creative inspiration of Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs to the political genius of the Iroquois peacemaker Deganawida, readers will discover the impact these mystical heroes had on our world today.

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The Native American Book of Life

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:55:51 -0500

The Circle of Life is an American Indian symbol for the Four Directions. The four colors represent the four stages of life, from childhood to old age; the cycle of seasons, from spring to winter; and the four races of people. Each of the Four Directions symbolizes a certain power. In this circle, East is knowledge. South is life, West is the power of change, and North is wisdom. The Native American Book of Life focuses on American Indian children. the Children, Always the Children shows how important the raising of children was among the People. It details their pastimes and how they were named, taught, and disciplined, as well as how they learned to be happy and productive citizens of their nations. The fictional story By the Magic of the Strawberry Moon takes place in an American Indian museum. Its a magical tale of how two Native American children learn about their own culture and their ancestors contributions to the world.

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The Great Change

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:55:40 -0500

Honored Book at the 2004 Multi-Cultural Children’s Book Festival at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. where Gabriel Horn gave a special performative reading.

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“This is - regardless of your religious persuasion - one of the best books for helping children deal with and understand death and dying that has ever been written. It's about the death of a child's grandfather - his going through "the great change," and frames death in a way that is absolutely beautiful and meaningful. Highly recommended for everybody, particularly those with children who are trying to make sense of the death of their elders.”

“A gentle and sensitive story about mortality and the interconnectedness of generations and life forms….” – School Library Journal.

“Illustrated in lovely impressionistic watercolors rendered in soft colors in a spare yet evocative style, the narrative is not so much a story as a fictional setting for the Native American philosophy of care for the natural world and the continuity of life.” Kirkus Review.

Contemplations of a Primal Mind

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:55:32 -0500

A celebrated Native American writer and teacher presents Native stories and wide-ranging reflections on nature, spirit, and human relations. Horn shares oral tradition narratives passed down through generations of his family; shows how he, his wife, and their children seek to keep Old Ways alive; and contemplates the importance of seeking balance rather than power.

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"Contemplations of a Primal Mind' by Gabriel Horn was a watershed for me, and complete revelation which I had long been looking for.

As a non-Native American I was looking for a way to understand Native American culture, and particularly the situation Native Americans face living in modern US society.This book gave me all that, really showing the difficulties being faced to preserve the Native American culture when under the bombardment of modern materialism and 'cultural values'.

It is a brilliant book, coupling those issues in with some of the very enlightening and spiritual aspects of the Native American culture."

“… uncommon levels of honesty and an absolute respect for the unanswerable questions of life.” – Forum Magazine, the Florida Humanities Council

Native Heart

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:55:18 -0500

Most lives are lived solely in the present. But some lives are also lived with a spiritual and historical connection to the past. These lives grant us a sense of hope for the future. NATIVE HEART is the story of Gabriel Horn and his attempt to live a modern man's life that's true to the indigenous spirit of this land we call America. As a teacher in the American Indian Movement Survival Schools, and as a writer, activist, husband, and father, Horn presents a challenging and haunting perspective on our "new world" culture and values. Whether it's revealing a genocide Western historians choose to ignore, enabling Native American prisoners to pray with the pipe, or teaching his own Native children the lessons of nature and history, Horn stays true to his heart and to the vision that inspired his journey. His encounters with the "shadow people," his relationship to the Earth, and his quest for understanding and purpose within the "Great Holy Mystery" are retold in this intimate autobiographical novel.

The Book of Ceremonies

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:55:12 -0500

In The Book of Ceremonies, Gabriel Horn presents a tapestry of stories, poems, prayers, and love songs describing sacred Native American ways of life and what the varied Native traditions and practices can offer all spiritual seekers. Filled with striking original art, the book conveys through its narrative and through instruction how to prepare for and conduct a variety of ceremonies and practices, including greeting the day, marriage, birth, death, season changes, dreams, vision quests, healing, and many others. In the book, Horn covers an array of indigenous traditions rather than just one. Highlights include a Zuni creation account, an Aztec love song, and an Omaha prayer presenting a new infant. Reflecting the voice of someone who has walked the Native path for years, the book offers insight into the ways that Native American reverence and ritual can enrich all aspects of life.

Beautiful video inspired by The Book of Ceremonies. Music and images created by Lorrie Sarafin

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“… a beautiful book to be treasured and shared… Prayerful tone….” – The Midwest Book Review

Transcendence

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:55:08 -0500

Transcendence is a mesmerizing book of magical realism seamlessly woven with threads of primal wisdom. It will reacquaint readers with the profound beauty of our mother planet, while turning their mind's eye to rarely realized realms of possibility.

Transcendence Book Trailer

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“...a special book that shares indigenous wisdoms that come from the authors's native hearts.- Each page is like a shell bead of our sacred Quahug-Clam wampum, when woven together, they provide an important message to all of us during this critical time on Mother-Earth...an expression of Innadiziwim, our cultural/spiritual way of life….” - Oannes A. Pritzker, ecologist/journalist/educator, Director Yat Kitischee Native Center

“The Native American spirituality of Transcendence is brilliantly played out in a series of vignettes as crisp and clear as sunlight on the ocean." - Frances Auld Ph. D. Assistant Professor of English, University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County

My Father's Blood

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:55:01 -0500

Darkness: the place where light best reveals itself." In the potent and poignant language of fine literature, this stunningly honest autobiographical novel grants candid views of chronic illness, blindness, and Native American racial identity, against the backdrop of a world often determined to demean, degrade, and disenfranchise. Though Amy Krout-Horn's inheritance brings illness, it also brings strong medicine, medicine remembered on a cellular level, derived from the profound wisdom of her Lakota ancestors. But can the ancient council fire's "spark" that ignited within a young girl's heart continue to guide the woman, even as the monster drags her into the "darkest darkness"? Like the reverberations of a native drum, Amy Krout-Horn's visceral voice resounds, imparting the message that, sometimes, our bloodlines become our lifelines.

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"Amy Krout-Horn paints for her readers a world that is precise and vivid, and the portrait she paints expresses the remarkable beauty that can be extracted from painful experiences, if only we endure. " -Jen Knox, author of Musical Chairs and To Begin Again