Description
Book SynopsisWhen he was out playing Indian, enacting Hollywood-inspired scenarios, it never occurred to the child Roger Welsch that the little girl sitting next to him in school was Indian. A lifetime of learning later, Welsch's enthusiasm is undimmed, if somewhat more enlightened. In
Embracing Fry Bread Welsch tells the story of his lifelong relationship with Native American culture.
Trade Review“If it can be said of anyone who is not an Indian (Native American, American Indian) that he or she has the ‘soul of an Indian,’ it has to be said of Roger Welsch. He offers the one thing that diverse groups of people, indeed the world, need to get along: understanding.”—Joseph Marshall III, author of
The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Learning "Welsch's natural warmth and skill as a storyteller, and his obvious respect for the individuals he encounters, come through clearly in his writing, and it's easy to see why so many people, from so many backgrounds, might be honored to call him "friend.""—
Publishers Weekly "Though an anthropology scholar, Welsch is never pedantic or preachy. Instead, this is a heartfelt and very personal story, rich in wry and self-deprecating humor."—Deborah Donovan,
Booklist"Welsch's gratitude toward the Omahas and Pawnees is real, his outrage at their painful history is justified, and his story is proof that Native American culture is still alive and complex."—
Kirkus"Welsch manifests himself as a listener who has spent fifty-five years involved in Native culture where he has made uncountable friends. His ability to write honest prose, both informative and erudite, captivates from the beginning."—Wynne Summers,
Great Plains QuarterlyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
1. First, a Story
2. Introduction
3. A Beginning
4. Beyond the Handgame
5. History, Long and Short
6. Who Are We?
7. The Call of Curiosity, Keep the Change
8. Enter the Wannabes
9. What's in a Name
10. Who Is "The Indian"?
11. Who Is the Wannabe?
12. The Contrary Lesson of the Prime Directive
13. First Steps
14. The Fix Is Out
15. Indian Wannabes
16. Gottabes
17. Becoming New
18. How It Goes, How It Went
19. The Plot Thickens
20. Why?
21. Gottabes Again
22. The Ways of Foodways
23. Carnivores Forever
24. Another World
25. The Consequences of Incuriosity
26. Symbols and Realities
27. Indian Humor
28. Names and Naming
29. The Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger of 1877
30. Names . . . and Names
31. Matters of Faith
32. Deduction/Induction
33. What Is Indian Religion?
34. The Sun Dance
35. The Native Church
36. Inside Native Religion
37. Knowing What We Don't Know
38. What History Teaches Us
39. The Empty Frontier
40. Indians Today
41. Indians as Americans
42. The Land
43. The Real Wonder of It
44. Eloquence
45. From Presumed Inferiority to Rampant Egalitarianism
46. Time
47. Property and Gifts
48. The Gift of Giving
49. The Fabric of Sharing
50. The Spirit of Giving
51. Squaring the Circle
52. So, How Different Are We?
53. What We See
54. Indians and Deeper Truths
55. Conclusions
56. Repositories of Wisdom
57. What's in It for Indians?
58. So You Wannabe a Wannabe?
