Description
Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book about the childhood of the Hidatsa woman known to history as Buffalo Bird Woman or Waheenee. She was born into a traditional Hidatsa village around 1839. The people lived in permanent villages along the Missouri River. The Hidatsa people lived in earth-mound lodges and were farmers. This picture book by S. D Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux) tells the story of Buffalo Bird Girl's childhood growing up in this traditional lifestyle. Detailed coloured painting and interspersed throughout the text and are enriched by historical and contemporary photographs. Later in life Buffalo Bird Woman told her story to an anthropologist who recorded it and the author takes quotes from this work and places sentences at the beginning of each section. For example, Buffalo Bird Girl describes the interior of an earth-mound dwelling. She states, It was cool inside, never hot and stuffy. She describes the everyday chores for girls such as chasing away pests from the crow fields; visiting the trading fort at fort Berthold; and playing games with friends. She also describes her world as constantly changing as smallpox and settlers arrive in their villages. The story ends with an archival photograph of Buffalo Bird Woman taken in 1910 as she and her community was moved onto the Fort Berthold Reservation. Her final thought recalls the changing seasons as she prepares for spring planting. A detailed author's not provides additional background about Buffalo Bird Woman and her people and most importantly where the Hidatsa are today. The wealth of information such as a timeline, detailed maps, index, and bibliography contained with the 56-pages is especially helpful. Highly recommended. ATOS Reading Level: 5.9; Reading Level: 5.7; Lexile Level: 890