Ishi, the Last of His Tribe

Rating:
Summary: Boring and long
Review: A very boring book, has almost no action, written bad, and the author tries to write out noises (i.e. woolaputo) and it gets annoying.

Rating:
Summary: This is a very, very good book
Review: I am ten years old. I had to do a book report on a book about California history. This was the perfect book. I like how every once in a while the author would put in a Yahi word and translate it in the back. I recommend this book to everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Kroeber did a super job!
Review: I did not know about such terrible happenings with the Indians until I read this great book. It opened my eyes unto a deeper understanding towards the harsh treatment to the peaceful Yahi (a tribe I had not heard of until then). A must read for anyone who is interested in the Native Americans.

Rating:
Summary: A must-read for all American citizens.
Review: I first decided to read this book because I was named after Ishi, and I wanted to find out why. When I finally read Kroeber's novel, I was struck with a mixed sense of pride at being able to identify with such an honest, spiritual, and kind-hearted man; disgust at how ignorantly and inexcusably the white man in power treated Ishi's people, and hence has continued to treat Native Americans throughout this country; and awe at the beauty and grace with which Kroeber writes. I am also a high school English teacher in a rural New England town. I teach this novel, and am continually struck by its ability to speak to teenagers who, for the most part, are not aware of this component of American history. Though the novel is partly fictional, as we cannot truly know, for instance, the conversations that Ishi had in the "watgurwa" with his elders as a teenage boy, Kroeber reveals to us a story based on very real, and very human, events. We read about the unwavering respect for the natural world that is so inherent in Yahi culture, and so lacking in modern American culture. We see Ishi's growth from a boy to a man as he takes on the important reponsibilities of feeding and protecting his family. We also watch as innocent Yahi are killed with the white man's "firesticks" so that their scalps can be cut off and exchanged for money. Every American citizen should know what happened to Ishi and his people; for it is American history at its best, and, unfortunately, at its worst.

Rating:
Summary: Ishi, the last of his tribe: NOT the "last wild indian"
Review: I've read this historical novel aloud to both "regular" fifth graders and to Special Education children. All of them have become entranced with Kroeber's wonderful descriptions of day-to-day Yahi life, and with Ishi's tragic story. The fact that Ishi was a real person made it even more tangible to them. This story is undoubtedly romanticized, but it describes life as it probably really was for a small surviving group of California Indians during the encroachment of the "Saldu" (foreigners). They try valiantly to retain the vestiges of their very complex culture, but tragedy inevitibly ensues. The majority of the book describes Ishi's life before he personally came in contact with the White people he has feared and from whom he has hidden during most of his life. It's difficult to find books that accurately describe Native American life pre-contact, in a way that is understandable to young children. I highly recommend this book, especially if you can tie in some of the recent controversy about Ishi's brain, which was removed from his body for study after his death (against his explicit wishes) and was only recently repatriated to Native California people. It's a great lead-in for a discussion about Native People's rights in modern America.
Karen Garcia

Rating:
Summary: Ishi, the last of his tribe: NOT the "last wild indian"
Review: I've read this historical novel aloud to both "regular" fifth graders and to Special Education children. All of them have become entranced with Kroeber's wonderful descriptions of day-to-day Yahi life, and with Ishi's tragic story. The fact that Ishi was a real person made it even more tangible to them. This story is undoubtedly romanticized, but it describes life as it probably really was for a small surviving group of California Indians during the encroachment of the "Saldu" (foreigners). They try valiantly to retain the vestiges of their very complex culture, but tragedy inevitibly ensues. The majority of the book describes Ishi's life before he personally came in contact with the White people he has feared and from whom he has hidden during most of his life. It's difficult to find books that accurately describe Native American life pre-contact, in a way that is understandable to young children. I highly recommend this book, especially if you can tie in some of the recent controversy about Ishi's brain, which was removed from his body for study after his death (against his explicit wishes) and was only recently repatriated to Native California people. It's a great lead-in for a discussion about Native People's rights in modern America.
Karen Garcia

Rating:
Summary: Ishi, the last of his tribe: NOT the "last wild indian"
Review: I've read this historical novel aloud to both "regular" fifth graders and to Special Education children. All of them have become entranced with Kroeber's wonderful descriptions of day-to-day Yahi life, and with Ishi's tragic story. The fact that Ishi was a real person made it even more tangible to them. This story is undoubtedly romanticized, but it describes life as it probably really was for a small surviving group of California Indians during the encroachment of the "Saldu" (foreigners). They try valiantly to retain the vestiges of their very complex culture, but tragedy inevitibly ensues. The majority of the book describes Ishi's life before he personally came in contact with the White people he has feared and from whom he has hidden during most of his life. It's difficult to find books that accurately describe Native American life pre-contact, in a way that is understandable to young children. I highly recommend this book, especially if you can tie in some of the recent controversy about Ishi's brain, which was removed from his body for study after his death (against his explicit wishes) and was only recently repatriated to Native California people. It's a great lead-in for a discussion about Native People's rights in modern America.
Karen Garcia

Rating:
Summary: We see how we destroyed a peaceful culture with no mercy.
Review: In this book we see how the americans killed the Yana tribe and when one popped up they used him as a guiena pig and tried to change his beliefs, his culture. In the end he died of a WHITE MAN disease.

Rating:
Summary: A real eye-opener
Review: Ishi came out of the foothills out of loneliness and desperation. He expected certain death, but to his surprise, was embraced by those who knew him. He worked at a meager janitorial job at the University of Berkeley, but he didn't mind. He liked his friends, and enjoyed their company. In exchange of finding him a new 'home', Ishi shared with the museum staff and professors the secrets of his people - he showed them how to knap projectile points, and how his people survived - and best of all, a tantalizing glimpse into his language. He only lived for 5 years after coming out of the wilderness, but we can be thankful he did. He is a lasting symbol of how non-native humans changed the landscape, and drove others to extinction. It's a sad story, but one that needs to be read and cherished.

Rating:
Summary: A real eye-opener
Review: Ishi came out of the foothills out of loneliness and desperation. He expected certain death, but to his surprise, was embraced by those who knew him. He worked at a meager janitorial job at the University of Berkeley, but he didn't mind. He liked his friends, and enjoyed their company. In exchange of finding him a new 'home', Ishi shared with the museum staff and professors the secrets of his people - he showed them how to knap projectile points, and how his people survived - and best of all, a tantalizing glimpse into his language. He only lived for 5 years after coming out of the wilderness, but we can be thankful he did. He is a lasting symbol of how non-native humans changed the landscape, and drove others to extinction. It's a sad story, but one that needs to be read and cherished.