844066480X

Read shortly after Velma Wallis's Two Old Woman, which is one of my favorite folk-legends of all time, Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun suffered somewhat by comparison. A Gwich'in Athabaskan folk epic, it follows the dual narratives of two rebels: Bird Girl, who prefers male activities like hunting, and who does not wish to be married; and Daagoo, a man who loves to wander, and dreams of finding the Land of the Sun, said to be far to the south...

This is a story whose cultural import quickly becomes clear, as it seeks to reconcile the needs and desires of the individual with that of her society. The adventures of the two main characters, their journeys away from their people, and their eventual return, has a neat symmetry to it. I found it appropriate and satisfying that the two rebels eventually find one another.

Well-written and informative as it may be however, I found that I could not enjoy Bird Girl quite as much as the author's earlier title, which is more of a reflection of my own opinions and emotional state, I would imagine, than the book's actual merit. Perhaps I was hoping that Bird Girl's narrative would offer more of an affirmation of her individual needs than it did, or perhaps my emotional reaction to her mistreatment at the hands of the Inupiaq colored my judgment, but I could not help being somewhat disappointed that her "punishment" was so severe. The folklorist in me is well aware that I am superimposing my own personal and cultural values onto the story, but there you have it... Despite my personal ambivalence however, this was a fascinating and engaging story, and well worth the reader's attention. ( )

Wallisin kahdesta atapaski-legendasta koostama tarina on yhteisön ja kulttuurimuodon kuvauksessaan mielenkiitoinen joskaan ei mitenkään erityisen omaperäinen. Heimojen ja tapojen kuvaus on toki kiinnostavaa mutta ei mitenkään erityisen yksityiskohtaista. Ihan hyvä lisä aiheesta kiinnostuneelle silti. Kaunokirjallisesti vähän turhan "helppo" kirja. ( )