The Butterfly Dance

Because she is now twelve, Sihumana gets to join the other Hopi in performing the Butterfly Dance, helping to celebrate family and bring gentle rains for the flowers and plants.

Third in the acclaimed Tales of the People series, this tale of a young girl's first Butterfly Dance captures the spirit of Hopi culture.With its bright, stylized illustrations and distinctive Native voice, this appealing book gives a vivid sense of stepping into another culture. It chronicles one important day seen through the eyes of a young Hopi girl named Sihumana, or "Flower Maiden," who is a member of the Rabbit Clan and winningly portrayed as a rabbit. After going with her grandfather to greet the sun and bless the day, Sihumana travels with her family to another village to take part in the traditional Butterfly Dance, performed late each summer in order to bring rain to the dry lands of the Southwest. The tale ends happily with the sound of rain on the roof and the promise of butterflies in the days to come. 28 illustrations, 18 in full color

Children's Literature

This picture book tells the story of Sihumana, a young Hopi girl who is about to take part in the traditional Butterfly Dance for the first time. This dance, which has both social and spiritual aspects, takes place in late summer, and is performed by young, unmarried women to "make the plants grow and bring the butterflies that come when the clouds give us rain." Written in the first person, we hear about Sihumana's preparations, from her early morning prayer to bless the day with her grandfather, to descriptions of the special cloud-shaped headdress that her mother makes for her. Descriptions of the joyous dance itself include a bilingual Butterfly song. The color illustrations portray Sihumana and her family as anthropomorphic rabbits, because they belong to the rabbit clan. Her best friend and dance parent is portrayed as a bear since she is of the bear clan. This device seems rather confusing since it makes the book seem more like an animal folktale than the realistic story about people that it actually is. Four pages of background information about the Hopi and the Butterfly Dance, illustrated with old photos, are included at the end of the book. The book is part of the "Tales of the People" series that celebrates Native American culture with stories and illustrations by Indian writers and artists. 2001, Smithsonian Institution/Abbeville Press, $14.95. Ages 4 to 10. Reviewer: Gisela Jernigan