Evelyn Sibley Lampman (1907–1980)

Having just read part of "A Broken Flute" by Doris Seale, I'm wondering what they would have said about this book for middle schoolers. (I checked, the author was not reviewed.)
Time Frame: sometime around the Vietnam War. The narrator is a high school girl whose family is Chinook (no current tribal landbase, traditional homelands around the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon) and living in poverty. She describes situations in which prejudice is clear, her home life which includes wood heat and no running water. Her brother has returned from the Vietnam War, after a stint in hospital. He has ideas for restoring his community's pride, providing income by hosting potlatch events, relying on the memories and teachings of the elders along with the energy and labor of the younger ones. His whole family, some reluctantly, become involved. Even though they have to make some modifications, based on natural resources available, it proves a success and develops into an ongoing tourist attraction.
I think one criticism "A Broken Flute" might make is that it took the financial help of a local white family, just another book showing Indians can't make progress on their own. But perhaps that assumption is wrong. It could also be seen as all people working together, in unity, for a just world. It also shows that the tribe is still here and valuing a cultural core, despite lacking federal recognition.… (mais)

Content considerations:

References like "savages", "heathen", and "red men" are used and various characters express concerns of being attacked. At one point the main character fantasizes about "civilizing" the Native Americans and being adopted as a "princess" (28, 32) and later imagines her family killing attacking Native Americans with herself teaching the four year old to load a rifle (48-49). When she finally meets two young Native American boys, she insists multiple times that they should be greeted with "how" and realizes "with disgust" that they don't use that word. She and her friend lure them back to the wagons to show them off to her sister in an attempt to get her to not be afraid of them (86-92).

The main character tends to hold a high opinion of herself and has little regard for parental authority when it conflicts with what she wants. She often goes into flights of fancy where she is the hero and everyone says how wonderful she is. At one point she almost drinks poisoned water on purpose and another she and her friend torment snakes for fun, which turn out to be rattlesnakes.… (mais)