Mountain Wolf Woman: A Ho-Chunk Girlhood
by Diane Young Holliday
Published by Wisconsin Historical Society
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Reviewed by Connie Anderson
Part of the Badger Biographies series, this little book is dedicated to educating middle readers. In Mountain Wolf Woman, we follow her family from 1874 to her death at 76 in 1960.
The story: One day the government told this Ho-Chuck (a specific tribe of Indians) to pack up and move. This happened to Mountain Wolf Woman’s family before she was born. They were moved by train from the Wisconsin area they considered home, to a reservation near the corner of South Dakota/Nebraska/Iowa, along the Missouri River. After a few very bad years, this family decided to move back to their homeland.
Imagine the changes she saw from her birth in 1884! Luckily, this Ho-Chunk woman shared her story with her niece, Nancy Lurie, an anthropologist, so we can understand her travels. The photos and illustrations and little side stories really add to the story as we follow her life and those changes.
In addition to the story, this book has photos of clothing, lodging, every-day items, maps and much more throughout the book. Any bold-faced word is explained in the Glossary. This makes the story interesting to all ages as I found much that intrigued me. Definitions and how to sound out words are included.
The author does a good job describing everything–including the rules of different relationships (uncle to niece/nephew) and about family names based on birth order, and about daily life as they followed the seasons.
As an adult I was kept interested, and so will your children. It would be a great learning tool for any child, and especially valuable if you are home schooling.
Armchair Interviews says: This is a good example of the kind of books published by state historical societies.
Wisconsin Historical Society Web site: http://www.WisconsinHistory