With the incredible racial injustices perpetrated by white males in this country and Native Peoples, it is astonishing that we are priviledged to learn about their struggles at all. As a feminist, I would have appreciated a greater consideration of what it means to be a Native American woman in this book, but it is a valuable assemblage none the less. Coming from a eurocentric family, it is a great joy to be able to learn about Native American Literature, much more refreshing than the so called "canonical" books written by boring white males. This is a useful corrective to that attitude.

All northern cultures are sun-centered. But no one else has ever evoked that longing for the sun's light and warmth as Nils-Aslak Valkeapaa. As I read poem after poem, I could feel the poet turning to seek that light as single-mindedly as a sunflower follows the sun's diurnal path.

I am not a Saami speaker so am not in a position to evaluate the faithfulness of the translation. All I can say is the English words upon the page were aspassionate and intensely focused as I've found in the poetry of any native English-speaker.

Valkeapaa's poems also address the shamanic role of the poet: the powerful part anyone who does word magic plays in northern cultures. And I especially liked the few poems in Valkeapaa's specific Saami dialect that were left untranslated so the reader could see their visual arrangement on the page.

I would recommend this book wholeheartedly, and not just to readers interested in Saami culture or to poetry fans. I've let friends and family members who fall into neither category read this book, and its emotional power has hit all of them with equal intensity.

Valkeapaa's poetry is succint and heartfelt. It has a combination of feeling and nature. It examines the plight of the Sami in light of the "civilized" world. The art is evocative of the bleak tundra. Well done!