A Review By: Amelia
I’ve recently deleved into Apache culture for a story I’m
writing and I must say the folklore is fascinating (although I’m a fan of
almost all worldly folklore). And because I’m such a softie underneath it all I
was especially drawn to a particular love story called The Flute Player. Luckily, a beautifully illustrated children’s
book was there to help me appreciate it to the fullest.
Put very simply, The
Flute Player tells a tale of love and lose that the author, Lacapa Michael, remembers from his
childhood.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Michael and his family moved to
Whiteriver, Arizona, on the White Mountain Apache Reservation at the age of
one. Michael became well known for writing and illustrating many children's
books, including: The Mouse Couple,
the award winning The Flute Player,
and Antelope Woman. Years ago,
Michael was instrumental in organizing the first Native American Arts and
Crafts Festival in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, which continues today as an
annual tradition. He was sought after nationally and internationally by
storyteller's conventions to tell his wonderful native stories, many of which
were based on his own experiences. He sadly passed away in 2005. Of her late
husband's artistic vision, Kathy Lacapa says..."His philosophy
was...'Always write about what you know, be true to your culture or region and
never let go of your imagination'. "
In an effort to keep Michael's legacy alive, AAWM has
established a scholarship fund in his name to benefit any resident within the
greater White Mountains area wishing to pursue a higher education in the arts.
The story of The Flute
Player is one heard through every civilization that’s ever existed: a love
that couldn’t be. It’s essentially boy and girl meet, boy and girl share a
special secret, boy and girl lose each other, but boy and girl live on into
eternity. The Flute Player goes a
little deeper though. Since it’s a folktale from the Apache culture it’s used
as a way to explain a certain element of nature. This story uses the lovers to
explain the sound that the wind makes while whistling through canyons.
The art style is aesthetically so wonderful. The colours are
vivid and the lines so perfectly straight. The art is also full of geometric
patterns that draw the eye across the page. It’s just all quite lovely and
definitely not something you see every day. It might not be something that’s immediately
going to appeal to children but I’m a twenty-four year old, so what do I know
about children right?
My final thoughts on The
Flute Player are that it is such a great book. The artwork is beautiful and
unique, the story comes from actual Apache mythology (and I loves me some
mythology), and it really is such a simple and respectful way to teach others
about a different culture. Definitely a child’s book worth looking into!
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