Joseph Bruchac
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bruchac is a writer of books relating to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas
, with a particular focus on northeastern Native American and Anglo-American lives and folklore. He has published works of poetry, novels, and short stories. He is from Saratoga Springs, New York
, and is of Abenaki, English, and Slovak ethnicity. Among his works are the novel Dawn Land (1993) and its sequel, Long River (1995), which are about a young Abenaki man in pre-European contact times.
Bruchac is best known for his work as a Native writer and storyteller, with more than 120 books and numerous awards to his credit. Bruchac is also known for his generous efforts in encouraging other Native writers and performing artists. As one of the founders of the Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers, he has helped numerous Native authors get their work published. He began publishing in 1971 and has collaborated on eight books with his son Jim. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
.
Bruchac was a varsity heavyweight wrestler at Cornell University
and is a former high school "and junior high wrestling". For more than three decades, he has also been a devoted student of the martial arts. He holds the ranks of pengawal and pendekar in Pencak Silat
, the martial art of Indonesia, and has studied various forms of T'ai chi, capoeira
, kung fu wushu
, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
with numerous teachers. He does not regard himself as a master. His two sons, Jim and Jesse, are also martial arts teachers. Jim is a sensei and fourth degree black belt in karate, and Jesse is co-owner of a mixed martial arts academy. (see www.wnymma.com)
Bruchac lives in Greenfield Center, New York, with Carol, his wife of 42 years and his partner in running the Greenfield Review Press, Bowman Books, and the Native American Authors Catalogue. Mr. Bruchac is also a well-loved performer, known for ability in storytelling, and for the playing of Native instruments, including the hand drum, wooden flute, and the double wooden flute, which produces two notes at the same time. He performs with his sister, Marge Bruchac, and his sons, Jim and Jesse, as part of The Dawnland Singers.
His most recent novel, March Toward the Thunder, features Native men who enlisted in the American Civil War
; it is based on the experiences of his great-grandfather, Louis Bowman. Joseph Bruchac has also written Code talker: A Book About the Navajo Marines. Code talker
s were used in World War II.
Short Author Biography: Joseph Bruchac is an acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael J. Caduto of the best-selling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and The American Poetry Review
to National Geographic Magazine and Parabola
.
Joseph Bruchac and Michael J. Caduto co-authored Keepers of the Animals. This is a book in the Keeper of the Earth series. In this book, there are several lessons that deal with animals. Each lesson contains a Native North American story about animals. Following the story, there is a discussion and questions that can be asked. These questions can be used to discuss the comprehension of the story. Then there are activities that can be used to allow the students more hands-on activities. For example, there is a story about the mark of the spider (the web). The students make a web using hula hoops and velcro strips. This allows the students to see how sticky the web is and how spiders can catch their food.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, with a particular focus on northeastern Native American and Anglo-American lives and folklore. He has published works of poetry, novels, and short stories. He is from Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, and is of Abenaki, English, and Slovak ethnicity. Among his works are the novel Dawn Land (1993) and its sequel, Long River (1995), which are about a young Abenaki man in pre-European contact times.
Bruchac is best known for his work as a Native writer and storyteller, with more than 120 books and numerous awards to his credit. Bruchac is also known for his generous efforts in encouraging other Native writers and performing artists. As one of the founders of the Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers, he has helped numerous Native authors get their work published. He began publishing in 1971 and has collaborated on eight books with his son Jim. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
The Native Writers' Circle of the Americas is an organization of Native American writers, most notable for its literary awards, presented annually to Native American writers in three categories: First Book of Poetry, First Book of Prose, and Lifetime Achievement...
.
Bruchac was a varsity heavyweight wrestler at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and is a former high school "and junior high wrestling". For more than three decades, he has also been a devoted student of the martial arts. He holds the ranks of pengawal and pendekar in Pencak Silat
Pencak Silat
Pencak silat is an umbrella term for the indigenous martial arts created in Indonesia. The leading organization of pencak silat in Indonesia is IPSI...
, the martial art of Indonesia, and has studied various forms of T'ai chi, capoeira
Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...
, kung fu wushu
Wushu (sport)
The sport of wushu is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. It was created in the People's Republic of China after 1949, in an attempt to nationalize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts...
, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
with numerous teachers. He does not regard himself as a master. His two sons, Jim and Jesse, are also martial arts teachers. Jim is a sensei and fourth degree black belt in karate, and Jesse is co-owner of a mixed martial arts academy. (see www.wnymma.com)
Bruchac lives in Greenfield Center, New York, with Carol, his wife of 42 years and his partner in running the Greenfield Review Press, Bowman Books, and the Native American Authors Catalogue. Mr. Bruchac is also a well-loved performer, known for ability in storytelling, and for the playing of Native instruments, including the hand drum, wooden flute, and the double wooden flute, which produces two notes at the same time. He performs with his sister, Marge Bruchac, and his sons, Jim and Jesse, as part of The Dawnland Singers.
His most recent novel, March Toward the Thunder, features Native men who enlisted in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
; it is based on the experiences of his great-grandfather, Louis Bowman. Joseph Bruchac has also written Code talker: A Book About the Navajo Marines. Code talker
Code talker
Code talkers was a term used to describe people who talk using a coded language. It is frequently used to describe 400 Native American Marines who served in the United States Marine Corps whose primary job was the transmission of secret tactical messages...
s were used in World War II.
Short Author Biography: Joseph Bruchac is an acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael J. Caduto of the best-selling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and The American Poetry Review
The American Poetry Review
The American Poetry Review is an American poetry magazine printed every other month on tabloid-sized newsprint.Founded in 1972 by Stephen Berg, APR has always been published from editorial offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Berg is one of three editors, along with David Bonanno and Elizabeth...
to National Geographic Magazine and Parabola
Parabola (magazine)
Parabola: Where Spiritual Traditions Meet, whose founder and editor was D.M. Dooling, began publishing in 1976 as a quarterly magazine on the subjects of mythology and the world's religious and cultural traditions. It is published by The Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition, a not-for-profit...
.
Joseph Bruchac and Michael J. Caduto co-authored Keepers of the Animals. This is a book in the Keeper of the Earth series. In this book, there are several lessons that deal with animals. Each lesson contains a Native North American story about animals. Following the story, there is a discussion and questions that can be asked. These questions can be used to discuss the comprehension of the story. Then there are activities that can be used to allow the students more hands-on activities. For example, there is a story about the mark of the spider (the web). The students make a web using hula hoops and velcro strips. This allows the students to see how sticky the web is and how spiders can catch their food.
Books
- The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story, pictures by Anna Vojtech, Dial Books, 1993 ISBN 0803713312
- A Boy called Slow, illustrated by Rocco Baviera, Philomel Books, 1994
- The Earth Under Sky Bear's Foot, illustrated by Thomas LockerThomas LockerThomas Locker is an American author and painter. He was born in New York City in 1937.Thomas Locker has written many popular illustrated books for children & young adults. He has also illustrated books for other popular writers such as Jean Craighead George...
, Philomel Books, 1995 ISBN 039922713x
- The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale, with Gayle Ross, paintings by Virginia A. Stroud Dial Books, 1995
- Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places, Illustratedby Thomas LockerThomas LockerThomas Locker is an American author and painter. He was born in New York City in 1937.Thomas Locker has written many popular illustrated books for children & young adults. He has also illustrated books for other popular writers such as Jean Craighead George...
, Harcourt Brace & Co., 1996
- Lasting Echoes. An Oral History of Native American People. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997.
- Crazy Horse's Vision, illustrated by S.D. Nelson, Lee & Loe Books, Inc, 2000 ISBN 1880000946
- Code Talker. About the journey of Ned Begay, a Navajo man's voyage during WWII. First published in USA, Dial Books 2005
- Buffalo Song illustrated by Bill FarnsworthBill FarnsworthBill Farnsworth was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1910s. In NSWRFL season 1910, he won the premiership with Newtown and was also selected to represent Australia and New South Wales, he also represented Australasia....
, Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2008 ISBN 9781584302803
- Night Wings, Harper Collins, Publishers, 2009, ISBN 9780061123184
External links
- Public School Insights Interview with Bruchac Posted March 3, 2008