Mud Pony

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1988. The Mud Pony: A traditional Skidi Pawnee tale. Retold by Caron Lee Cohen. Ill.by Shonto Begay. Scholastic: New York. ISBN 0590415255.

PLOT SUMMARY:
A poor young boy longs for a pony of his own. Unable to have one of his own, he makes one out of earth and clay. Unable to find him out playing with his clay pony, his family leaves, in a rush, without him on a buffalo hunt. His mud pony comes to life as a part of Mother Earth to care for him as he cared for his mud pony. With all his faith in Mother Earth and his mud pony, the young boy faithfully follows her advice and becomes a great chief of his tribe. After the mud pony returns to clay the chief retains his courage and faith in Mother Earth.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Illustrations of the Native American Indians contain cultural markers such as skin tone, facial features, body type, clothing, hair style, and clothing of the traditional representations. Clothing is sparse and the hair is long, some are wearing Mohawks and some males have eagle feathers in their hair. The pictures are reminiscent of watercolor pictures, though I cannot be certain as this is not stated in the acknowledgement or book jacket. The horse is represented as the mode of transportation and the general environement is one of life outdoors. A tepee camp is mentioned as the home of Skidi Pawnee. “Finally at the third nightfall, he [the boy] saw a camp in the distance…. And all the people came out of their tepees, astonished to see him.” The illustrations add a dimension to the story aside from the text.

The text contains sparse language patterns. “Nawa tiki!...” is the greetings the boy receives from his tribes war chief upon entering and finding his way back to camp. Dried [buffalo] meat and soup are the two foods mentioned in the text. There are no names of characters, forms of address or identification of a specific culture in this text aside from the subtitle. The religious practice of being faithful and listening to Mother Earth is at the heart of this story.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “A quietly told tale, solidly built upon Pawnee traditions; for example, the symbolic use of Mother Earth is characteristic of this tribe who lived in dome-shaped earth lodges. The watercolor illustrations are executed in earth tones with spatter backgrounds. The primitive style, with minimal details and flat perspective, almost resembles Indian artwork found on the walls of their housing. An authentic Indian folktale.”

Review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “From the Skidi branch of the Pawnee Indians of the Plains comes this tale of a boy who achieves greatness in his tribe with the guidance of a pony he made out of mud. Too poor to own a pony like the other boys, he fashions a small mud pony and goes to see it every day. It is during one of these visits that the rest of the tribe moves west in search of buffalo, and the boy is left behind. Not only does the mud pony become a living, breathing horse, but she takes him to his tribe; later, she helps him become the chief of his tribe by giving him great power in battles. ``I am here, your Mother Earth. You are not alone!'' are the words he hears when the mud pony has once again gone back to the earth. Cohen retells this story with grace; Begay, a Native American artist, provides evocative paintings that derive strength and impact from the suggestion of action rather than fully detailed scenes.”

Review from BOOKLIST: “Told among the Skidi band of the Pawnee Indians of the western plains, this moving story tells of a boy too poor to have a pony of his own but gentle enough in spirit for Mother Earth to guard him and eventually help him to become a chief of his people. The vehicle for the boy's transformation is a clay- faced mud pony that comes alive and is Mother Earth's messenger. The pony guides the boy, who in turn carefully cares for the animal until the day, years later, when the pony announces it must return to Mother Earth. The boy, now a chief, bids his pony farewell, hearing once again its reassurance that Mother Earth is always with him. Begay's paintings are both dreamy and dramatic. Mottled backdrops highlight the principal figures and underscore the tale's supernatural aspects. A useful change of pace from more traditional folklore choices, this strong story will also complement studies on native Americans.”

CONNECTIONS
Activities
* Use for lessons on identifying plot, theme, setting, characters.
* Use to discuss religious practices of different cultures.
* Discuss illustrator Shonto Begay and compare the Mud Pony to his other works.