Culture 4 - The Mud Pony

A. Bibliography

Cohen, Caron Lee. 1998. The Mud Pony: A traditional Skidi Pawnee tale. Ill. by Shonto Begay. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 0590415263.

B. Plot Summary

A young boy desires a pony more that anything. He ventures to the creek one day and molds one out of mud. He visits his mud pony and cares for him everyday. One day while he is at the creek with his mud pony, scouts came to camp and told the people of the camp that buffalo had been sighted and that a hunt would be vital to the survival of the people. The people packed up and moved on to join the hunt and while the boys parents searched for him, he was no where to be found and they had to leave him behind. When the boy returned to camp he cried when he discovered his parents had left. As he slept that night his mud pony came to him in his dream and said, "My son, you are not alone. Mother Earth has given me to you. I am a part of her." When the boy awakes he discovers his mud pony has come to life and the pony is there to guide him to his parents and his people. The pony takes him on a journey which delivers him to his parents, but the pony gives him instructions, "But leave them before dawn; it is not time yet for others to see you." The boy speaks with his parents in the night and then follows his pony's directions and leaves the camp. The pony and the boy continue on their journey and after three days the pony again finds the boy's people. Once the boy unites with his parents and his people, the boy dines with a war chief. He is also asked to join a battle because the enemy has killed men and kept them for reaching the buffalo. The boy joins the battle with his pony and follows his pony's direction and leads his people to victory. The boy continues to follow his pony's guidance and eventually he becomes a chief. One night the pony came to him and told him,"My son, now you are a chief among your people, a chief with the power of Mother Earth. It is Mother Earth who gives you the power, and not I. I am part of her, and it is time that I go back to her. You must let me go." Then the pony is gone, but the chief knows he is not alone.

C. Critical Analysis

There are many cultural markers that contribute to the authenticity of this Native American book. The first cultural marker which is important to Native American cultural is that the author identified the Skidid band of the Pawnee Indians of the American Plains. In the acknowledgements, Cohen states,"The Mud Pony is one of a number of ancient boy-hero stories told among the Skidi band of the Pawnee Indians of the American Plains. These stories exhibit the Pawnee belief that no matter how lowly one's origin, the path to honor is open through adherence to virtues such as constancy and a humble spirit." The author identifies the original sources from which the story is taken. She explained that, "This version was adapted from a collection of George A. Dorsey, who recorded the traditions and tales of the Skidi Pawnee between 1899 and 1902. It was told to him by yellow calf." This acknowledgement of a specific Native culture and identifying the original source are two important characteristics of authentic Native American literature.

Although the author's culture is not discussed in The Mud Pony, she appears to have researched the Skidi Pawnee Indians. From reading Violet Harris' book, Using Multiethnic Literature in the K-8 Classroom, we know that Shonto Begay is an Indian artist and writer. "Begay has brought a more authentic representation of Navajo and other American cultures to the American Public." The Mud Pony book, Begay's first illustrated children's book, began when he had been at a river bank forming sculptures from the mud on the river bank (Harris, 1997, p.169).

The illustrations are done in pastel watercolors and the setting of the story takes place almost entirely outside. The paintings encompass a natural feel. There is not a lot attention to detail, except for the main characters, the boy and the pony, but the illustrations contribute to the incorporation of nature throughout the story. The skin tones in this book are authentic and representative of Native Americans. The skin tones are warm browns and the hair color is black dark brown and the texture is straight which is culturally authentic. The illustrations contain details appropriate and meaningful to the story. For example when the boy shaped his pony out of mud and gave it a white clay face the reader can see the care that is shown in the boys hands as he sculpts his pony. Also the illustrations distinguish the different characters in the book by the variations of physical features. The boy has the most detailed illustrated face, but the other characters do show a variety of different facial features, although none are very detailed, but have a presence of a variety of different facial features. These illustrations, through design, detail and color work with the text to tell a good story. For example, when the pony takes the boy away for the second time from the camp, Begay represents the three day journey on one page set in three different pictures that come together to express the passing of time. One sketch represents the boy and pony running, another larger sketch shows the boy and the pony watching, and the final sketch shows the back view of the boy and pony as if to say they were leaving. All three of these sketches are brought together on the same page seamlessly to show the process of the journey.

There are several other cultural markers in the text to mention that reinforce the cultural authenticity of The Mud Pony. There are no names of the characters in the story. The boy and the pony are called the boy and the pony. This is more culturally specific than to create names that are ridiculous and not true to the specific tribe. The boy also eats with the war chief, who appears to be an elder. Elders are significant family members in Native cultures. The importance of family is also stressed throughout the book and is the primary the reason the pony comes to life, to get the boy back to his parents and his people. When the tribe had to move away the book states,"The boy's parents looked everywhere, but they couldn't find him. Finally, they had to leave without him."

The pony also has the quality of "living in harmony with the earth" (Harris, 1997, p.183). There are several examples of this harmony, once was when the boy and the pony are going into battle and the pony spoke to him:"My son, do not be afraid. For I am part of Mother Earth. And the enemy's arrows can never pierce the earth. Put earth all over you body, and you will not be hurt." Another example of being in harmony with the earth is at the end of the story when the boy wakes and can not find the pony. Through the wind the boy heard a voice that said,"I am here, your Mother Earth. You are not alone!" This environmental message of the Native characters is not overdone, but enhances the plot of the story and brings the story to an appropriate end. This story would be a great read aloud to any elementary age child. It would also lend itself to a range of discussion questions that would introduce non-Native Americans to a different and interesting culture as well as give Native American a chance to share about their specific culture.

D. Review Excerpts

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."

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- shape 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."

E. Connections

To read more Native American literature that Shonto Begay has illustrated please check out the following books:

Duncan, Lois. 1996. The Magic of Spider Woman. Ill. by Shonto Begay. ISBN 0590461559.

Begay, Shonto. 1995. Navajo: Vision and Voices Across the Mesa. ISBN 0590461532.

Maher, Ramona. 2003. Alice Yazzie's Year. Ill. by Shonto Begay. ISBN 1582460809.

Casler, Leigh. 1994. The Boy Who Dreamed of an Acorn. Ill. by Shonto Begay. ISBN 0399225471.