Apache voices : their stories of survival as told to Eve Ball /

This is an exciting book to read. It contains short "true adventure" stories (frequently tragic) as reported to Eve Ball by Apache individuals who survived the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The work centers on the Mescalero, Lipan, and Warm Springs Apache with allusions to the Comanche. Inter- and intra-group conflicts are enunciated. There are also selections about certain aspects of Apache culture. The late Ball can be considered one of the prominent collectors of Native People's oral history. Possessing a remarkable intelligence and an untiring drive, she lived a prolific life in New Mexico to the age of 94. Besides writing books and articles regarding her half-century association with the Apache people, she left a large assortment of unpublished notes and letters; from these extensive materials the author has been able to create this work. Ample recognition is given to the pitfalls of oral history. The information gleaned from this method when compared with information gathered through recognized scholarly research and other collections can lead to a better understanding and interpretation of the events of the past. The 32 pages of notes and the five-page bibliography are impressive. All levels. N. C. Greenberg; Museum of Indian Arts & Culture

Robinson, a New Mexico journalist, has compiled previously unpublished Apache stories and reminiscences from the uncataloged papers of Eve Ball (1890-1984), which are held in the archives of Brigham Young University. Teacher and writer Ball moved to Ruidoso, NM, adjacent to the Mescalero Apache Reservation, in 1942 and began recording stories as she gained the friendship and confidence of the Apache people there. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, she conducted detailed interviews with 67 elderly Apaches. The memoirs selected by Robinson for inclusion here cover many aspects of Apache history and cultureDfrom riveting accounts of 1880s battles with the U.S. and Mexican armies to detailed descriptions of plant and animal lore. This collection provides a vivid, compelling portrait of Apache history and life as seen from the Apache perspective and is a valuable addition to the study of oral history. Highly recommended for anthropology and Native American studies collections in academic libraries.DElizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westerville, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.