Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life

by Alma Hogan Snell

Book Overview

"I became what the Crows call k alisbaapite--a 'grandmother's grandchild.' That means that I was always with my Grandma, and I learned from her. I learned how to do things in the old ways."--Alma Hogan Snell

Grandmother's Grandchild is the remarkable story of Alma Hogan Snell (1923-2008), a Crow woman brought up by her grandmother, the famous medicine woman Pretty Shield. Snell grew up during the 1920s and 1930s, part of the second...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803292910
• ISBN13: 9780803292918
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 215 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Culture, History, and Faith

I have been blessed not only to read this book but to have met the author. She is both fascinating in person and in printed word, and her story is enlightening, educational, and entertaining. If you have any interest in Native American history, you'll be glad you read this book.

The old and the new

I truly enjoyed this book. It was written in plain language and seemed very personable to me. It is a true story about Alma's life growing up on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana and how she was deeply influenced by her grandmother Pretty Shield who taught Alma the old ways...she was a grandmother's grandchild. Pretty Shield was pretty smart I think. She had an appreciation for the natural world not seen too much anymore in our modern lives. I found these "old ways" interesting. This has influenced Alma for sure and she is able to reconcile this as well as the hardships of life with her deep Christian beliefs. God Bless you too Alma!

Mine

I truly enjoyed reading the book and learning of my Aunt Alma's point of view. I have grown up hearing of Pretty Shield and truly am blessed with having an aunt that shares her story and pictures.

Understanding Indian Culture and Traditions

A wonderful book! While much of the poverty and oppression of Indian people is painful to read, one can see the wonderful connections between families in Ms. Snell's book. The love and care for Indian children by extended families is probably one of the greatest reasons the Indian people and traditions have survived. We in the "dominate culture" could learn much to change the disintigration of American families by learning more about Native American people.

So good I had to read it twice!

Grandmother's Grandchild,Alma Snell, shares memories of one of the first recorded Female Indian Elders..Pretty Shield. Pretty Shield was written about in the 1930's when women were too often overlooked. Pretty Shield saw the buffalo leave and the reservations begin. Alma shares the experience of making the transition to Reservation life with Pretty Shield by her side. This book is a refreshing and deeply personal life story that manages to state facts without undertones of judgement. BEAUTIFUL! READ IT!