William Oandason, Senior Editor of the American Indian Culture and Research Journal and editor of his own journal, A, a Journal of Contemporary Literature, has published other books of poetry, A Branch of California Redwood (reviewed by Kenneth M. Roemer, Explorations in Sights and Sounds, Summer, 1984) and Moving Inland

Macaruso, Victor

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William O andason. Round Valley Songs (Minneapolis:  West E nd Press,  1 984) 64 pp. ,  $4.50 paper. William Oandason,  Senior E ditor of the A merican Indian Culture and Research Jo urnal and editor of his own j ournal ,  A ,  a Journal of Co n temporary Literature, has published other books of poetry, A Branch of Ca lifornia Redwood (reviewed by Kenneth M .  Roemer, Exp lorations in Sigh ts and Sounds, Summer, 1984) and Mo ving Inland. In the brief introduction to this book, Wendy Rose ( H opi Miwok) describes the col lection of poems as  a ceremony and argues, "that it is a ceremony is not a trite phrase;  instead it is a statement of fact. " As with any ceremony we are presented with a priest/poet who speaks for the c o m munity; a subj ect,  here the experience in time of the Ukomno'm or Yuki of Round Valley;  and the purpose which Oandason explains as " the reader can see how my People have not broken their  ties to the oral  traditions while  becoming literate ."  I n  the " Preface" O andason introduces the image of the California S equoia "the oldest continuing life form in that region of the world" and identifies it with the Ukomno' m ,  "the oldest culture in existence o n  that section of the West Coast ."  I n  the dedicatory poem, " Grandmothers Land,"  we read "blood, flesh and bone sproutedlinside her womb of redwood . "  O andason calls grandmother "Jessie" associating her with the bibical Jesse ,  father of King D avid,  and the iconography of the "Tree of J e s s e . "  Unfortunately the im age of the redwood which might have given greater imagistic unity to the work is not  developed in the body of the work.  The m ain p art of the book is  divided into four sections :  "The Voice ,"  "The Past ,"  " Ukom and N o 'm,"  and "Dreams." E ach section is made up of twelve spare four-line poems.  In "The Voice" the poet speaks initially in the first person but concludes "Tayko-mol has not left us/but lives in  the pulse/ of our words,  and waits/in the azure for us all . "  I n  "The Past" ordinary images- a wil low basket, the wind,  a white h aired woman-are associated with the collective experience of the people. I n  "Ukom & N o ' m "  we find personal images from the immediate worl d ,  " Turner C reek 's  the core of winter/but blackberry birds fl are again/ and trans­form the light of spring/ fire enough for another year. " I n  " Dreams" the poems are elements in a sustained n arrative which concludes with the poet' s prayer,  " m ay the rich brown clay,  the feather/and foam,  the narrow of our ways/not be the ash of memory in print/but cold mountain water ."  The ceremony is finished. We c lose  the  book and return to the  cover photograph of an "old time" ceremonial Round House of the Ukomno'm.  As B etonie in Lesl ie  Marmon Silko 's  Ceremony tel ls  us ,  "the ceremonies as they had been performed were enough for the way the world was 56 Explorations in Sights and Sounds No. 5 (Summer 1 985) then . . .  elements in this world began to shift; and it became n ecessary to create new ceremonies . "  Oandason has created a new ceremony in his collection.  Unfortun ately, with only forty-eight, four-line  poems the ceremony is brief, too brief one suspects to do j ustice to the Ukommo'm of Round Valley. We can only hope for more poetry from Oandason.  - Victor M acaruso Mount Senario College Okot p ' Bitek.  Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol. (London:  H einemann, 1 984) 151 pp. , $6.50,  p aper. Heinemann's  reissue of two early works by O kot p 'Bitek includes So ng of L awino in Okot's own translation from the Acoli published in 1 966 and his shorter companion piece,  Song of Ocol, 1 967,  composed in  English only. The volume includes an introduction and brief biography of Okot and a critical analysis ofthe two poems in the light of Okot's background and other works, written by George A.  H eron in 1 972.  H eron includes a comparison between the Acoli and the E n glish versions of Song of L a wino, and a comparison of the traditional poems inserted into the songs with some of the traditional folksongs collected and translated by Okot himself. Okot p 'Bitek was v aried and accomplished in his many artistic pursuits. In college he danced and acted in theatrical productions and composed an opera. L ater he  was to become active in the Uganda C ultural C enter, even creating a Gulu festival of folk art to celebrate his country 's  independence in 1 960.  When he returned · to Uganda after completing his E uropean education ,  he wrote Song of L awino and treatises on oral literature and on African religions.  An early novel written in Acoli (Luo) Lak Tar is now required reading in local schools.  Song of L awino was the first of his works to be couched in  a book­length, recitative form. Okot's mother was a " great singer ,"  also n amed Lawino,  and was a major inspiration for this first poetic work,  although h er own songs were shorter poems sung in traditional Acoli style. Okot wrote the E n glish translation of Song of L awino in blank verse. I n  it, Lawino,  a traditional Ugandan woman,  voices a long complaint .  She feels her husband,  Ocol ,  has become corrupted by Western ways.  He despises Lawino ,  his first wife ,  and prefers his second wife,  who can speak English and who follows modern fashions.  Explorations in Sights and Sounds No. 5 (Summer 1 985) 57 

[Review of] William Oandasan. Round Valley Songs

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[Review of] William Oandasan. Round Valley Songs

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