An amazing coming of age tale set against the backdrop of a civilizational clash. "Fools Crow" follows the tale of White Man's dog (later Fools Crow after blooding himself in a raid), a young Blackfeet Indian charged with great mystic powers and his struggle to preserve his people in the face of manifest destiny.

Welch creates a surreal world in which the past and the present, myth and reality amalgamate to weave a mystical tapestry in which humanity confronts itself. Fools Crow and his tribe of Lone Eaters are the Earth's children, humble in sophistication but intelligent in their living. The juxtaposed whites meanwhile are afflicted by hubris and possessed of the belief that the end of the Indian is neigh.

The distinctiveness of Welch's work can be gauged from the fact that his Indians are not the stereotypic monochromatic naturists of the Occidental purview. They are progressive in their own right, have property rights and are astute statesmen among themselves. They are able to discern the true intent behind the settler's design for them, but are not possessed of a keen insight into the white psyche to adjudge their next course of action.

While their fellow Indians take to their weapons to confront the whites, Fools Crow and the Lone Eaters emphasize co-existence. The novel ends with two poignant events. The 1870 massacre of unarmed friendly Blackfeet by the US 2nd Cavalry, and Fools Crow's resolve that the Blackfeet will preserve their culture while living in the White Man's world.

"Fools Crow" is a warrior's story, a tale of necessary sacrifices for a better future and the pursuit of justice in a changing world. ( )

I read this in graduate school, shortly after I left my work teaching public school. I remember liking it, even wrote a paper on it. However, I don't recall as much of it now. May have to reread it someday. I read it for a course in Native American literature, which was one of the first courses I took for my masters. Out of the list of books in that class, this was one of the better ones. ( )

Fools Crow is a truly excellent novel. Although it took me a few chapters to really get into the rhythm of the novel, Welsh maintains a distinct tone throughout the narrative that is distinct and feels like a first-hand account of the events. The pacing was excellent and the end of the book encapsulates the sorrow at the changing future and the hope and resilience of this tribe of Blackfeet. ( )

This leisurely-paced and character-driven novel tells the story of a young Blackfeet man coming of age at the time when his tribe’s way of life is slipping away from them as white settlers steadily encroach on their Montana homelands. Though Welch does not take the timeline as far as the Little Big Horn battle, it looms on the horizon.

Although to overall sweep of the novel is tinged with the foreshadowing of the end of the great tribal plains society, the individual scenes are often sweet, quiet, domestic ones. Violence is also there, as matter-of-fact as the rising and setting of the sun. His characters follow the traditional ways, or depart from them to their grief, and each one works out his own destiny inside the circle of seasons.

Overall, it's a somewhat melancholy read, but well worth the journey. ( )

Beautiful, Powerful, Captivating, Heartbreaking ( )