Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell
"Sing Down the Moon" by Scott O'Dell is a historical novel that narrates the struggles of the Navaho people through the eyes of a young girl named Bright Morning. Set in the mid-19th century, the story begins in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, where the Navaho have lived for generations, cultivating crops and herding sheep. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of the tragic "Long Walk," a forced migration ordered by the U.S. Army, which decimates their community. Bright Morning's journey includes personal trauma, such as her kidnapping by slavers and the subsequent efforts to escape, highlighting the resilience of the Navaho spirit.
The novel also features Bright Morning's transition into womanhood, marked by traditional ceremonies, and explores her love story with Tall Boy, who faces his own challenges. The harsh conditions of Bosque Redondo, where the Navaho are relocated, further test their resolve. Despite the adversity, the story concludes with a note of hope as Bright Morning and Tall Boy return to their ancestral homeland, symbolizing the enduring strength and perseverance of the Navaho people. O'Dell's portrayal aims to foster understanding and respect for Native American culture while addressing a painful chapter in American history.
Subject Terms
Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell
First published: 1970
Subjects: Coming-of-age and race and ethnicity
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Historical fiction
Time of work: 1863-1865
Recommended Ages: 10-15
Locale: Arizona and New Mexico
Principal Characters:
Bright Morning , a fourteen-year-old Navaho girl who is looking forward to womanhood and marriageTall Boy , a proud young Navaho warrior who becomes Bright Morning’s husbandRunning Bird , a friend of Bright MorningNehana , a young woman from the Nez Percé tribe who helps Bright Morning and Running Bird escape from the Spaniards
Form and Content
Sing Down the Moon is a fictionalized retelling of a little-known and shameful part of American history. Told in the first person through the character of Bright Morning, a Navaho girl on the verge of adulthood, the novel relates the crushing of the spirit of the Navaho people at the hands of white people. The Navahos had been settled for generations in Canyon de Chelly in what is now northeastern Arizona. There they raised corn, melons, and peaches and herded sheep. This life ended in 1864, when the U.S. Army ordered them off their land, burned their crops, and chopped down their trees. The Navahos were marched on a three hundred-mile trek to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. This forced migration, known as the Long Walk, brought death to the weakest and broke the spirit of even the strongest. Nevertheless, the Navahos survived.
Scott O’Dell’s novel revolves around two major disruptions in Bright Morning’s happy existence in the canyon occupied by her tribe. The first trauma occurs as she herds sheep in an isolated mountain pasture with two friends, Running Bird and White Deer. They are teasing her about Tall Boy, her future husband, when they are surprised by two Spaniards. The men are slavers who kidnap Bright Morning and Running Bird, take them to a distant town, and sell them as domestic workers to the wives of the soldiers stationed there. Bright Morning and her friend are able to escape through the help of Nehana, a member of the Nez Percé tribe who, having attempted escape once before, is more knowledgeable about their captors’ habits. As the three girls are about to be recaptured by the pursuing Spaniards, Tall Boy and two of his friends come to their rescue. Tall Boy kills the leader of the Spaniards and is shot in the back by one of the others. The young Navahos return to their village, but Tall Boy has lost the use of his right arm because of his injury.
A bridge between the two major parts of the novel is Bright Morning’s womanhood ceremony. For four days, she is kept busy, taking orders from the many relatives and friends who have gathered at her parent’s hogan for the event.
The second major event of the novel occurs with the evacuation orders from the Army, known as the “Long Knives” because of the bayonets attached to the rifles that the soldiers carry. The leaders of the tribe decide that they do not have the strength to fight the Long Knives, so they elect to move all of their people to an almost inaccessible mesa in the high country. From their vantage point, the Navahos watch the soldiers destroy their homes and their food supply. The tribe is cut off from food and water, and the elders decide that they have no choice but to surrender when it appears that the soldiers will not leave the canyon.
After their surrender, Bright Morning and her people set off on an agonizing forced march to Fort Sumner. Once they arrive at their new home, an arid reservation outside the fort called Bosque Redondo, conditions continue to be harsh. Many other tribes occupy the camp as well, and not all of them are friendly. Food is not only scarce but also is mainly wheat, a grain to which the Navahos are not accustomed. Despite these hardships, Bright Morning and Tall Boy are married. They are soon separated, however, when Tall Boy is imprisoned in the fort after an altercation with a surly Apache.
When Tall Boy escapes from prison, Bright Morning knows that they must leave Bosque Redondo immediately. Escaping in the middle of the night, they are able to survive on the supplies that Bright Morning has been storing for months. At a temporary campsite far off the trail, Bright Morning gives birth to their son. At last, they return to Canyon de Chelly, abandoned except for a few sheep that had been part of Bright Morning’s original flock. They are ready to begin again.
Critical Context
Scott O’Dell has long been recognized as a first-rate writer of historical fiction for children and young adults. His first novel for children, Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960), was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1961. Sing Down the Moon, The King’s Fifth (1966), and The Black Pearl (1967), have been named Newbery Honor Books. As in all of his novels of the American Southwest, in Sing Down the Moon O’Dell provides the reader with a realistic description of the setting and a sympathetic portrayal of the culture of the people who lived there. O’Dell has been criticized for inaccuracies with regard to Navaho dress and hairstyle. The inaccuracies, however, are quite minor and do not detract from the dignity of the people he brings to life.
O’Dell’s most important contributions to fiction for children and young adults are his strong female characters. Bright Morning embodies in her character the joy in life, the suffering, and the determination to survive of the Navaho people. The note of hope on which the novel ends is the hope that Bright Morning has fostered in her soul through all the hardships that she has undergone.