Anpao by Jamake Highwater
**Overview of "Anpao" by Jamake Highwater**
"Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey" is a novel by Jamake Highwater that intricately weaves together a series of stories, drawing on various American Indian legends and traditions. The narrative follows Anpao, a character with a mysterious past, and his "contrary" twin brother, Oapna, as they embark on an adventurous journey that explores themes of identity, love, and the quest for understanding one's origins. Anpao's love for Ko-ko-mik-e-is, a figure representing the moon, sets him on a path to seek redemption through a perilous journey to the Lodge of the Sun, where he hopes to remove the scars of his past.
Throughout the story, Anpao encounters a rich array of characters from Native mythology, including Snake Boy and Deer Woman, while uncovering the creation stories that shape his world. The novel poignantly addresses the impacts of colonialism, as Anpao grapples with the destruction wrought upon his people and their way of life. Published in 1978, "Anpao" was among the first works to unify diverse American Indian tales into a cohesive narrative, earning critical acclaim and recognition, including a Newbery Honor. Highwater's work contributes to a broader understanding of American Indian literature, bridging traditional narratives with contemporary themes and concerns.
Subject Terms
Anpao by Jamake Highwater
First published: 1977; illustrated
Subjects: Nature, race and ethnicity, and social issues
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Allegory and folktale
Time of work: The beginning of time to the arrival of Europeans in North America
Recommended Ages: 13-18
Locale: North America
Principal Characters:
Anpao , (ahn-PAY-oh), a young man who journeys to the SunKo-ko-mik-e-is , the maiden who sends Anpao on his journeyMoon , the wife of the SunOapna , the opposite or contrary twin brother of AnpaoSun , a powerful being and the father of AnpaoWasicong , a holy man and the narrator of the story
Form and Content
Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey is written as a series of stories within a story. In his “Notes on Sources” and bibliography, Jamake Highwater briefly discusses these tales and legends, often noting their tribal origins and indicating where other versions can be found. Highwater also includes a section called “The Storyteller’s Farewell.” In it, he explains his reasons for writing the book and outlines the meanings that he hopes readers will find.
According to the story told by Wasicong, Anpao and his “contrary” twin brother, Oapna, know nothing about their past. While they are traveling the world, Anpao falls in love with the beautiful Ko-ko-mik-e-is, whose name means “moon” (“night-red-light”). Although she has refused all other men, she tells Anpao that she will marry him if he will journey to the Lodge of the Sun to have the scars removed from his face. Knowing that no one has made such a journey, Anpao nevertheless accepts and Oapna agrees to accompany him.
After the journey begins, Oapna is kidnapped by the Moon. With the help of an old swan-woman, Anpao makes a daring rescue. The swan-woman then tells the twins the story of how Old Man created the world and how a foolish woman created death. This woman later went to the World-Above-the-World, became the mistress of the Sun, and had a child named Anpao. When the woman tried secretly to return to the earth with her child, the Sun killed her. Although Anpao survived the fall to the earth, his mother’s blood became the scars on his face and he could remember nothing about his past. Reared by Grandmother Spider, Anpao was playing with his hoop and cut himself in half, becoming Anpao and Oapna. Grandmother Spider then sent the boys out into the world. When Anpao learns about his past, the two opposite parts of his personality (Anpao and Oapna) reunite, and Anpao continues his journey. In his travels, he meets Snake Boy, Deer Woman, Turtle, and Farting Boy, and he learns about corn, deer, and buffalo. Finally reaching the Lodge of the Sun, Anpao saves Morning Star, the son of the Sun and Moon, from the terrible birds.
After the Sun removes his scars, Anpao returns to the earth. Unfortunately, destruction is everywhere. Believing the end of the world has come, Anpao hurries to reach Ko-ko-mik-e-is. He meets Smallpox, who is bringing death to the people and who tells Anpao about the Big Knives that have come from the East, across the great water.
Tricking Smallpox, Anpao hastens to the village of Ko-ko-mik-e-is. The people will not listen, however, when he tries to tell them about the terrible things that are coming. Finally, Anpao takes Ko-ko-mik-e-is and flees to the safety of a village below the surface of a great water. It is here, according to Wasicong, that they reside today.
Critical Context
Anpao was published at a time when people were beginning to realize that American Indians had a “literary” heritage that was well established when the first explorers came to the North American continent. The novel was named a 1978 Newbery Honor Book and received a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Award. In addition, it was named a Best Book for Young Adults in 1978 by the American Library Association. With Anpao, Jamake Highwater became the first author to unite tales and legends from a variety of American Indian tribes into a single story.
Highwater continued to explore the history of American Indians and the decline and fall of their world in many of his other books for young adults, including his Ghost House Cycle: Legend Days (1984), The Ceremony of Innocence (1985), I Wear the Morning Star (1986), and Kill Hole (1992). Beginning shortly before the arrival of white people in North America, these partially autobiographical novels follow the story of Amana Bonneville, her daughter, and her grandsons. Like Anpao, Amana, a member of the Blackfeet tribe, sees her people destroyed by disease and the traditions of the past replaced by alcohol and the values of the Europeans.
Along with N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, James Welch, and Simon J. Ortiz, Highwater is given credit for beginning the writing of serious American Indian fiction. He sees his works as forming a bridge between the private, traditional world of American Indians and the public, often-destructive world of Western Europeans.
Sources for Further Study
Catholic Literary World. XLIX, December, 1977, p. 235.
Booklist. LXXIV, November 15, 1977, p. 542.
Kirkus Reviews. XLV, October 1, 1977, p. 1053.
School Library Journal. XXIV, October, 1977, p. 124.