WIGWAM IN THE CITY

by Barbara C. Smucker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 1966

The Bearskins are a Chippewa family, and they've always lived on their reservation in Michigan. With not enough resources available there, the family decides to go to Chicago, where Mr. Bearskin can get a job. Susan Bearskin, like her parents, is reluctant to leave and wants to retain the Chippewa traditions, but her older brother Jim feels frustrated by the tribal limitations and runs away from his family so he can become assimilated on his own. The Bearskins' concern for Jim is only one of the problems they face in moving to the city. The book is explicit in describing the procedure by which the Indians are relocated, the groups which assist them, and the difficulties they face in meeting unfriendly people, and in adjusting to very different living conditions, at home, at school, and at work. A little more humor and some more enlivened situations could have made this an even stronger story, but it is still a realistic and sympathetic portrayal of some of the conflicts of the contemporary Indian and of their urban relocation.

Pub Date: Aug. 30, 1966

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1966

Categories: FICTION