JENNIE'S MANDAN BOWL

The exaggerated wish to identify with a majority group robbed little Jennie Youngbear, three quarters Mandan Indian, one quarter white, of confidence and initiative. Her family felt themselves wholly Indian, and with her teacher, who respected Jennie's predicament and confusion, persuaded her to study the Mandan craft of pottery making with her grandmother. Through her sense of accomplishment, Jennie gradually learns to respect her Indian heritage, and in accepting her background found she could more comfortably participate in the activities of the white community. Here is a real problem, an important central theme, handled with simplicity and sympathy and understanding of the difficulties minority group members face.