Spirit Walker: Poems by Nancy Wood
A companion to Many Winters (1974), this collection of  40-odd poems (several previously published) and a few prose  pieces is also based on the legends, values, and beliefs of the  Taos Pueblo Indians and restates many of the same themes: the  interconnectedness of the earth and all beings, cycles of death  and regeneration, the conflict of material and spiritual values,  the strength of women. The poetry has become more ``literary'';  the illustrations--without the particularity of the earlier  portraits- -show archetypical Native Americans with extravagantly  flowing hair afloat on fields of intense color. Both poems and  paintings are beautiful in their way, but their mannerism is no  match for the concreteness and immediacy of the earlier work.  Introductory material about the author and the Taos; title index.  (Poetry. 12+) --Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.