The Desert People

Featuring Ann Nolan Clark’s poetic prose and softly-colored illustrations by renowned Chiricahua artist Allan Houser in The Desert People, this book teaches us about the yearly cycle of Tohono O’odom traditional life and culture through the experiences of a young boy being taught by his father. Clark was an award-winning writer and educator whose books about American Indian life, culture, and language helped educate a generation of American Indian students during the New Deal years. She taught at several New Mexico and Arizona Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, and her lessons included a writing session at the end of each day. Her students wrote about their lives, families, cultural values, and the natural world. With their words she made primers for class use. It was these primers that inspired Clark to turn their stories into The Desert People. The Desert People is one example of how Ann Nolan Clark and various Indian artists created appealing books for young Indian students.