The story of Martiniano, the man who killed the deer, is a timeless story of Pueblo Indian sin and redemption, and of the conflict between Indian and white laws; written with a poetically charged beauty of style, a purity of conception, and a thorough understanding of Indian values.
Anonymous
Posted April 25, 2000
This book is a journey. A journey that, while illuminating the Native American struggles (internal as well as external), also sheds light on the soul's universal journey from empty and fragmented to full and whole.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 26, 2000
The Man Who Killed the Deer is a very wonderful and fascinating book that takes you directly into an American Indian's life who does not like the customary Indian lifestyle yet cannot live as the white man does. This beautiful book describes and proves very well that one person or event can have a chain reaction and affect many other people and events. It was described in the book as throwing a stone into a lake and the after effects are the ripples that flow after the stone is thrown. The story takes place when the Government has taken much of the Indian's land and promised to give it back but has not kept their word. The story's main character is named Martiniano. He was forced to go to a white man's school and there he learned to be a carpenter. He learned to dress and act like a white man so when he came back home, he did not like the ways of the traditional customs of his tribe. Martiniano killed a deer on the government's land that used to be the Indian's land. This was what started the chain reaction that lasts throughout the book. The action stirs up controversy about Dawn Lake. Dawn Lake to the Indians is like a religion to them. The government has taken it away from them. Dawn Lake, they believed, made everything pure. All that the Indians wanted was their Dawn Lake back. They did not want money or any other land; they only wanted their beautiful Dawn Lake. After Martiniano had killed the deer, he began to see it and it was haunting him. This story is very beautiful and is a wonderful book. This book shows that you should always follow your heart (even if it gets you into trouble) because you know that it is the right thing to do. It also shows to be cautious of your actions because they can lead to things other than what was planned. The Man Who Killed the Deer is a great book and will be loved by all who read it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 13, 2003
The main character's wife is one of the rarest creatures in real life or fiction: she is a woman who actually understands how men's minds work. That alone makes this novel a must-read.
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Overview
The story of Martiniano, the man who killed the deer, is a timeless story of Pueblo Indian sin and redemption, and of the conflict between Indian and white laws; written with a poetically charged beauty of style, a purity of conception, and a thorough understanding of Indian values.