Hear the drums, experience the life

I heard the drums

B Allen Sapp

111 pages, Stoddart

#39.95 (hc.)

Cree artist Allen Sapp showcases 75 of his most stunning paintings in I heard the drums, a wonderful collection published by Stoddart.

The man from the Red Pheasant Reserve in Saskatchewan describes how his Native heritage has influenced his work in a 24-page segment of the book.

"I was lucky: I was born into a loving family, whose roots gave me a strong sense of identity," he writes.

Sapp hopes that through his words he will encourage today's youth to seek out and embrace their culture. His message is a simple one and is delivered in a simply way. In fact, if there is anything in this beautiful book that detracts, it is the simplicity of the prose. An adult reader would surely find the pace of the book slow and the detail lacking.

The book also calls loudly for a god editor. Awkward phrases frequently interrupt the pace of an already sluggish tale.

Despite these deficiencies, there are pearls in Sapp's history, as in his telling of his experiences as a sickly child.

"When I was about eight years old I became very sick and my grandmother's sister said that unless I got a new name ? an Indian name ? I would die. My Nookum told me later that the Nootoka (My grandmother's sister) stood by me and placed her hand on my head. In a loud voice, she said, 'Your name shall be Kiskayetum'; translated, this means 'He perceives it.' After this was done she said I would live long and prosperously."

The reader's reward in I heard the drums comes after the history has been told and the page is turned to the reproductions of Sapp's paintings. The rich colors of the prairie sky, the bluish shadows cast over a snow-covered landscape, are trademark Sapp.

Anyone who has experienced reserve life will feel a great tug on the heartstrings as Sapp's images bring forth a flood of memories. For those readers who haven't, Sapp's paintings tell the stories of people who lived difficult, but gratifying lives.