New books

The Library has received some new books which delve deeper into some prevalent cultures here in Del Norte County. A lot of the residents in our city were raised in cultures that emphasize balance with nature, self-sufficiency and delicious food. These books will help each of us learn more about the Hmong culture and Local Native American cultures.

The History of the Hmong by Thomas S. Vang, attempts to relate the history of a people whose culture and traditions are primarily oral. The Hmong name and history have been ignored by the majority population in China and Laos since 2300 BC. This history, written by and about the Hmong, puts this right, recording as much history as he could find and when you are done reading the more than 400 pages and well researched history, you will know why he felt this history was so important.

Ya Po Cha introduces us to the traditional and changing cultural elements of the Hmong people in An Introduction to Hmong Culture. With chapters on children, weddings, politics and funerals, you will find interesting elements of this fascinating culture on every page.

Finally, Cooking from the Heart: the Hmong Kitchen in America, is a cookbook that teaches how to make things, but also when. Different events and seasons call for different recipes and the fact that this book was written by two women living in America, means the ingredients can be found in your local markets, with name variations when appropriate. There are explanations and definitions of certain ingredients as well.

The Hmong escaped war and settled here in Del Norte County, but there is another group who has been here for centuries, a group for whom war was brought to them.

In To the American Indian: Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman, we are able to get inside the mind of Lucy Thompson, a woman who realized the history of her people was not being written, so she wrote it.

We also have Flutes of Fire, a book describing and cataloguing Native American Languages in California, Native American Clothing, a photo book by Theodore Brasser and Folk-Tales of the Coast Salish by Thelma Adamson.

Finally, we are also adding Dancing Between Two Worlds to our collection. This psychology book explores the interactions between Jung and his ideas and "the Native American soul." It is by Fred R. Gustafson.