Sigma Alpha Iota

24 Summer 2022 • sai-national.org Reviews THE HEALING OF NATALIE CURTIS By Jane Kirkpatrick Revell, 2021 N atalie Curtis knew from an early age that she wanted to be a concert pianist. Her parents provided piano lessons in New York City where Natalie was raised and in Europe. At age 19 she was ready to start her concert career by debuting with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. However, she was faced with a crucial decision: did she want to be a professional performer as a single woman or have a husband and family. The social expectations of the late 1800's forbid respectable married women from performing in public for pay, and without marriage she would be expected to stay home as a spinster and care for her parents. She chose to give up the piano, but the shock of denying herself the dream she had worked so hard for caused a deep depression that lasted the next five years. She became a recluse and never touched the piano. Her older brother, George, a librarian in New York, had gone to Arizona to find relief from asthma. Knowing about Natalie's malaise, he invited her to come west with him to find healing for her broken spirit. She accompanied him to California where they were guests of Charles Lummis, an influential publisher and writer. Here she met a diverse circle of his friends and was introduced to Native Americans for the first time. She was fascinated by the blankets, pottery, jewelry, and furniture that decorated the Lummis home. She wanted to learn more about Native American culture. George obligingly took her to Yuma, Arizona where Natalie heard a native woman singing and found the singer whose name was Chiparopai (hip-a-rope-a). She spoke English and Natalie told her how lovely the song was – a corn grinding song. Perceptive Chiparopai said to Natalie, "You are not well." She said that she used to sing healing songs but now could only ask Natalie three questions: "When was the last time you sang? When was the last time you danced? When was the last time you told your story? The answers will tell you what road to take to be well." Chiparopai told Natalie about the new Indian Code recently adopted by the federal government which forced Native Americans of any tribe to give up their language, ceremonies, religious practices, songs, and dances. Children were taken from their homes and sent to white boarding schools far from their families. Natalie was appalled at this government policy. She traveled back east and due to family connections had an audience with President Teddy Roosevelt. He gave her a letter which directed government agents to allow her to visit any Native American tribe she wished. With funding from a wealthy family friend in New York, Natalie returned to Arizona with her presidential letter, an Edison recording machine and heavy recording discs. She and George visited Hopi mesa villages and Navajo people, where she recorded and notated songs and listened to stories. Together they visited many other tribes across the country, as well. Natalie had become an ethnomusicologist. She had found joy and healing as she compiled songs, stories, and artwork into a nearly 600 page volume called The Indian's Book, published in 1906 (newer editions are still available). An SAI sister loaned me her copy and it is an amazing experience to see the devotion with which Natalie Curtis honored Native Americans. The book gave the Native American people a voice and an opportunity to show the world the immense value and diversity of their culture. Although this book is written in a fictional style, it is extremely well researched and true in all factual material. I first learned about Natalie Curtis from reading Ladies of the Canyons by Lesley Poling-Kempes. This non- fiction treasure introduces the reader to many women who found adventure and fulfillment in the Southwestern United States in the early 1900's. Some are well-known, such as Georgia O'Keefe and Willa Cather, and others not so well known but very interesting. These three books form a trilogy that fills a unique niche in American literature. Linda Rolf is an initiate of the Delta Eta Chapter, past member of the Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter, and current Vice President, Ritual for the Denver Alumnae Chapter.

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