Recognition from Fellow Authors:
“A profoundly intellectual project that recounts his journey to become the writer he is today. Tekaroniake’s (Two Skies) latest book upsets cultural stereotypes. He reads Kundera and Kerouac on an equal footing, finds meaning in Alan Hovhaness’s symphony, Mysterious Mountain, and moves through diverse cultural landscapes with aplomb. At the book’s conclusion I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the time I spent wandering the world of Two Skies.”—John S. Farnsworth, PhD, author of Nature Beyond Solitude: Notes from the Field
“Tony Tekaroniake Evans’s journey to claim his Mohawk identity is why we read memoir and why I am thankful that Tony exists and writes in this time. With honesty, vulnerability, and often humor, he shares his experiences of growing up between cultures, confronting prejudice, and amalgamating these experiences into a story that helps me understand my own journey. Through muscular prose and insightful reflection, Evans illuminates the diverse and complex realities of Indigenous identity in modern North America, reminding us that there is no single “Indian” way of being. Believing in Indians: A Mixed Blood Odyssey is a powerful memoir that will be a talisman for anyone who is seeking to understand their place in the world and will remain a book I teach and turn to again and again.”—C. Marie Fuhrman author of Salmon Weather: Writing From the Land of No Return
“A wonderful book written with great heart and humor. Tekaroniake takes us on a journey through the exploration, understanding, and embodiment of his own Indian story, amid a history of stolen land, assimilation, and erasure campaigns.”—Betsy Gaines Quammen, author of True West
"From a road trip with the legendary Dakota activist and poet John Trudell to a prestigious writing program in Prague, Tekaroniake’s journey leads the reader through topics such as mental illness, dislocation, the European fascination with Native Americans, and the healing power of stories. All the while, the author considers how his experience of these things interacts with his Mohawk roots to shape who he is. As a result, the book offers important insights into the complex idea of Indianness—an identity the author reveals as sometime cultural, sometimes political, and always personal. More broadly, the book will appeal to anyone who reflects consciously upon their own identity and place in the world."—Kenneth H. Lokensgard, Co-Director of the Center for Native American Research & Collaboration at Washington State University, author of Blackfoot Religion and the Consequences of Cultural Commoditization.
Book launch presentation:
"Believing in Indians" with Tony Tekaroniake Evans on Vimeo
CU Alumni coverage:
“This book offers a model of what to “do” with history, how to use history to heal young people’s alienation from the riches of their own heritage.”—Kim Stafford, Oregon Poet Laureate, and author of 100 Tricks Every Boy Can Do: How My Brother Disappeared
“Not only does Evans demonstrate a great competency for interviewing so many diverse individuals, but of bringing their voices to center-stage…he is a beautiful writer and wordsmith, with great command of the descriptive scenes he provides, weaving together personal narratives, Program history, and Native experiences and expressions. It is a great blend.”—Rodney Frey, author of Carry Forth the Stories: An Ethnographer’s Journey into Native Oral Tradition
“With its underlying message of how just one person can make a generational spanning difference, Teaching Native Pride: Upward Bound and the Legacy of Isabel Bond is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community/college/university library Contemporary Native American Studies, 20th Century American Education, and American Biography collections.”—Library Bookwatch, April 2021
Book launch presentation:
A History of Indians in the Sun Valley Area:
“The story of human habitation in the Sun Valley area began long before European trappers arrived in the early 1800s. Native Americans had hunted, fished, and lived in the valleys and plains of south-central Idaho for thousands of years. This book, based on a series of articles in the Idaho Mountain Express, traces their story from archaeological evidence of habitation in Elkhorn 10,000 years ago to the present day when the Shoshone Bannock peoples are concentrated at the Fort Hall Reservation.” —Blaine County Historical Museum
“Evans’ book covers the brief period when trappers, miners and Indians apparently got along, when natives lived in tipis on what is now the Sun Valley golf course and at East Fork. He chronicles the rise of mining in the region, the arrival of the Army and the Bannock Indian War of 1878, interweaving personal stories with historical events culminating in a conflict that led to the modern-day disagreement over ownership of the Camas Prairie near Fairfield.” — Idaho Mountain Express
Book launch presentation:
"A History of Indians in the Sun Valley Area" with Tony Tekaroniake Evans on Vimeo
Recent talk: Author Talk with Tony Tekaroniake Evans: A History of Indians in the Sun Valley Area