L. Frank (1) (1952–)

Coyote drawings, about the Beginning Times, the Mission Times, and Then-and-Now. In her commentary, Frank says the cartoons grew out of the interplay between her immersion in academic papers and what she has learned from people of her own and surrounding tribes. The two combine to create a tertiary place, she says, and that is where the drawings come from.

Here is a two-faced Coyote in church robes, hands piously clasped, asking the reader (in mirror-writing) to trust him. Here is a Catholic show more mission, complete with WELCOME mat; the readerboard declares (again, in mirror-writing) "Franciscan Showers." Here is Coyote on the parade route, selling balloons celebrating Columbus. Here is Coyote in an armchair, watching a befeathered, tomahawking Coyote on TV.

Acorn Soup is a small volume, but it reads slowly. I liked the mirror-writing; it encouraged me to sit with the images for a while before puzzling out the punchlines. For readers unfamiliar with the cultural referents, Frank includes some explanatory information in her introduction, and further hints in the endnotes. show less