Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1979)
Books •ihr ( t/ytfh’ I las Going 1 ixiv Coyote Was Going There By Jarold Ramsey © 1977 University of Washing ton Press $14.95 hardback In Oregon there Is a vast canon of native literature virtually untap ped. And until now, few persons outside a select group of scholars writing in obscure journals were even aware of it. With Coyote was Going There, the first anthology of this literature to appear, tales about Indians of the Oregon coun try may receive wide recognition. The stories are well worth read ing, whether as bawdy and (some times) satirically told escapades of Coyote and his friends, or as tales of mythological and cultural importance. Divided into six sections along geographical and tribal bound aries, the stories can further be separated along “historical" lines. The three epochs are the Myth Age, when the world is first created; the Age of Transforma tion, when the world is being or dered; and the Historical Age, when man and the animals as sumed the guises they wear today. The most striking quality of the stories, perhaps, is their acute consciousness of place, which is in contrast with our own society’s alienation from the environoment. The cast of characters includes Elk, Snake, Wolf, Eagle and Wren. Stories of the coastal tribes tell of South Wind, Ocean, Ocean s daughter and Thunderer. Everywhere there is Coyote, who figures as the central character for all the tribes. The stories are also disting VALUABLE COUPON THREE FOR THE PRICE OF TWO COLOR PROCESSING _ Kodak The price is right! For a limited time only, order three Kodak color enlargements made from color prints, instant prints, slides or Kodacolor negatives and you'll get one enlargement free Simply take this coupon, plus your negatives, slides or prints, to your dealer in Kodak products • For every three same-size Kodak color enlargements ordered, two will be at regular price and the third will be made by Kodak without charge • Offer good on orders received by Kodak labs in the United States from January 15 through March 14, 1979 • This coupon (or facsimile) must accompany each order • Enlargements in one order will be supplied on same paper surface. • Any number of enlargements may be ordered from any number of same-size color prints, slides or Kodacolor negatives • Offer applies to ALL Kodak color enlargements. 5" x 7" or larger It does not include 3S (square). 3R (rectangular) or 2R (wallet size) color prints NAME STREET CITY STATE Number of color enlargements at regular price ZIP Number of color enlargements at no extra charge TOTAL erlach’s' 849 E. 13th EUGENE 500 MAIN SPRINGFIELD uished by their frank and humor ous treatments of matters often considered too delicate by the puritan and the civilized. In one story, Coyote consults his excre ment for advice, an action Freud might have noted as a linking of the mind and the bowels. Most of these stories were con ceived during visions, and might be worthwhile to persons in terested in dream interpretation and the comparative study of cul tural expressions of the subcon scious. For persons interested in com parative mytnoiogy, inese raies have some striking parallels in classical and Judeao-Christian myth. The book contains a story of the version of creation, in which a flood cleanses the earth for a new age. There also are several Orpheus-like tales in which Coyote sets out to bring loved ones back from the dead. His fail ure brings death into the world permanently. As in the Prometheun legend of Greek myth, man's discovery of fire was a result of theft, as related in "How the Cayuse Got Fire” llrixyusej, aiiu in i • iv men vi Fire” (Shasta). Thanks to Coyote editor Jarold Ramsey, the general reader can now be exposed to this previously unavailable literature. For the stu dent of Indian culture, many tales of topical and tribal diversity are for the first time accessible in one volume. Coyote should be of particular interest to ecologically minded Oregonians, as an expression of a cultural and philosophical contrast with today's Oregon country. By Brooks Dareff 1 Films Lord of the Rings Animated by Ralph Bakshi Cinema World The advertising for Lord of the Rings is deceptive — we are given the impression the whole of the Ring trilogy will be covered. Actu ally only about half of the major plot line unfolds before the film’s end, when a narrator informs us we ll just have to wait for Part II. Phooey. Well, I can wait. Even with all the time the film devotes to the incomplete tale, Rings is stripped down. Purists will notice the complete absence of certain characters. Other characters are treated superfi cially — Ents are little more than just walking trees. The richness one associates with the Tolkien books is missing. The animator, Ralph Bakshi has reduced the story to a chase something on the order of Frodo and the Sundance Kid. This simp lif ication works to Bakshi’s advan tage because it gives him plenty of opportunities to exploit scenes of Ores and Dark Riders. Ores and Dark Riders are the epitome of Evil, and if it’s anything that Bakshi understands or seems to be in terested in, it's evil. The Dark Riders are suitably terrifying. My boots filled up with water when they came on the screen. On the other hand, peering into the face of one of Bakshi’s wide screen hobbits is as exciting as confronting a bowl of unsalted oatmeal. Frodo is bland, Sam blander, and Bilbo is boring. When Bakshi occasionally attempts fa cial ‘ines to indicate hobbit ex pressions, one can’t figure out if the hobbit is puzzled, constipated, irritated or fatally wounded. Bring back the Lucky Charms lep rechaun. Gandalf is also troubled by what I can only call a lack of accurate texture. He’s the world’s first * smooth-skinned ancient person. Bakshi better not ever attempt a film on Nixon — I don’t think he could handle the jowls. Conveying goodness in the car toon medium seems beyond Bakshi's talents. Or maybe he finds goodness dull and unin teresting. Certainly his Gollum has texture and life — he's dis gusting, funny and pitiful. Many of the animation’s prob lems probably have to do with the method of making the film. Bakshi has allowed techniques to stunt his imagination. Scenes were filmed with live actors, then drawn over. Some people might consider that technique cheating, but who cares about ethics if the technique works aesthetically. It does work occasionally, as with the Ores and a tavern scene. But with the hob bits, the technique makes us corv cious of humans beneath the sur (Continued on Page 7B) Game craze (Continued from Page 5B) Backgammon, like other “race" or “chase" games, uses a board and a random generator (most commonly dice). The chase games originated in Egypt or Mesopotamia about 5,000 years ago. "Senet," in a flashy box with King Tut’s picture on it, is a mod em version of one of these ancient games. The Egyptians used a two sided bar, curved on one side and flat on the other as their random generator. The Samarians rolled a dice with four surfaces (pyramid shaped). We most commonly use the six-sided dice although die can have up to 22 sides. All cultures have had games of some kind. Kilgore says the sophistication of the games matches the cultural level of the socrety. The more primitive the society, the more primitive the games. He says the reverse is true as well. That may not be a compliment to our society, taking into account Eugene’s latest game craze, 'Pigmania.” Kilgore says the game has really caught on. Two little pink rubber ptgs are rolled out of a cup called a "pig sty,” and players get points de pending on what position the swine land in. Possible positions are the pig out, the sider, the hoof er, the leaning jowler, makin bacon, the snouter and the razor back. The game is instantly for feited if the pigs land on top of each other. "It's an unnatural position for pigs," Kilgore explains. Some persons are avowed game haters. "I’ve met people who’ve said that,” says Kilgore in obvious disbelief. He elaborates. “I'm convinced that there is a game somewhere that every per son could enjoy. I'll even go farther than that — there is a game somewhere that every person can be good at.” With the variety on the shelves these days, it seems as if there must be one to match any per sonal fetish. There are "scene” games for Houston, Washington and San Francisco; spy training games, “Project KGB" and "Project CIA;’’ drug games, “Scam, the interna tional game of dope smugglers;” - —-—11 VW’S MERCEDES BMW’S DATSUN TOYOTA reliable service for your foreign car 2025 Franklin Blvd Eugene. Ore. 97403 Bus Ph 342-2912 political games, "Class Struggle, to prepare for life in capitalist America" and "Lie Cheat & Steal, the game of political power;" word games, cultural games, puzzles and many more. But games take time and energy, and for the most part, the results are intangible. Kilgore says he meets people who believe games are a waste of time and who are convinced the rewards are few or non-existent. "What do you have when you finish a set of exercises"? Kilgore asks rhetorically, making a com parison to gaming. “Your brain is sharper. “There's really no value to it ex cept what we give it," he adds, saying that most experiences are valueless if one is looking for tan gibles. He cites making love as an example of a "valueless’' activity. Some people use games as study tools as well as for enter tainment. Kilgore mentions his own favorite — war games. With war games, the "hook” is history. The important conditions are re created and the players take the place of the major actors. These games are popular in Eugene as are other strategy games. Kilgore says University people boost the demand for these "intellectual" games. Kilgore refuses to underesti mate the learning possibilities or the rewards of gaming. “You’re changed, you’re differ ent," he explains. "You probably learned something about the game, about yourself, your oppo nent or about the universe,” By Judy Emerson Photos by Keith Allen
