How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V.F. Cordova
Edited by Kathleen Dean Moore, Kurt Peters, Ted Jojola, and Amber Lacy
Foreword by Linda Hogan

The University of Arizona Press, published 12/6/2007
$19.95 paperback, ISBN: 978-0-8165-2649-9

Reviewed by Tina Velgos, Managing Editor, The ReviewZone.com

After reading this book, which goes deep into the soul of V.F. Cordova, I will look at my world a little differently.

Living in Arizona, it is hard not to be inspired by our Native Americans. Although I did not know V.F. Cordova personally, this well-written book (superbly edited by Kathleen Dean Moore, Kurt Peters, Ted Jojola, and Amber Lacy) gave me a window into the soul of Violet Cordova, the first Native American woman to receive a Ph.D in philosophy.

In resounding words, the editors of this book compiled the works of V.F. Cordova, who left this world too soon. Sadly, she passed in November, 2002, at the age of 65. Although she was the natural mother of 5 children, she embraced her world and offered others endless insights into “how it is” in this world. Her works, however, have left a true wealth of knowledge. Whether she inspired you as a former college student, whether you were lucky enough to hear her lectures, or as a reader of this book, or you knew her as a friend, this book shares her insights, her desires, her questions, her passions, her challenges. Although she is no longer with us, her words live on.

The book begins with a brief, but brilliant, foreword by Linda Hogan who pulled one of the most relevant quotes out of the book. Like inspiring poetry, it read:
“I am always on my way home.
There is the breathing landscape, the wind.”

It was an inspirational quote by V.F. Cordova, an Apache philosopher, the daughter of a Hispanic, Catholic mother and a Jicarilla Apache father, raised in Colorado and New Mexico. Her name was Viola Cordova and her words will remain with us forever, even though this Jicarilla Apache/Hispanic woman, the first Native American Woman to receive a Ph.D in philosophy (University of New Mexico), left this earth way too soon. She was powerful, and her powerful words will live on, and continue to inspire generations of people who call Earth their home.

Her impact on this world will not be forgotten, as captured by this book, which looks into her writings and her philosophies of the past and present. She reminds us that the future that doesn’t exist without our decisions and actions. This book, which is available as a cloth book and a paperback and published by The University of Arizona Press, is a “must read” for anyone interested in exploring diverse thoughts of the world and its people, including the Native American philosophy. You can meet V.F. Cordova through her thoughts and words by reading this wonderful book.

As a former professor (she held many faculty positions) at the University of Alaska, Oregon State University, Colorado State University, Lakehead University, most recently,Idaho State University, Dr. Viola Cordova prompted students to think outside their circular world. She was co-founder of two journals, and three articles, and now, the subject of a book which explores her own Native American philosophy.

She asked questions where no answers were incorrect, yet by her reading her words or listening to her discussions, inspired much philosophical thoughts. Students were typically asked, among other things, to ponder three questions, which the book explores in detail.
They are:
1. “What is the world?”
2. “What is a human being?”
3. “What is the role of a human being in this world?”

Like an unrelenting hot wind whipping through the desert, brushing the trees and bushes, and swirling dirt furiously into the air, reading this book gave me the next best thing in spending an afternoon with V.F. Cordova. Not only was she a philosopher, but a gifted painter. I can imagine her swirling thoughts embraced by bold strokes, and vivid colors. Yet V.F. Cordova had a special softness, so it could be a world of pastels that she threw on canvas.I have not seen any of her paintings yet, but hope to one day.

She tells us of her complete circle of life. She lets us gaze into the circle of her world, which is simple, yet complex. Her words inspire further discussion. They are words of hope, of challenge, of emotion. Anger, powerful words, provocative thought, it has been successfully captured by this book. It is hard to walk away from this book, once you start reading it. If you are a philosophy student, this would be prerequisite in any class I taught on the subject. You will keep her book, and not discard it. Her words can be applied to our world, which we share with others. Her worlds will challenge you to think in a different way. Will you agree or choose to disagree? You, alone, will determine that.

She weaves magical stories of her past, yet embraces the present, and challenges the future. Her value system was “built around the concept of a human being that says that all humans are equal and therefore deserving of respect.” She questions who she is, and encourages others to look around and see their world for what it is. Her words have personally inspired me beyond most others.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for something to stimulate your thoughts and enlighten you about the world we live in. This book could be added to any college philosophy curriculum, and would be an asset to any philosophy studies, whether personal or at school.

Could you survive in a world that is different from “the one you have been prepared for?” To me, V.F. Cordova’s questions make me realize that interpretation is vital in this world. Each one of us has their own perspectives on the world. Reading V.F. Cordova’s perspective promotes insight into your own. She does not ask you to change. Her thoughts will provoke you to challenge your very own beliefs.

We should “celebrate and honor” our differences and yes, we can learn from them about how we choose to live.

I especially enjoyed the chapter, Bounded Space, in which V.F. Cordova discusses The Four Directions, which are very symbolic to Native Americans, and made more sense than our North American views of sense of place and ownership. The word, “boundaries” will forever remind me of Dr. Cordova’s discussion of it and how the sanctity of the Native American’s Four Directions is applied to this world. I loved her insight on the differences between Europeans and Native Americans in instinct vs. “rightful homes.”

I would enjoy reviewing a book of V.F. Cordova’s art, as she was a fine painter, as well. She paints a picture with her words. I can only imagine her art, which would stimulate the words she crafted so well.

This book has done a thorough job in capturing V.F. Cordova’s words of wisdom and her open questions will, again, live on and shed light to this world as future generations of students and adults explore her words in this book, whether they are Native Americans or Europeans.

In summary, this book is thought-provoking and encourages others to see Native Americans and to honor their identities, their cultures, their languages, and their cultures. We should continue on with the works of V.F. Cordova in cherishing our Earth together and helping the Native Americans continue to “maintain an identity, a culture, a language, and most of all, the obligation to speak up.”

You will remember her prophetic words at the end of the book, “I am not that” and her beliefs of alternative ways of “seeing, interpreting and explaining the world.”

This book, How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V.F. Cordova has earned The Review Zone.com’s highest recommendations.

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