[James Welch] is the best American Indian poet in terms of techniques, production, attitudes, and what must be called competence. One argument advanced against this opinion is that his forms and style are not peculiarly Indian, that he writes good poetry but not Indian poetry. It is true that Welch's poems are not syntactically complicated by his oral language traditions; they are at least partially indicative of his college training. Yet, what is characteristic of Indian poetry is not primarily a left-over dependence on nonwritten native language patterns…. More importantly, the Indian writer has a close personal relationship with the earth and its creatures…. He writes in quite simple rhythms, as though they are dictated by the rhythms of the natural world. And his imagery is often oriental … in its complex simplicity. Finally, of course, it is the poet's experiences as an Indian which determine the subject matter...