Indigenous peoples / Indigeneity Books

Book SynopsisBecause colonialism entailed controlling how history is told, native and non-native scholars have tended to write parallel histories without examining points of intersection. This book examines the intersection, overlapping, and conflict between the scholar's past and the native present in New England.Trade Review"Calloway, Salisbury, and the many other scholars that contributed to the creation of Reinterpreting New England Indians have provided an excellent collection of essays that address a variety of Native American topics, which any historian should find useful. American Indian scholars themselves will find the collection particularly intriguing, considering its breadth of analysis, exploration, objectivity, and willingness to approach a classic problem with new eyes." - American Indian Quarterly"

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Book SynopsisRe-examines the European invasion of North America in the 17th- and 18th- centuries. Challenging the historical tradition that has denigrated Indians as "savages" and celebrated the triumph of European "civilization", the author of this text presents military history as only one dimension of a more fundamental conflict of cultures. Combining the perpsectives of ethnohistory and military history, the text provides an evaluation of the evolution and influence of both Indian and European ways of war during the period. Significant conflicts such as King Philip's war in New England, 1675-1676 notable due to the number of armend Indians, the French and Indian wars, the Amercian War of Independance and their conquest of the old Northwestbetween 1783-1815 are analyzed.Trade Review'Starkey has given his readers a useful bibliographical guide and a thought-provoking analysis. The attractive paperback should find a place on many a student bookshelf.' - John Oliphant, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction: raiders in the wilderness; the Indian way of war; the European background to North American warfare. Total war in New England: King Philip's war 1675-76 and its aftermath; Indians and the war for Empire 1689-1763. Wars of Independence: the revolutionary frontier 1744-83. Last stands: the defeat of Indian resistance in the Old Northwest 1783-1815.

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Book SynopsisFrom 1831 to 1837, George Catlin traveled extensively among the native peoples of North America—from the Muskogee and Miccosukee Creeks of the Southeast to the Lakota, Mandan, and Pawnee of the West, and from the Winnebagos and Menominees of the North to the Comanches of eastern Texas. Studying their habits, customs, and modes of life, he made copious notes and numerous sketches of ceremonies, buffalo hunts, symbols, and totems. Catlin’s unprecedented fieldwork culminated in more than five hundred oil paintings and his now-legendary journals, which, as Peter Matthiessen writes in his introduction, “taken together... constitute the first, last, and only ‘complete’ record of the Plains Indians ever made at the height of their splendid culture, so soon destroyed by traders’ liquor and disease, rapine and bayonets.” A one-volume edition of Catlin's journals Illustrated with more than fifty reproduct Table of ContentsIntroduction by Peter MatthiessenSuggestions for Further ReadingEditor's NoteLetter No. 1Wyoming, birth-place of the Author. His former Profession—First cause of his Travels to the Indian Country—Delegation of Indians in Philadelphia—First start to the Far West, in 1832. Probable extinction of the Indians. Former and present number of—The proper mode of approaching them, and estimating their character. Letter No. 2—Mouth of Yellow Stone, Upper Missouri, 1832Mouth of Yellow Stone. Distance from St. Louis—Difficulties of the Missouri—Politeness of Mr. Chouteau and Major Sanford—Fur Company's Fort—Indian Epicures—New and true School for the Arts—Beautiful Models. Letter No. 3—Mouth of Yellow Stone, Upper MissouriCharacter of Missouri River. Beautiful prairie shores. Picturesque clay bluffs. First appearance of a steamer at the Yellow Stone, and curious conjectures of the Indians about it. Fur Company's Establishment at the mouth of Yellow Stone—M'Kenzie—His table and politeness. Indian tribes in this vicinity. Letter No. 4—Mouth of Yellow Stone, Upper MissouriUpper Missouri Indians—General character. Buffaloes—Description of. Modes of killing them—Buffalo-hunt. Letter No. 5—Mouth of Yellow Stone, Upper MissouriAuthor's painting-room, and characters in it. Blackfoot chief. Other Blackfoot chiefs, and their costumes. Blackfoot woman and child. Scalps, and objects for which taken—Blackfoot bows, shields, arrows and lances. Several distinguished Blackfeet. Letter No. 6—Mouth of Yellow Stone, Upper MissouriMedicines or mysteries—medicine bag—origin of the word medicine. Mode of forming the medicine-bag. Value of the medicine-bag to the Indian, and materials for their construction. Blackfoot doctor or medicine-man—his mode of curing the sick. Different offices and importance of medicine-men. Letter No. 7—Mouth of Yellow Stone, Upper MissouriCrows and Blackfeet—general character and appearance. Crow lodge or wigwam. Striking their tents and encampment moving. Mode of dressing and smoking skins. Crows—Beauty of their dresses—Horse-stealing or capturing. Letter No.8—Mouth of Yellow Stone, Upper MissouriFurther remarks on the Crows—Extraordinary length of hair. Crow and Blackfeet women—Their modes of dressing and painting. Differences between the Crow and Blackfoot languages. Different bands—Different languages, and numbers of the Blackfeet. Knisteneaux—Assinneboins, and Ojibbeways. Ojibbeways—Chief and wife. Assinneboins, a part of the Sioux. Wi-jun-jon (a chief) and wife. His visit to Washington. Letter No. 9—Mouth of Yellow Stone, Upper MissouriContemplations of the Great Far West and its customs. March and effects of civilization. Letter No. 10—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriVoyage from Mouth of Yellow Stone down the river to Mandans—Commencement—Leave M'Kenzie's Fort. Assinneboins encamped on the river—Wi-jun-jon lecturing on the customs of white people—Mountain-sheep. War-eagles—Grizzly bears. Clay bluffs. Grizzly bear and cubs—Courageous attack—Canoe robbed. Voluptuous scene of wild flowers, buffalo bush and berries. Adventure after an elk—War-party discovered. Magnificent scenery in the "Grand Detour." Antelope shooting. "Grand Dome." Prairie dogs—Village. Letter No. 11—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriLocation—Village. Former locations, fortification of their village—Description of village and mode of constructing their wigwams. Description of interior—Beds—Weapons—Family groups. Indian garrulity—Jokes—Fire-side fun and story-telling. Causes of Indian taciturnity in civilized society. Letter No. 12—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriBird's-eye view of the village. The "big canoe"—Medicine-lodge—A strange medley. Mode of depositing the dead on scaffolds. Respect to the dead—Visiting the dead—Feeding the dead—Converse with the dead—Bones of the dead. Letter No. 13—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriThe wolf-chief—Head-chief of the tribe. Mandans' personal appearance—Peculiarities—Complexion. "Cheveux gris." Hair of the men—Hair of the women. Bathing and swimming. Mode of swinning—Sudatories or vapour baths. Letter No. 14—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriCostumes of the Mandans—High value set upon them—Made of war-eagles' quills and ermine. Head-dresses with horns. A Jewish custom—Portrait of Mah-to-toh-pa. Letter No. 15—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriAstonishment of the Mandans at the operation of the Author's brush. The Author installed medicine or medicine-man. Crowds around the Author—Curiousity to see and to touch him. Superstitious fears for those who were painted. Objections raised to being painted. The Author's operations opposed by a Mandan doctor, or medicine-man, and how brought over. Letter No. 16—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriAn Indian beau or dandy. A fruitless endeavour to paint one. Mah-to-toh-pa (the four bears), second chief of the tribe—The Author feasted in his wigwam. Viands of the feast. Pemican and marrow-fat—Mandan poetry—Robe presented. Mah-to-toh-pa's exploits in battle. Letter No. 17—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriPolygamy—Reasons and excuses for it. Marriages, how contracted—Wives bought and sold. Paternal and filial affection—Virtue and modesty of women—Early marriages—Slavish lives and occupations of the Indian women. Pomme blanche—Dried meat—Caches—Modes of cooking, and times of eating—Attitudes in eating. Separation of males and females in eating—the Indians moderate eaters—Some exceptions. Curing meat in the sun, without smoke or salt—The wild Indians eat no salt. Letter No. 18—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriIndian dancing—"Buffalo dance." Discovery of buffaloes—Preparations for the chase—Start—A decoy—A retreat—Death and scalping. Letter No. 19—Mandan Village, Upper Missouri>br> Game of Tchung-kee. Feasting—Fasting and sacrificing—White buffalo robe—its value. Rain making. "The thunder boat"—The big double medicine. Letter No. 20—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriMandan archery—"Game of the arrow." Wild horses—Horse-racing. Foot war-party in council. Letters No. 21 & No. 22—Mandan Village, Upper MissouriMandan religious ceremonies—Mandan religious creed. Three objects of the ceremony. Place of holding the ceremony—Big canoe—Season of commencing—and manner. Opening the medicine lodge—Sacrifices to the water. Fasting scene for four days and nights. "Great Medicine." Bel-lohck-nah-pick (the bull dance). Pohk-hong (the cutting or torturing scene). Eh-ke-nah-ka-nah-pick (the last race). Extraordinary instances of cruelty in self-torture. Sacrificing of the water. Tradition of O-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit). Mandans can be civilized. Origins of Mandans. Letter No. 23—Minataree Village, Upper MissouriLocation and numbers—Origin. Principal village. Vapour baths. Old chief, Black Moccasin. Two portraits, man and woman. Green corn dance. Letter No. 24—Minataree Village, Upper MissouriCrows, in the Minataree village. Crossing Knife River in "bull boat"—Swimming of Minataree girls. Grand buffalo surround. Cutting up and carrying in meat. Letter No. 26—Mouth of Teton River, Upper MissouriSioux (or Dah-co-ta). Fort Pierre. Mississippi and Missouri Sioux. Ha-wan-je-tah (chief). Puncahs, Shoo-de-ga-cha (chief) and wife. Four wives taken at once. Early marriages—Causes of. Letter No. 27—Mouth of Teton River, Upper MissouriCustom of exposing the aged. A tedious march on foot. Level prairies—"Out of sight of land"—Mirage—Looming of the prairies. Turning the toes in—Bijou hills—Salt meadows. Letter No. 28—Mouth of Teton River, Upper MissouriDifficulty of painting Indian women. Indian vanity—Watching their portraits—Arrival of the first steamer amongst the Sioux. Dog-feast. Letter No. 29—Mouth of Teton River, Upper MissouriVoluntary torture, "looking at the sun." Religious ceremony. Smoking "k'nick-k'neck. Tomahawks and scalping knives. Scalps—Mode of taking, and object. Modes of carrying and using the scalps. Letter No. 30—Mouth of Teton River, Upper MissouriSmoking the shield. Bear dance. Beggar's dance—Scalp dance. Story of Little Bear and the Dog. Letter No. 31—Mouth of Teton River, Upper MissouriBisons (or buffaloes), description of. Habits of. Bulls' fighting—Buffalo wallows. Running the buffaloes, and throwing the arrow. Buffalo chase—Use of the laso. Hunting under masque of white wolf skins. Horses destroyed in buffalo hunting. Buffalo calf—Mode of catching and bringing in. Immense and wanton destruction of buffaloes—1,400 killed. White wolves attacking buffaloes. Contemplations on the probable extinction of buffaloes and Indians. Letter No. 32—Fort Leavenworth, Lower MissouriFloyd's Grave. Black Bird's Grave. Beautiful grassy bluffs. Mandan remains. Mouth of Platte. Buffaloes crossing. Letter No. 33—Fort Leavenworth, Lower MissouriGrouse shooting before the burning prairies. Prairie bluffs burning. Prairie meadows burning. Letter No. 34—Fort Leavenworth, Lower MissouriIoways. Konzas. Mode of shaving the head. Pawnees. Small-pox amongst Pawnees. Major Dougherty's opinion of the Fur Trade. Ottoes, Omahas. Letter No. 35—St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis. Loss of Indian curiosities, &c.—Governor Clark. Letter No. 36—Pensacola, West FloridaPensacola, Florida. Santa Rosa Island. Start for Camanchee country. Letter No. 37—Fort Gibson, Arkansas TerritoryTransit up the Arkansas river. Fort Gibson, 1st regiment United States dragoons reviewed. Equipping and starting of Dragoons for the Camanchee country. Letter No. 38—Fort Gibson, ArkansasFort Gibson. Osages. Portraits of Osages. Former and present condition of. Letter No. 39—Mouth of False Washita, Red RiverMouth of the False Washita and Red River. Beautiful prairie country. Arkansas grapes—Plums—Wild roses, currants, gooseberries, prickly pears, &c. Buffaloe chase. Murder of Judge Martin and family. Letter No. 40—Mouth of False WashitaSickness at the Mouth of False Washita—one-half of the regiment start for the Camanchees, under command of Col. Dodge. Sickness of General Leavenworth, and cause of. Letter No. 41—Great Camanchee VillageGreat Camanchee village, Texas. A stampedo. Meeting a Camanchee war party, and mode of approaching them. They turn about and escort the Dragoons to their village. Immense herds of buffaloes. Buffaloes breaking through the ranks of the Dragoons regiment. Wild horses—sagacity of. Taking the wild horse with laso, and "breaking down." Chain of the Rocky Mountain. Approach to the Camanchee village. Camanchee horses—prices of. Letter No. 42—Great Camanchee VillageDescription of the Camanchee village, and view of. Wonderful feats of riding. Portraits of Camanchee chiefs. Estimates of the Camanchees. Pawnee Picts, Kiowas, and Wicos. Letter No. 43—Great Camanchee VillageThe regiment advance towards the Pawnee village—Description and view of the Pawnee village. Council in the Pawnee village—Recovery of the son of Judge Martin, and the presentation of the three Pawnee and Kiowa women to their own people. Return of the regiment to the Camanchee village. Pawnee Picts, portraits of. Letter No. 44—Camp Canadian, TexasCamp Canadian—Immense herds of buffaloes—Great slaughter of them—Extraordinary sickness of the command. Suffering from impure water—sickness of the men. Death of General Leavenworth and Lieutenant M'Clure. Letter No. 45—Fort Gibson, ArkansasReturn to Fort Gibson—Severe and fatal sickness at that place—Death of Lieutenant West. Death of the Prussian Botanist and his servant. Indian Council at Fort Gibson. Outfits of trading-parties to the Camanchees—Probable consequences of. Curious minerals and fossil shells collected and thrown away. Mountain ridges of fossil shells, of iron and gypsum. Saltpetre, and salt. Letter No. 46—Alton, IllinoisThe Author starting alone for St. Louis, a distance of 500 miles across the prairies—His outfit. The Author and his horse "Charley" encamped on a level prairie. Riqua's village of Osages. Crossing the Osage. Boonville on the Missouri—Author reaches Alton, and starts for Florida. Letter No. 47—Saint LouisKickapoos, portraits of. Weahs, portraits of. Potowatomies. Kaskasias. Peorias. Piankeshaws. Delawares. Moheconneuhs, or Mohegans. Oneidas. Tuskaroras. Senecas. Iroquois. Letter No. 48—St. LouisFlatheads, Nez Percé. Flathead mission across the Rocky Mountains to St. Louis—Mission of the Reverends Messrs. Lee and Spalding beyond the Rocky Mountains. Chinooks, portraits. Process of flattening the head. Similar custom of Choctaws—Choctaw tradition. Character and disposition of the Indians on the Columbia. Letter No. 49—St. LouisShawanos. Shawnee prophet and his transactions. Cherokees. Creeks. Choctaws. Ball-play. A distinguished ball-player. ball up. Eagle dance. Tradition of the Deluge—Of a future state. Origin of the Crawfish band. Letter No. 50—Fort Snelling, Fall of St. AnthonyFort Snelling, near the Fall of St. Anthony—Description of the Upper Mississippi. "Dubuque's Grave." Fall of St. Anthony. Fort Snelling. The Sioux. Letter No. 51—Fort Snelling, Fall of St. AnthonyFourth of July at the Fall of St. Anthony, and ammusements. Dog dance of the Sioux. Chippeways making the portage around the Fall of St. Anthoy. Chippeway bark canoes—Mandan canoes of skins—Sioux and Chippeway snow-shoes. Snow-shoe dances. Letter No. 52—Camp Des MoinesPrairie du Chien. Winnebagoes. Menomonies. Dubuque. Camp des Moines, and visit to Keokuck's village. Letters No. 54 & No. 55—Red Pipe Stone Quarry, Côteau des PrairiesCôteau des Prairies. Ravages of small-pox. Mackinaw and Sault de St. Marys. Catching white fish—Canoe race. Voyage up the Fox river and down the Ouisconsin in bark canoe. Red Pipe Stone Quarry, on the Côteau des Prairies. Indian traditions relative to the Red Pipe Stone. The Author and his companion stopped by the Sioux, on their way, and objections raised by the Sioux. Letter No. 56—Rock Island, Upper MississippiThe Author and his companion embark in a log canoe at "Traverse de Sioux." Ke-o-kuk. Slave-dance. "Smoking horses." Begging-dance. Sailing in canoes—Discovery-dance—Dance to the Berdashe. Dance to the medicine of the brave. Treaty with Sacs and Foxes—Stipulations of. Letter No. 57—Fort Moultrie, South CarolinaFort Moultrie—Seminoles. Florida War—Prisoners of war—Osceola. Mickenopah. Death of Osceola. Letter No. 58—North Western FrontierNorth Western Frontier. General appearance and habits of the North American Indians. Jewish customs and Jewish resemblances. Probable origin of the Indians. Languages. Government. Cruelties of punishments. Indian queries on white man's modes. Modes of war and peace. Pipe of peace dance. Religion. Picture writing and totems. Policy of removing the Indians. Trade and small-pox, the principal destroyers of the Indian tribes. Murder of the Root-Diggers and Riccarees. Concluding remarks. AppendixIndex List of MapsOutline Map of Indian Localities in 1833U. States Indian Frontier in 1840The Moves of the Mandans and the Place of Their Extinction.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the ideal of wilderness preservation in the United States from the antebellum era to the first half of the twentieth century, showing how the early conception of the wilderness as the place where Indians lived (or should live) gave way to the idealization of uninhabited wilderness. It focuses on specific policies of Indian removal developed at Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier national parks from the early 1870s to the 1930s.Trade ReviewDispossessing the Wilderness has many virtues. Accurate, detailed accounts of the creation of Yellowstone and Glacier national parks rest on solid research, as does the story at Yosemite. * The Journal of American History *Adding to recent scholarship exploring the cultural construction of nature, this succinct study opens up new areas of research in park service scholarship and paves the way for a more comprehensive study of the role and place of Native Americans in the national parks * The Historian *Table of ContentsIntroduction: From Common Ground 1: Looking Backward and Westward: The "Indian Wilderness" in the Antebellum Era 2: The Wild West, or Toward Separate Islands 3: Before the Wilderness: Native Peoples and Yellowstone 4: First Wilderness: America's Wonderland and Indian Removal from Yellowstone National Park 5: Backbone of the World: The Blackfeet and the Glacier National Park Area 6: Crowning the Continent: The American Wilderness Ideal and Blackfeet Exclusion from Glacier National Park 7: The Heart of the Sierras, 1864-1916 8: Yosemite Indians and the National Park Ideal, 1916-1969 Conclusion: Exceptions and the Rule

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Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Time ; Deities, Themes, and Concepts ; Annotated Print and Nonprint Resources ; Reference List ; Glossary ; Index ; About the Editors

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Book SynopsisBeatriz Caiuby Labate and Clancy Cavnar offer an in-depth exploration of how Amerindian epistemology and ontology concerning indigenous shamanic rituals of the Amazon have spread to Western societies, and of how indigenous, mestizo, and cosmopolitan cultures have engaged with and transformed these forest traditions. The volume focuses on the use of ayahuasca, a psychoactive drink essential in many indigenous shamanic rituals of the Amazon. Ayahuasca use has spread far beyond its Amazonian origin, spurring a variety of legal and cultural responses in the countries to which it has spread. The essays in this volume look at how these responses have influenced ritual design and performance in traditional and non-traditional contexts, how displaced indigenous people and rubber tappers are engaged in the creative reinvention of rituals, and how these rituals help build ethnic alliances and cultural and political strategies for their marginalized position. Some essays explore important classicTrade ReviewThis book is a welcome addition for those interested in the use of ayahuasca in the Amazon and beyond, for both anthropologists and those with an interest in ayahuasca in general. Highly recommended. * Pieter Stokkink, OPEN Foundation *The essays open up some new paths for researching the interplay between tradition, culture, identity and ayahuasca. This book is a welcome addition for those interested in the use of ayahuasca in the Amazon and beyond, for both anthropologists and those with an interest in ayahuasca in general. Highly recommended * OPEN Foundation *This book presents the encounter between Amazonian and modern worlds through the account of the recent phenomenon of expansion of shamanistic rituals based on the consumption of ayahuasca. Reinvention and transformation of religious traditions, ethnic and ecological tourism, debates on intellectual property and on legalization of psychoactive substances feature among the topics which make up this brilliant collection. * Renato Sztutman, University of Sao Paulo *Much has been written about ayahuasca and shamanism, but this book will certainly stand out because it is problem-oriented and includes a fascinating array of chapters by leading experts of different backgrounds. It therefore promises to be an important contribution to religious anthropology rather than yet another instance of mystical mumbo-jumbo. * Philipe Erikson, Universite Paris Ouest Nanterre *This volume unravels the complex meanders of intellectual and practical exchanges in a time when Amazonia goes global and the world goes Amazonian. * Aristoteles Barcelos Neto, University of East Anglia *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Contributors ; List of Illustrations ; Foreword: Authentic Ayahuasca by Oscar Calavia Saez ; Introduction: Notes on the Expansion and Reinvention of Ayahuasca Shamanism - Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Clancy Cavnar, and Francoise Barbira Freeman ; 1. Will the Real Shaman Please Stand Up? The Recent Adoption of Ayahuasca among Indigenous Groups of the Peruvian Amazon - Glenn H. Shepard Jr. ; 2. Kuntanawa: Ayahuasca, Ethnicity, and Culture - Mariana Ciavatta Pantoja ; 3. Materializing Alliances: Ayahuasca Shamanism In and Beyond Western Amazonian Indigenous Communities - Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen ; 4. Medicine Alliance: Contemporary Shamanic Networks in Brazil - Esther Jean Langdon and Isabel Santana de Rose ; 5. Ritualized Misunderstanding between Uncertainty, Agreement and Rupture: Communication Patterns in Euro-American Ayahuasca Ritual Interactions - Anne-Marie Losonczy and Silvia Mesturini Cappo ; 6. Shamans' Networks in Western Amazonia: The Iquitos-Nauta Road - Francoise Barbira Freedman ; 7. On the Uneasiness of Tourism: Considerations on Shamanic Tourism in Western Amazonia - Evgenia Fotiou ; 8. The Internationalization of Peruvian Vegetalismo - Beatriz Caiuby Labate ; 9. From the Native's Point of View: How Shipibo-Konibo Experience and Interpret Ayahuasca-Drinking with "Gringos" - Bernd Brabec de Mori ; 10. Ayahuasca's Attractions and Distractions: Examining Sexual Seduction in Shaman-Participant Interactions - Daniela Peluso ; 11. Yage Related Neo-Shamanism in Colombian Urban Contexts - Alhena Caicedo Fernandez ; Index

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The extraordinary true story of a journey into the deepest recesses of the Amazon to track one of the planet's last uncontacted indigenous tribes. Even today there remain tribes in the far reaches of the Amazon rainforest that have avoided contact with modern civilization. Deliberately hiding from the outside world, they are the last survivors of an ancient culture that predates the arrival of Columbus in the New World. In this gripping first-person account of adventure and survival, author Scott Wallace chronicles an expedition into the Amazon’s uncharted depths, discovering the rainforest’s secrets while moving ever closer to a possible encounter with one such tribe—the mysterious flecheiros, or “People of the Arrow,” seldom-glimpsed warriors known to repulse all intruders with showers of deadly arrows. On assignment for National Geographic, Wallace joins Brazilian explorer Sydney

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Book SynopsisIn the celebrated Buffalo Woman Comes Singing, Brooke Medicine Eagle revealed her extraordinary spiritual odyssey from her first guided steps on the medicine path to her ongoing work as one of the most respected Native American teachers of the modern era. Now she shares a groundbreaking approach to spiritual transformation--by revitalizing the powerful ancient ritual The Ghost Dance.Four centuries ago, when European invaders were ruthlessly plundering indigenous cultures, a Paiute tribesman received a vision of hope and resurrection, given by Father Spirit, to help survivors of the onslaught create a beautiful new life in the face of defeat, broken dreams, and death. That vision was celebrated in an ecstatic ghost dance honoring those who had perished.Brooke Medicine Eagle explains how and why we are profoundly connected to The Ghost Dance. As she herself becomes initiated into the 'illusion of death' and the wisdom of 'heart-centered ascension,' she teaches us how to c

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Book SynopsisThe world's foremost expert on Maya culture looks at 2012 hysteria and explains the truth about what the Maya meant and what we want to believe.Apocalypse 2012: An Investigation into Civilizations End. The World Cataclysm in 2012. 2012: The return of Quetzalcoatl. According to many of these alarmingly titled books, the ancient Maya not only had a keen insight into the mystical workings of our planet and the cosmos, but they were also able to predict that the world will end in the year 2012.David Stuart, the foremost scholar of the Maya and recipient of numerous awards for his work, takes a hard look at the frenzy over 2012 and offers a fascination (and accurate) trip through Mayan culture and belief. Stuart shows how the idea that the end of the Mayan calendar, which supposedly heralds the end of our own existence, says far more about our culture than about the ancient Maya. The Order of Days explores how the real intellectual achievement of anci

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Book SynopsisDevoted to a single contemporary Osage ceremonial, the I'n-Lon-Schka dance, this book recounts the dance, music, dress and social organization of a modern symbol of Osage identity.

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Book Synopsis Ethnic Medicine in the Southwest explores traditions guiding the medical arts of Yaqui, Anglo, Black and Mexican American communities and points out the relationship between alternative and scientific medicine. Beliefs prevail that illness may be punishment for sin, or caused by witchcraft or overwork. Treatment may include dreams, herbs, massage, or prayer. While practitioners in these communities are not necessarily licensed in the legal sense, they are nonetheless trusted and often effective.

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Book SynopsisThe Choctaw Indians were peaceful farmers living in Mississippi and Alabama, until they were moved to Oklahoma in 1830. This guide to their ways includes descriptions of such subjects as clans, division of labour between the sexes, games, religion, war customs, and burial rites.Trade ReviewSwanton's work on the Choctaw and other southeastern Indian groups was a benchmark in the development of American anthropology and southeastern American Indian studies. - J. Anthony Paredes, editor of Indians of the Southeastern United States in the Late 20th Century

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Book SynopsisPlaquemine, Louisiana, about 10 miles south of Baton Rouge on the banks of the Mississippi River, seems an unassuming southern community for which to designate an entire culture. This work provides an understanding of Plaquemine's relationship to other Native American cultures. It addresses the archaeology of Plaquemine societies.Trade ReviewThe focus on Plaquemine cultural identity and variability and the evidence and arguments for origins, material culture, social, economic, and political differences make this high-quality work worthy of wide distribution and recognition. - Martha A. Rolingson, Arkansas Archeological Survey

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Book SynopsisFor the Cherokee, health is more than the absence of disease; it includes a fully confident sense of a smooth life, peaceful existence, unhurried pace, and easy flow of time. All aspects - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual - figure into the Cherokee concept of good health. This title provides a portrait of Cherokee health issues.

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