Native American Books

The very first part of the essential, very first amendment to our Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This ringing phrase, so seemingly simple and obvious, has been the focus of an enormous amount of controversy and clarification. It is a great legacy, but what does it really mean? We are still struggling to find out. In _To an Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial_ (St. Martin's Press) by Garrett Epps we learn how one of the latest struggles is turning out. It is a fine book to show in detail how a specific constitutional decision came to be made.

On one side of the story was Al Smith. Smith was born into the Klamath tribe, but was pulled out of it to go to Catholic boarding school. Rather late in his life he was introduced to sweat lodges and Native American religion. He was also introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous, and eventually became a respected counselor, speaker, and organizer of treatment centers for alcohol and drug abuse. As he traveled to different reservations to set up recovery programs, he came across peyote religion. It seemed to give some of his clients spiritual strength, and they seemed to do better in overcoming substance abuse if they participated in its religious ceremonies. He began to consider participating in peyote religion. He was told that taking peyote at a ceremony would violate the rules of the treatment center in which he worked, and so he did so. He was thereupon fired, and he filed for unemployment compensation. That filing set the stage for a subsequent battle within the Supreme Court and beyond.

On the other side was Oregon Attorney General David Frohnmayer. He had tried in his political offices in Oregon to mend fences with the tribes of his region. He was, however, very worried about the dangers of drug abuse, and so he felt he was doing the right thing in trying to squelch community acceptance of drugs, ceremonial or not. He approached the Supreme Court proceedings with the mantra, "Drugs are bad. Slippery slope." Not only was peyote illegal, but it was used in a minority religion; if it were allowed, then surely someone would be asking to use other drugs for religious purposes. But he did reflect sadly to his legal team, "How did we get to be the Indian bashers?"

Epps is not only a journalist and lawyer, but also a novelist. His ability to describe personalities and anecdotes serves him well, for although this is a legal story, the human stories within it are what make it live. He has used process of the legal arguments as a springboard for an examination of many connected subjects: the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the story of Alcoholics Anonymous; the tale of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the Oregon town that was taken over by his devotees; the saga of the Road Man who is the ceremonial leader of the peyote religion. These set pieces are fascinating, and strengthen the main story. It is disconcerting that there is no pat final resolution, but Epps writes, "The law of religious freedom remains unsettled." Thus may it ever be.

This book is one of the best looks at a Supreme Court case in quite some time. Examining Oregon v. Smith, one of the most important yet unheralded legal battles of our time, Epps' book plumbs the depths Indian rights, religious freedom and states rights in a manor which devestates the intellectual pretensions of Court conservatives such as Justice Scalia. The only quible one can have with the book it that it has too much detail on Oregon Attorney General Frohnmeyer. Other than that minor matter, this is a top rate book. Of additional note, the book provides an exceptionaly concise yet comprehensive overview of the Rajhneesh cult afair in Oregon, relying to good effect on the journalism of Oregon Magazine's Win McCormack.

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this book, and I found it astonishingly good. I had loved Epps's work as a novelist (his "Shad Treatment" is one of the best first novels I know) and I had always wondered if he could apply his writerly powers to non-fiction, as well. "To an Unknown God" draws on all the creative gifts that fans of Epps's earlier books will remember. He takes an important Supreme Court case about religious freedom (he's now a law professor) and tells the story through the remarkable personalities who were involved in the case: Al Smith, the Native American member of a peyote cult who was the plaintiff, and David Frohnmeyer, the all-American Republican wunderkind attorney general of Oregon, who argued that peyote use wasn't protected as an exercise of religious freedom. Epps deconstructs these billboard identities to provide a rich and very moving account of the real people and the heartbreaking pressures that shaped their actions in this legal case. This is a rare book--taking the sometimes dry subject of law and filling it with life. I hope it's a promise of more books to come from Epps, who is a vastly talented writer.

Epps' book is one of the best in recent memory to explore a Supreme Court case. Examining the case of Oregon v. Smith, Epps deploys his skills as both a journalist and a novelist to plumb the depths of Indian rights, religious freedom and states rights. The only quibble one can have is that the book spends too much time on the minutae of Oregon Attorney General Frohnmeyer's life. Other than that minor matter, this is an elegantly told tale. As an aside, Epps presents a concise yet complete recouncting of the Rajhneesh cult saga of the '80's, relying to good effect of the work of Oregon Magazine Editor-in-Chief Win McCormack.

This book could easily have been a bore--yet another detailed legal explication of a Supreme Court case you know you should be interested in, but aren't, because you can't follow the jargon. But in Epps' hands an amazing story comes to life. This is serious constitutional law, with enormous consequences for our country, and it reads like a novel. Anyone concerned with religion and free expression should read it. Or you could just read it because it's a great read!

This book isn't just about making bows. It has a great section on making bow strings from primative materials or modern ones. Includes design of stings, types, features. Great to learn to make a string for that bow you just made.

This book is written by several experts and is essentially a compilation of individual articles, each of which is outstanding in the detail of the direction given. However, for a person seeking to make a particular bow, all 3 books of the series are needed and there is not an orderly progression. Just count on buying all three, reading them all, making decisions based on what you've learned, and then picking chapters to help you as you go along.

Great book this has all of the details of making a good bow and more. I am very pleased with its content and recomend all three volumes.

This volume is very explicative and not lost any details of his points. All the volumes makes a great help, and even a single powerfull source of information, to anyone who want to make the finest traditional bows, i recomend !

If someone need to know all regarding archery and bow-making has to buy all these 3 volumes. Here you can find a huge quantity of informations and suggestions regarding it.
The books are also improved with a lot of imagines.
Andreas from Italy

I picked this book up for a little bit of light reading when I visited the Grand Canyon last week. It is a "teen" reader, but I found it really enjoyable. It's an easy read like a "Harry Potter" novel. It's a definite page turner.

I enjoyed the novel because it explores the questions to why the Native Americans who lived in the cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon left and where they may have gone. Shortly after finishing this novel, I visited Mesa Verde National Park and explored the Balcony house. The ranger's talk explored many of the same theories that the book's story is based upon.

A few years ago my mom got me this book for my birthday, and I thought I'd try it out. It turned out to be the best book I have ever read, and I am not exagerating! I have read it every year since I got it, and I strongly suggest you read it, and realize what I'm talking about. The adventure and suspense is great, as well as the dialogue and strong characters you will want to meet. Take my word for it, once you pick it up, you'll never want to put it down!

The book I've read is called the "Walker of Time". The reading level is not too hard and not too easy. I would recommend this book to the people who like reading adventure books. As you read through this book, it gives you a good atmosphere and you will feel like you are in the story. This story is based on time travelling. The main character is called Walker or Wayma in Hopi language. Walker had to travel and confront dangerous situation. He had to travel to find out about the time travelling. As he travels through in the story, he finds new companies. Such as when Walker was blackout because of the thunderstorm and when he woke up the first thing he saw was this white American called Tag. After that he met flute maiden and more like white rabbit and the eagle. This story is like "Wizard Of Oz" because as he travel he met new friends.This book is kind of a gentle, flowing of ideas.After all, if you are a real adventure book reader, you should get a copy of "Walker of Time".

My dad bought this book for me a few years ago and I didn't think i would like it but i tried it out anyway. it was the best book ever. i lent it out to so many people that i never got it back but everyone who read it loved it.

I have just read a book called walker of time and it was amazing.
I would recommend it for people aged from 10 to 50.

It is about a Hopi indian boy called Walker who travels back in time 600 years. While he is travelling back in time a young white boy manages to get zapped back as well. Walker knows he's been sent back for a reason, but what??

It is half an adventure and half a sad story.

I honor the author Susanne Blake in her sharing her story of her paths beginning. She graciously allows the reader to travel with her down her path and share her experiences. I highly recommend this enlightened book to anyone who is awakening to thier path, who realizes coincendences are more then mere chance. I for one am waiting anxiously for her next book ! Love and Light Susanne..... hugs !

Susanne has enabled us to be an audience to a true story of healing, recovery and hope. "When Spirit Speaks" shows us that the life of miracles and peace are here for all of us.... if we only reach out and believe. As one of the characters in this book I know first hand that a Spirit-filled life is available to us all......

We all search for meaning and wholeness. In "When Spirit Speaks" Susanne Blake explains how we can find balance as we learn the lessons we need in order to become whole. Encouraging us to be ourselves and go forward without fear, Susanne's openness and honesty shine through as she describes her involvement in Native American beliefs and rituals. Through the telling or her personal story she enables us to focus on the truths of our own spiritual journey.

"When Spirit Speaks" is a joy to read and offers insight into how we too can draw on spiritual forces to help us with our lives.

Few accounts meld mystical and practical aspects of one woman's life as does this courageous journal. The author's journey through Christianity and Native American Spirituality reveals that these worlds do co-exist peacefully and beautifully. This is a freeing and self-affirming message to one denied cultural and racial knowledge and pride while living in the dominant society.

This is one of those books that I started reading years ago, and set aside - not because I didn't like it, but because I got distracted. It surfaced recently and I finished it in only a few days. The story in this book pulls no punches. The author portrays herself as a real, fallable woman on a path of connection with Spirit. The experiences and wisdom shared in this book came to me just at the time I most needed to read them. Spirit spoke to me through this book.

Throughout the history of the "Dreamer Religion" Nez Perce's trials and tribulations with the white man, truthfulness was their bond. Yellow Wolf tells his story factually and simply. The resourcefulness and unmatched bravery of Yellow Wolf and his comrades is truly amazing. A recommended read.

As a child growing up on the Camas Prairie. I was told by my Great Grandma. How her mother as a child & her parents had gone to the Fort at Mount Idaho to seek refuge from the NezPerce in 1877. Years later I was working in a small bar in the town of Whitebird, Idaho (Where the first battle occured.) One day a friend brought me this book and told me that he thought that I might be interested in reading it. That was almost 12 years ago, and I think I've read "Yellow Wolf" at least once a year sense then. Me,my husband and my 2 daughters (19 & 11) have traveled almost all of the NezPerce Trail. This book brings you into the lives of the non-treaty NezPerce on their flight for freedom. They were not a hostile people, but were forced from their homes & their way of life. You feel their pain and suffering from the begining to the end of this book. I feel it is a must read for all poeple. Another good book by L.V. McWhorter "Hear Me My Chiefs!" NezPerce legand & history

If it wasn't for Mcworter's unwillingness to manipulate "anthropology" like the "father of Anthropology," Franz Boaz, we would never have such an honest and compelling narrative of an Aboriginal American's point of view. From Boaz's approach, Yellow Wolf's childhood is equally important. To McWorter, an amateur anthropologist, Yellow Wolf's story IS the important statement. If you are interested in the Aboriginals' story, this is worth your read.

I'm a history student who has researched the Nez Perce history for several classes. I first read this book long before college and it sparked a life long interest in the Nez Perce history and the Nez Perce War of 1877. I live in Montana so my "backyard" is where most of this history took place. Yellow Wolf is, in my mind, the MOST credible book on the war I have read. Reading Yellow Wolf and then the book by Gen O.O. Howard it is simple to see the half truths and blatant lies the Government published in its efforts to remove the Nez Perces from their land. McWhorter took Yellow Wolf to several sites where Yellow Wolf pointed out things such as rifle pits in the distance that, until McWhorter was right next to them, were invisible to the eye. An excellent book that I have used time and again in giving lectures and writing papers. A must have for anyone researching the Nez Perce Tribal history.

Go back in time and live, travel and fight with the Nez Perce as they seek to return to their own lands. Feel their utter despair as gradually they are chased down by the US Army murdered, and finally with so few left, forced to live the lives of captives on a reservation. This book brings home the enormity of the crime committed by the US Government of the day, not only against the Nez Perce but all of the Native Americans, it should be compulsive reading for all US schoolchildren. It is without doubt one of the most absorbing books I have read on the subject of Native Americans. Dont take my word for it, read it yourself, you will not regret it.

I have had experience with many other oracles, including The I-Ching, Geomancy, Tarot, Scrying and the observation of patterns in the natural world.

The Ancestor's Path is an incredible divinatory method. When the Paths are explored with the proper state of mind, when you use the oracle with proper ceremony, it can reveal stunning insights into your state of conciousness.

I have made difficult decisions using the oracular method and have been surprised by its accuracy on more than one occasion.

I highly recommend this system to any person who seeks a Shamanic, tribal interperetation of reality.

The Ancestors' Path is a helpful and fun way to consult "the Oracle", also instructing and educating the player in understanding the world through the Native American "looking glass". The answers to questions about life or any concern at hand will have universal meaning with the lovely flavour of the ancient traditions of this land. I recommend this book and divination game as a splendid gift to give a family member or friend for the Holidays!

I have learned so much of the spirituality of the First Nations Peoples. How they consulted, for instance, the Six Directions. So interesting and so unlike anything that we have in our culture. We have so much to learn from the ancient peoples of our world and this work is such a great step towards aquiring this knowledge. And the game is such a treat!
Thoroughly enjoying it! We are going to buy more for those on our x-mas list!

I love this divination system. It taught me so much about Native American spirituality. More than that, the readings I receive when I "throw" the dice, which are part of the system, impart to me a depth of wisdom that I have rarely received when using other systems. The answers truly cut to the heart of any matter. With the Ancestors' Path, you experience the profound sense that you are, indeed, speaking with elders or ancestors, and that they have your best interests at heart.

I have had experience with many other oracles, including The I-Ching, Geomancy, Tarot, Scrying and the observation of patterns in the natural world.

The Ancestor's Path is an incredible divinatory method. When the Paths are explored with the proper state of mind, when you use the oracle with proper ceremony, it can reveal stunning insights into your state of conciousness.

I have made difficult decisions using the oracular method and have been surprised by its accuracy on more than one occasion.

I highly recommend this system to any person who seeks a Shamanic, tribal interperetation of reality.

We really need more children's books like this one. A truly inspiring and captivating story with a wonderful message! It nearly made me cry the first time through, it was that beautiful! A treasure!

I purchased Aunt Gussie and Grandfather Tree to share with my grandchildren though it's an excellent story for all ages. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful and the message that we CAN make a difference is uplifting and inspiring.
I look forward to more books from this talented author.

I have had this book for over a year. I enjoy reading it to my nieces and nephews and re reading it myself and to my children. this book beautifully illustrates and describes the importance of tradition, environmental preservation and the value of story telling. I highly recommend Aunt Gussie and the Grandfather Tree for all ages!

This is a wonderful book for folks of all ages! It provides a great opportunity to teach children (and perhaps adults) about the importance of community involvment and multiculturalism. Best of all, it is based on a true story of a beautiful woman who has a dream to make a difference. In this day of cynismn, it is important to pass on to our children the message that they can make a difference!
Kudos to the author!

Kay Brown Gustafson's book Aunt Gussie and Grandfather Tree is based on the true story of a 150-year-old tree (named Grandfather) in Eagan, Minnesota that had to be moved in order to save it when the city decided to build the community center where it stood.

Aunt Gussie wasn't so busy anymore and she could do whatever she wanted. One day she bakes, on another she takes care of her niece, Gloria, then she waters her plants, paints her toenails orange or maybe goes to bed early to have time for her dreams.

One night Aunt Gussie had a dream that directed her, along with encouragement from her niece, Gloria, to save Grandfather Tree. With help from the community and the powerful spirit of Chief Wambdi Tanka (who protects the trees), Aunt Gussie and the community saves the old tree from being cut down.

Brown's true story is delightful. It shows the power of cooperation and emphasizes the importance of nature in our lives. The watercolor illustrations greatly contribute to the story.

Armchair Interviews says: Aunt Gussie and Grandfather Tree is an inspiring story for all who are interested in the environment.

The book has good information on weapons, armies and Mesoamerican warfare in general. It has got beautiful and quite accurate drawings of several of the uniforms and outfits ancient Mexicans wore.

Just a piece of advice: if you are an Aztec history enthusiast, I HUGELY recommend looking for some Mexican authors, who have tried to clear some myths and erratic common beliefs about this culture. They have a vision of the Aztecs not through European-minded eyes. Pablo Moctezuma Barragan, Miguel de Leon-Portilla and Ignacio Romerovargas are good examples. Be warned however, that these authors may display too much nationalism in their texts. All in all, when reading ANYTHING about Prehispanic American civilizations, it is recommended to be critical and apply your own criteria.

This is a great book, highly suitable for anyone with an interest of knowing a little about how a really important region of America was like before Spain arrived.

Mesoamerican history can often be confusing. The ally of one day quickly became the enemy of the next. This book was somehow able to cut through that without sacrificing any of the detail. The end result is a very solid and informative account of these warriors and the wars they fought in.

A richly illustrated source on the armies of the Mexica Empire from the founding of Tenochtitlan up to the arrival of the Spaniards, who are not mentioned in the book. This makes this a rare book truly only about the Mexican armies, rather than focusing on the experience of the Spaniards that fought them.

What little is known of the petty warring states of the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs is also examined. The book is also graced by beautiful color plates by Angus McBride, showing, among others, the warrior priests and the cuahchic shock troops of the Aztecs, and a beautiful Mixtec Queen.

Hey! Its got McBride doing the illustrations and it has some really good text to boot. That and it covers more than just the Aztecs but some of the lessor known tribes of Meso America.
Well done to all concerned!

This Men-at-Arms title is a cut above the rest. The text and the illustrations are actually on par with each other! Osprey seems to be in the constant process of revamping their line. This one is a step in the right direction. Not only are the ever popular Aztecs examined, the author also delves into the relatively ignored tribal alliances that they fought with over Mesoamerica. The subject was previously examined in another Osprey title, The Conquistadores (MAA 101 ) by Terence Wise. I recommend both, together. The disparity between Mexican and European styles of warfare will become readily apparent. I find myself rooting for the Aztecs, oddly enough... Both contain Angus Mcbride's wonderful paintings. You can't beat a dancing priest clad in human skin or an elite cuachic warrior with a mohawk! Usual complaints: the maps are damn near useless...

I bought this book on the basis of the recommendations and a referral. It is very well written and clearly explains the sacred hoop medicine wheel in relation to healing and wellness of spirit, emotion, and body. In fact, it does so better than any other book I've read on the subject. It also provides ways to facilitate healing circles for those who are interested in pursuing that. I look forward to reading more Garrett books.

An excellent presentation of Cherokee religion in respect to the harmony in the relationships of cycles. Easily readable, but goes into depth to give good solid understanding. A well done book on the subject!

I like this book because it is the answer to How Full Circle Works. It cannot replace the Experience of Full Circle. The Experience appeals to the feeling side of a person and the book balances the experience with intellectual understanding. I read it straight through in one evening.
The book tells about the wholistic and enjoyable approach the Garrett Family uses to help people into group transformational energy in the way of the Cherokee. It also tells about mainstream counseling techniques incorporated into Full Circle for insights and healing. An atmosphere of support, acceptance, non-interference, respect and love in an environment that includes nature is emphasized.
The Cherokee Full Circle book is a wonderful blend of Cherokee cultural teachings that make sense today, interesting drawings enhancing the Cherokee stories (could be used for children to color as a coloring book), and modern day group techniques. It is a book for personal growth and a book for the professional wanting to explore diversity and new/old ways and thoughts.
If any reader wants to implement a Full Circle, the actual experience would be helpful if not mandatory to success.

An amazing study book. Encourages me to continue in my Native American roots search. Thank you. I have all of Garretts books.

Helps me with my meditation practices. Better to use this in the great outdoors but a very sprit building book!

The incredible chain of events that led to the conquest of Mexico by a small group of Spaniards is wonderfull told by Maurice Collis in this fascinating book. Well organised and stylishly written, the book includes many quotations from contemporary sources, as well as some very vivid descriptions of the places and persons involved. Collis's understanding of the events and his clear and involving style make Cortes and Montezuma an extraordinary piece of historical writing.

The complex characters and motivations of both central figures are explained in detail. According to Collis, Montezuma was a generous, devout and able ruler, but at the same time he was a tyrannical monster who indulged in endless orgies of ritual murder; Cortes was a civilized and enterprising explorer who brought enlightenment to a oppressed land but he was also the bringer of death and destruction to a complex and fascinating civilization. The author also explains the amazing astrological-magical religion of the Mexicans and how it made the conquest possible.

This is probably the best book on the subjet, a veritable page turner that will help you understand one of the most incredible events in history.

The story of the conquest of the remarkable Aztec civilization by Cortes' handful of Spaniards is an incredible drama. The accounts of Bernal Diaz and Prescott tell it well, but at considerable length, and with only a superficial comprehension of what motivated the Mexicans' responses to Cortes' invasion. What makes Corliss's succinct and compelling account so insightful and remarkable, to me, is his sympathetic understanding of the Mexicans' and Montezuma's complex astrological-magical religion, and how it decisively shaped their actions. He understands a pre-modern time when religious beliefs were the predominant context for social and individual actions, as well as the importance of Cortes' religious faith, and he notes the fascinating paradoxes and ironies that resulted from the primary actors' actions based on their respective religious convictions.

But regardless of that, this is simply a wonderful read. My one regret is that the book wasn't accompanied by illustrations to convey the extraordinary richness (and horror) of the Aztec civilization, as well as the difficult and stunning terrain where the action took place.

As a footnote, it is fascinating to contrast the ethos of the Conquistadores with that of the North American settlers so well described in Albion's Seed.

My best friend's wife was in the hospital, and I was put in charge of their son for a few hours. I decided to tell him the story from memory of how Hernan de Cortez, with a handful of men, brought down an entire world. I had just finished reading Collis's book, and also Bernal Diaz's first-hand account of the same story and Prescott's able retelling in THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO, so it was still fresh in my mind. The boy was entranced.

Maurice Collis's is by far the best telling of the story as such. (Prescott and Diaz are both worth reading if you have the chance.) I collect Collis and love everything I have ever read by him.

There are, of course, two sides to every story. Cortez's gain was Montezuma's loss: And it was the Aztecs' loss. According to J. Eric S. Thompson in MAYA HISTORY AND RELIGION, approximately 80% of the population of what is now Mexico died of measles, smallpox, malaria and other diseases brought by the Spanish within a very short time. The Aztecs' sacred books were burned as heresy; their language (Nahuatl) is dying out; and the name and image of Montezuma are absent in the Mexico of today. Only Cuauhtemoc, who resisted Cortez and his lieutenants, is honored.

Read this book and marvel at how tenuous a civilzation can be. It took Rome over a thousand years to fall: Tenochtitlan fell in a year.

I have read other accounts of the Mixica, most notably by Michael D. Coe, but none of them hit upon the complexity involving the meeting of Cortes and Montecuzoma as this book did. Drawing on dialog from Bernal Diaz (The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico-also another great read), Collis has stripped away the dryness of other books, on this subject, that were written primarily for academia, leaving the intimate human perspective to the greatness of both of these men and the circumstances that caused each to react as he did. As did Diaz's book, this book made me feel as though I were sitting beside Cortes and Montecuzoma as the drama of their meeting unfolded. For those who are students, as a vocation or avocation, of the ancient cultures that inhabited this continent this is a must book to read and have on hand to reread over and again because you won't want it to end.

If you¡¯re interested in pre-Hispanic America this book is a must read. Maurice Collis tells it in a way that makes you see the real thinking of both Montezuma and Cortez. And if you aren¡¯t already interested in ancient Mexico this book is still a great read. It reads like a novel rather than a history.

There are things that are hard to imagine until you compile the Cortez letters, the friar¡¯s notes, and previous historical documents as Mr. Collis has expertly done. For example there¡¯s a section about how the Spanish soldiers were wearing chain-mail so they were burning up under the desert sun during day and then (when the temperature dived down as desert weather is apt to do) froze at night.

This book is filled with the harsh realities that both sides faced. This gives a reader a greater understanding of the rationales for decisions. Also, Mr. Collis has a great cultural- or anthropological-sensitivity so we see how Aztec cosmology, predictions, and religion influenced Montezuma¡¯s standpoint. At the time of invasion, the Aztec army could have quickly destroyed the Spanish soldiers. The forces that prevented this outcome are beyond common Western thinking.

This book shares the complexities that both of these great men faced. And it treats Moctezuma deservedly as one of the world¡¯s great men. Often books have a pro-Spanish feel to them. This book is as close to fair as I have seen.

Also, consider Broken Spears by Miguel Leon-Portilla.