Native American Books

A must for anyone who is planning on visiting the Yucatan. I cant get enough information about the Mayan. This is a must read, great book.

Hi,

I read this book although not this particular edition and I found that it needs a detailed commentary by a scholar and a detailed map. For instance, in the chapter where Landa describes plants and animals of the Yucatan, I was left to wonder about what these are - is this soft thing with a hard skin that he talks about an avocado? or is it some Native American fruit that has since gone extinct? same with plants and trees. Also, i was wondering if maize was known in Europe before the encounter with the Europeans? Very interested in the food these people used to eat and drink at different parts of the day and wonder what happened to these ancient recipes. The chapter on the Mayan calendar and their writing system completely confused me. That chapter definitely need an editor's explanation. Finally, I would have wanted to know how much of what we know and believe about the Mayas comes directly out of Landa's book - and no other source. Somebody should do a Ph.D. thesis to answer the many questions raised in this brief book. Finally, despite what has been said about Landa's intolerance and narrow-mindedness, having read this 16th century account I found him to be a very intelligent man, someone who possessed a great deal of knowledge about nature and human customs, and not a bad writer for his time period.

While driving on the lonely highway toward the city of Valladolid, in the center of Mexico's Yucutan peninsula, on the horizon loomed a surreal shadow. I tried to imagine what this platial structure could be. Upon arriving at the charming colonial city, I came upon a magnificent Spanish colonial monestary. What was amazing was that it was built upon the base of a pyramid razed by the Spanish conquistadores, who reused the stones for their building. Next to this remarkable ediface, one will find a statue erected in his memory, its plaque stating that it is a monument to the dangers of religious fervor and extremism. One cannot think of a more apt metaphor of the Spanish attempt to wipe out the indigenous Maya culture than this building. This remakable book chronicles the travels of Friar Diego de Landa and fellow conquistadores in their attempts to convert the Maya of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to Catholicism. It reads like many of the Medieval first-hand accounts by the crusaders (e.g., Jean de Joinville) in that horrible details of destruction can be justified in the name of spreading the Gospel. The accounts of Bernal Diaz at Tenochtitlan are another parallel.

So why should I feel that such a book merits five stars? This book is a very important first-hand (though painful) accounts of colonial Mexican history and a witness to the destruction of an indigenous culture. It is ironic that this book is also a very important source of Maya customs, daily activity, and history. It's a veritable treasure trove of information (with very interesting illustrations) of the culture the Spanish conquistadores sought to erradicate.

During the sixteenth century, the Franciscan friar Diego de Landa put into writing the Relacion de Las Cosas de Yucatan. This work is a translation of the manuscript from 1566 by the renowned scholar William Gates. The Dover edition was originally published as Publication Number 20 by the Maya Society, Baltimore, 1937. This was reportedly the first English translation of that text. Landa's relacion pieced together the culture and society of the Yucatec Maya as he saw the people, their practices and their region during his time. Although his work may be labeled as "Euro centric" by our standards, his writings are an early example of ethnographical accounts by a foreign observer. Diego de Landa has left scholars a view into the perceptions of a sixteenth century European clergyman as he encountered a foreign culture.

"Yucatan Before and After the Conquest" is the English translation of the 1566 work "Relacion de las cosas de Yucatan," by Diego de Landa. Translator William Gates has also provided some illuminating notes to the text. De Landa was a clergyman who was instrumental in suppressing the indigenous Mayan culture of Yucatan. In his introduction, Gates notes ironically that de Landa "burned ninety-nine times as much knowledge of Maya history and sciences as he has given us in his book." Also ironically, de Landa wrote the book as a matter of self-justification after his forced return to Spain.

So de Landa's work must be read with a very critical eye. Still, this is a frequently fascinating account of Native American life at the time of the Spanish conquest. De Landa describes Indian architecture, clothing, culinary arts, and musical instruments. He also describes the bounteous plant and animal life of the region (particularly interesting is his account of the manatees). De Landa also describes the "Europeanization" of the younger Indian generation, and explains why he destroyed priceless native texts.

This edition contains some supplemental documents implicating de Landa as the "chief author" of many of the abuses heaped upon the Indians by their Spanish conquerors. This book is an important resource, but it is also a chilling record of cultural imperialism, religious chauvinism, and personal arrogance.

REVIEW BY ROCHELLE MOORE - AUTHOR
This book is a wonderful tribute to all the writers who gave up their time and great talent to produce such wonderful work. It was a pleasure to read and I am delighted that these authors are donating funds from the book towards cancer. For any author to take time out from their own work and produce such an excellent book in aid of charity, is really wonderful. These authors are wonderful people with excellent talent and their book is a fantastic read.

The Acorn Gathering; Writers Uniting Against Cancer
Duane Simolke
Review by Len
A true "Story Cycle", this anthology comes together in a unique and most interesting manner. The cohesive nature of "The Acorn Gathering" is amazing considering the different authors and that they had not necessarily read "The Acorn Stories" first. Editor and co-author Duane Simolke is justifiable pleased with the diverse yet universal feel and messages shared throughout the book.

Although all proceeds do benefit cancer research, the book itself is not limited in subject. Stories of conflict, life, bravery, and community awareness all come together in an every day manner. You feel as though you now these characters. That you have been to places like these and the stories and tales are familiar, haunting and sometimes even painful. Do not mistake this as a piece about brave cancer patients and their experiences.

Although a worthy subject, the authors have offered a more common tapestry. One of experiences with which most will strongly associate and or identify. Messages about things we meet in every day life. And as well the people, some good some not so good.

The writing styles are complimentary to each other and as well the work overall. There is flow and continuity as well as strong growing interest. The themes and sometimes even characters relate and overlap. The tales and landscapes are believable and moving. An easy read, which draws its conclusion all too quickly, "The Acorn Gathering" has strong effect and bright colorful style. A unique piece of art, dedicated to a great cause, and brought together by pure talent.

I'd be out beating the drum for everyone to buy this slim anthology even if every story in it were as boring as watching paint dry, as amateurish as finger-paintings by kindergartners, and/or as lacking in literary merit as a porno flick. Because, all author and editor royalties from THE ACORN GATHERING go to the American Cancer Society, and there are few of us whose lives haven't in someway been negatively touched by cancer, whether as regards ourselves, our family members, our friends, and/or our acquaintances.

That said, I'm exceedingly happy that the six contributors provide "anything but" boring, amateurish, and/or lacking in literary merit. Not all of the stories, by the way, have cancer as a thematic. If Duane Simolke's short story, "Finding Acorns In Winter" does tell the poignant tale of a woman surviving breast cancer, juxtaposed against an earlier American Indian woman facing death by starvation, the same author's hilarious "Fat Diary" is about a "big-boned" woman trying to find love and lose weight. Bill Wetzel's wonderful "Nachos Are Green And Ducks Appear To Be Blue At Town Pump In Cut Back, Montana" is about just that. Jan Chandler's "The Gun" drips irony as a tale examining the pros and cons of gun control.

Back to Simolke -- his "The Last Few And The First Few" poignantly post-9/11, via one man's personal reflections on his past -- no potential reader should pay too much attention to this book being promoted as the "sequel" to that author's short-story collection, THE ACORN STORIES, published in 1998. At least as far as assuming anyone need have read the former to enjoy the latter. No need to fear getting lost in this book's story lines, not privy to essential background, because each short story stands entirely on its own.

Which isn't to say you should pass up any opportunity to read Simolke's THE ACORN STORIES. (The "Acorn" of both books, by the way, referring to the same small town of Acorn, west Texas). Simolke's right-on descriptions of life in rural America, no matter where you're lucky enough to find them, will have you never driving through any bit of U.S. countryside ever again without looking at it as far less idyllically bucolic than you might once have imagined.

A vision Duane Simolke had for this book was that writers would contribute stories freely and that all proceeds from the sale would go to the American Cancer Society. Perhaps what he did not count on is that this "gathering" of writers has also produced an artistic realization rarely witnessed in anthologies. The various and individual voices of each story teller in this collection lends cadence and lyrics like an orchestra to a whole larger than the sum of its parts, from Simolke's humorous and "biting" "Fat Diary" to Shawna Chandler's haunting and beautiful "Flamenco Painter." Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans, and even gay people delightfully form a cohesive voice in the fight against cancer and prejudice and hate. Also given voice, here, is how the destructive cancer of hate can ruin lives, and this message adds urgent notes in the orchestration of the whole. Read Bill Wetzel's two stories and you'll see how two disparate themes are unified by this collection; or read Huda Orfali's work and see how a continuing sub-theme is woven into this smart collection. In all, each story is a note or theme in a surprising whole. --Ronald L. Donaghe author of My Year of Living Heterosexually and Other Adventures in Hell.

It was an extreme pleasure reading The Acorn Gathering. This talented group of writers have put together a wonderful collaboration of short stories. What makes this an outstanding buy is that all the royalties go to the American Cancer Society for cancer research. I highly recommend you going out, buying copies for yourself and your loved ones, and enjoy reading this book.

Each story in The Acorn Gathering deals with situations in life that most of us can easily relate to and have experienced. They deal with breast cancer, life on an Indian reservation, struggles of gay life in a small town, losing weight, divorce, coming to terms with feelings of an abandonment, and wonderful story about a hero who goes to New York City to help after the September 11 Terrorist Attacks, just to name a few. If you think none of those stories sound like you, wait until you read them and experience the way each writer brought those issues into a world we all understand. I found myself caught up in several of the stories, feeling at times, that they were about my own life. This collaborative work, even though it is made up of different short stories, has a common thread that runs throughout the book that gives it an unbroken flow. One story seems to lead right into the next even when they are dealing with new people and new topics. Duane Simolke had put this book in perfect reading order.

The Acorn Gathering has something for everyone. The stories will provoke happiness, laughter, sadness and sometimes anger. Each is an extremely poignant view into the life of people that are all around us. The subject matter is extremely diversified that not only will you enjoy this book but it will open your eyes to the broader picture of how life exists for others around you.

As a person who's life has been greatly impacted by cancer, I applaud the writers of The Acorn Gathering for sharing their talents with us through these stories and the proceeds to help find a cure for those with cancer. The American Cancer Society is a responsible choice to receive these funds. Your contribution by purchasing this book will be well spent. No better gift can be given to someone who is suffering from cancer, than hope. You support of this book will do just that.

Bill Crawford has written a fairly thorough and detailed account of Jim Thorpe, without a doubt the greatest athlete of the 20th Century. Mr. Crawford, however, fell short when relating, on pages 231-232, Thorpe's passing and eventual burial. At his death he was brought back to Shawnee, Oklahoma, by his family. He was NOT BURIED, as Mr. Crawford states, but his body lay in the mausoleum at Fairview Cemetery. Many local people visited the site in respect, myself included. During the months his body rested there several prominent citizens began work on a project to build a permanent monument for him. Designs for a burial place and a museum were developed and funds began to be raised. Preliminary plans were to put it between the football and baseball field on the west side of town. However, before the total could be raised and the plans finalized Thorpe's body disappeared, literally, in the middle of the night - much to the surprise of his family and to Shawnee citizens. It was a terrible disappointment. In 1949, on one of his trips back to Oklahoma, he had stated that he was born May 28, 1888 "near and south of Bellemont - Pottawatomie County - along the banks of North Fork River . . hope this will clear up the inquiries as to my birthplace", signed Jim Thorpe. (Bellemont was on the county line between Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties, 8 miles off Hwy 18 - Shawnee is the county seat of Pottawatomie County and about 11 miles from the site). Thus, Shawnee citizens were very proud to be known as the home of the greatest athlete of all time. When the town didn't get to be the resting place of Thorpe's body it was decided to name the football stadium in his honor anyway, and it's known as Jim Thorpe Stadium to this day. It was surprising to read in Mr. Crawford's book that "Shawnee refused to erect a memorial for her husband". It just wasn't so and a little further research on his part, maybe perusing copies of the Shawnee News-Star in the local library. Also, just a few years ago (haven't been out there in a while), there was a marker on the vault at Fairview describing that was where Jim Thorpe's body had lain.

As the youngest son of Jim Thorpe, I want to thank Bill Crawford for finally bringing out the truth in writing as to what happened to our father. For years our family and others have tried to clear his name. Much still needs to be done. Although his Gold Medals from the 1912 Olympics have been returned, dad is only named co-winner. His trophys from the games are still held by the IOC.

Mr. Crawford writes a wonderfull book. But,there is still a lack of understanding of the Indian culture,and what took place in the Indian School System during the early years of the last century, the Indian were not citizens of the United States and held on legal status. Dad did what he was told to do and suffered for his lack of knowledge and having no legal support.

As a family, we still want his name fully cleared and his full honors returned. Then the day would come when he can be put to rest.

Bill Crawford's "All American: The Rise and Fall of Jim Thorpe" is a well crafted, insightful and poignant portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest athletes. That alone would be sufficient to give it all-star status among the scores of sports books published in recent years. "All American," however, is far more than that because paints a unique and compelling picture of "amateur" intercollegiate athletics in its infancy and thereby helps us to understand behemoth that it has become today.

Jim Thorpe's story has been told in other biographies as well as in a grade B movie. Crawford's contribution is its investigation of the complex relationship between Thorpe and his legendary coach, Glenn "Pop" Warner - the same Pop Warner who is the namesake of the youth football leagues that are supposed to instill in young men the spirit and ideals of honest and fair competition. Yet, as early as the first decade of the century, Warner, the football coach at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was earning more than his school's president, was recruiting "student athletes" who were far more athlete than student and was disbursing under the table cash. Although Warner won the trust and loyalty of Thorpe, he ultimately betrayed him by denying that he knew that he had played semi-pro baseball for petty cash. As a consequence, the Amateur Athletic Union and the American Olympic Committee ruled that Thorpe had compromised his amateur status and stripped him of his 1912 Olympic medals. In fact, Crawford makes clear, Warner not only was aware of what Thorpe had been doing in football's off-season, he most likely made the arrangements.

"All American: The Rise and Fall of Jim Thorpe" should be required reading for anyone wishing to gain a perspective on the sports scandals du jour. It's an important book and a great compliment to the daily sports section.

This book provides the most detailed history yet of America's greatest athlete. In an era where athletes could not enhance their performance with drugs, Jim Thorpe was clearly, naturally the best. Bill Crawford's detailed account of Thorpe's life leaves no doubt in my mind. I am amazed by the amount of information Crawford provides on Thorpe as well as other athletes of the time. The history he provides of Carlisle and the Indian school system in general illustrates how poorly the BIA and the US government treated Indians. "All American: The Rise and Fall of Jim Thorpe" should be required reading for all BIA officials as well as strongly recommended reading for others in government. Certainly student athletes and athletic officials would enjoy and learn from it.

All American: The Rise And Fall Of Jim Thorpe is the biography of one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century - who was also at the center of one of the greatest scandals. Jim Thorpe was a grand football running back, a proud Native American, a college player who led his Carlisle Indian Industrial School team to victory, and the winner of gold medals for the decathlon and the pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games. Yet a scandal ensued over whether he was truly worthy of "amateur" sports status, whether playing in certain professional ball games required that he be stripped of his titles. The scandal dragged his reputation through the mud and left a black mark on his life, even though he would go on to play professional baseball and become president of what would one day be the National Football League. All American is the candid portrayal of a courageous and dedicated athlete, and one who was essentially used as a guinea pig to determine the rules - who is an amateur, and who is a pro, and what amateurs and pros are allowed to do or not do. Enjoyable in its own right, All American is a welcome addition to prominent Native American biography collections, and highly recommended for American sports history shelves.

I had heard much about Dr. Fell's work on the internet, but this was the first of his books that I've actually read.

I'm stunned.

He was amazingly thourough, and amazingly polite and patient with all the criticisms and insults leveled at him by "experts" in the field. It's obvious now that the reason they insulted him so much rather than disputing his findings with solid facts and reasoning is that they know he was right and they were BORN wrong.

Of course he MAY have made errors [and this is not an inference that he did], but his detractors got so caught up in ad hominems that no matter how seriously they might finally take is work, they've lost all credibility on this subject.

God Bless Dr. Fell for being the pioneer with all the arrows in his back--and for proving that the "Celts" [or "Fenicians" as they called themselves] colonized America LONG before Columbus got here. Wouldn't it be nice if some of his critics managed to prove that much of this Ogam script pre-dates Jesus--something that today's scholars will admit only when nobody else is listening?

I had read much about Barry Fell - he's rather controversial among archaeologists - and thought I should find out more about him before writing him off. He writes a great deal about Ogam, the Celtic inscriptions found in Europe and British Isles as well as North and South America. I found him rather convincing in a majority of his materials. He gives examples of structures and inscriptions found in the "old world," then goes on to compare similar ones found in the Western Hemisphere. Scholars with open minds seem to support many of his conclusions, but criticize his "translations" of ancient writings. In my mind that means his theory is correct, but some of his details are questioned. I recommend anyone interested in ancient history to first read what others say about Fell, then read America B. C. I found it fascinating and certainly challenging to the status quo.

After a lifetime of study and reading, I had formed my own opinion that we had not been giving sufficient credit to our early ancestors and their abilities. I believed that many people from all over the world had been traveling around this planet for a very long time. Traveling around the world, it is very hard to believe the dogma that "Columbus Discovered America". Even at an early age, I was able to figure out that indeed "Columbus was last". I read the first edition of this book, as well as Bronze Age America and Stone Age America both by Barry Fell, when they first came out in the mid 1970s and it brought together all of my studies and confirmed my theories about early man in general. There is far too much evidence to support Barry Fell's conclusions to doubt them. The book is an easy to read revelation that will change your thinking about our ancestors and the early history of man in America.

Author: Barry Fell
CBS' 60 Minutes program of 9/15/02: KENNEWICK MAN -- the discovery of a 9,000-year-old skeleton - not only seriously questions the notion that Indians inhabited America first, but is causing an old-fashioned science-versus-religion battle. While scientists are fighting for the right to study the bones, Indians say their religion requires they be buried immediately - so reports 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl. ... America B.C.(Barry Fell) was uncovering this some 27 years ago!

This highly and widely acclaimed book provides substantial evidence that anglo Europeans were living and trading in America 4500 years before Columbus.

When Barry Fell's AMERICA B.C. first exploded on the literary scene it was acclaimed by critics as " ...The first major work to penetrate the mysteries of ancient European inhabitants in America" and its support has grown even stronger over the years. It has long been taken for granted that the first European visitors to American shores either sailed with Columbus in 1492, or with Norseman like Lief Erickson a full five centuries earlier. But the history of America before that date has remained, so far, lost in native Indian legends.

This was the case until the late Harvard Professor Barry Fell uncovered evidence, including astonishing new discoveries, to replace those legends with myth-shattering fact. Illuminating, authoriative and enhanced with over 100 pictures, AMERICA B.C. describes American inscriptions, some of them known for a century or more, that turn out to have been written in ancient scripts of a type only recently deciphered in Europe or North Africa.

Thus the truth has slowly come to light, ancient history is inscribed upon the bedrock and buried stone buildings of America, and the only hands that could have inscribed it were those of ancient people. America, as we now realize, is a treasure house of records of man's achievement upon the high seas in bygone ages. Even more so are our inscribed rocks and tablets a heritage from a forgotten era of colonization. They tell us of settlers who came from the Old World and who remained to become founding fathers of some of the Amerindian nations.

"Now, thanks to the genuis of a single man...We must include in our American Heritage - Fighting Celts from Spain...daring Semitic Seafarers from Carthage, Libya and Egypt. Who knows how many others will be added before the end of Barry Fell's epic voyage into the past!" - Reader's Digest
"A stunning book...an authenic landmark...America B.C. destroys the premise of every previous text." - Peter Tompkins, author of Secrets of the Great Pyramid

Paperback
352 pages

This is an excellent book.Not afraid to bring to light the sort of little known details which textbooks ignore!Should be in every school.

This book is NOT just about the 'American Indian' located in the US. This book lists contributions for the MesoAmerican Aztecs, Incas and Mayans too. You can search for contributions and inventions based on Indian Group or Time period. Then, there is a description of the detail of the specific invention, all in alphabetical order. This is a super resource for students doing reports for Spanish class, History and even Science. Add this book to your home library!

As a mother of two teenagers, I wanted to find a resource on the history and contributions of American Indians to complement the rather scanty information they have received in school about the vital and facinating contributions of the American Indian cultures and communities that have graced our land. This book has been read and enjoyed by the whole family. The authors' accessible writing style, the user-friendly format and the generous use of illustrations make this a book I would recommend for families and teachers alike. As a teacher myself with a master's degree in education, I have a critical eye when it comes to reference books. This is one of the best I've ever come across. Thanks for writing it!

This is a very well researched and comprehensive book. It is quite monumental in its scope. To give you an example, I opened the book at random to page 139. One of the listings on this page is Ipecac. Many households know about this medication. It is
usually used to induce vomiting. Children often swallow things they should not. The books goes into some detail about where the plant was first found, how it is refined, and how it came to be used by Europeans. It then lists some sources for further reading.

It also has a great Appendix section. It shows which tribes lived where, including many good maps. The Chronology section lists when different things were discovered or invented by the indigenous people. It also has an appendix which lists the book's
entries by area, by subject and by which tribal group is associated with that item.

I know how long it took me to do the research associated with my book. I can only guess that the authors spent a very long time putting together the material in this book.

EAICW has a plethora of listings and information. EAICW is 384 pages long and measures (in inches): 1.19 x 11.20 x 8.44. It is a BIG book. It would make an excellent addition to any well stocked library.

I highly recommend it.

This is the best book on American Indian Contributions. A lot of research. Used the information on my book "Indians In The Americas"
under my chapter "American Indian Accomplishments. My own 20 years research on Indian accomplishments were no comparison to the detailed explaniations and bibliography in "American Indian Accomplishments." A great deal of insight to a past and future culture that was never given proper credit for all their inventions and adaptation that we are all taking advantage of today.

American Indian Contributions to the World is the paperback version of the Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World. The awards it has won and some of the print reviews this book has received are listed below.

Winner 11th Annual Colorado Book Award, Collections and Anthologies

Winner Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers Writer of the Year, Creative Reference Work, 2002

Selected by Booklist as Editors Choice Reference Source, 2002

"This is a well-written book with fascinating information and wonderful pictures. It should be in every public, school, and academic library for its depth of research and amazing wealth of knowledge. We've starred this title because it is eye-opening and thought-provoking, and there is nothing else quite like it." Booklist Starred Review

"[an] interesting, informative, and inspiring book." Native Peoples Magazine

"I would strongly urge anyone with a kernel of intellectual curiosity: teacher, administrator, researcher, lawyer, politician, writer, to buy this book. I guarantee it will enlighten, stimulate and entertain...Native students and indigenous instructors must obtain their own copies of the Encyclopedia. Whether Cree, Mayan or Penobscot they will find a deep source of pride on each and every page. I can well imagine the excitement of Native teachers when they obtain the book followed by an eagerness to share its contents with everyone within reach.

"I hope the Encyclopedia will serve as the basis for an entirely new approach to Native history, one in which the scholar is liberated from the anti-Indian texts of the recent past. Ideally, a copy of the Encyclopedia should be in every class in every school across the hemisphere." News from Indian Country

"Highly recommended for academic libraries keeping collections about American Indians." Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

"Native accomplishments finally get their due in this award-winning book." American Indian Report

"A treasure trove of information about the large range of technologies and productions of Indian peoples. This is indeed the most comprehensive compilation of American Indian inventions and contributions to date. It is most worthwhile and should be on the bookshelves of every library and home in America." Indian Country Today

"This large, well-illustrated volume is an excellent reference. One of the important strengths of the encyclopedia is that the information provided is balanced and rooted in facts, not speculation. Highly recommended." Multicultural Review

"Far from the stereotypical idea that Native Americans were uncultured and simple, possessing only uncomplicated inventions such as bows and arrows or canoes, these varied cultures donated a rich assortment of ideas and items to the world. This book can be recommended to libraries that support an interdisciplinary approach to student learning, such as units that integrate biology and culture studies projects." VOYA:Voice of Youth Advocates

"...a comprehensive, unique A to Z reference to the vast offerings made by the American Indians throughout history." Winds of Change (American Indian Science and Engineering Society)

An beautiful presentation of Denise and Samuel Wallace and their work. This is definately a coffeetable book.

fabulous book, with amazing photographs of this work!

We really enjoyed the book. The illustrations are wonderful. Just another great job from Louis Sherr Dubin. The book is a must have. The pictures are the highest standard of photography and the explanations are outstanding. Arctic Transformation is for all ages and highly recommended.

Gabi Barat

You won't disappointed in this book. It reads nicely about how Denise and Samual have collaborated to create their unusal jewerly. This is a extraordinary book with fold-out photos of their beautiful belts. They desribe their creative process and how Denise's cultural background has influneced their work. She shares imagaes of her family. Each pieces take many hours to create and they are a very driven couple and this is a must have books for folks who love native influnced jewlery and folks who enjoy jewelry.

I am usually interested in art books more focused on painters and it didn't occur to me that such beautiful artistic expressions could be achieved in jewelry.
In this book, Lois S.Dubin, lovingly and with extremely interesting cultural context, lays out these amazing artists that I wouldn't have otherwise come to know about.
I enjoyed looking at their art and at the same time learned a lot about the culture from which they emerged.
Many thanks to Lois S.Dubin!

The Beautiful Princess Without a Face

April Robins has done it again! The Beautiful Princess Without a Face, a beautifully illustrated book, is not only a brilliant touching story, but I used the experience as a tool to teach my grandchildren about their senses, and what it means to lose the ability to see, smell, hear, and taste the things around us that we love the most. My grandkids and I had a great time thinking of so many things they could not do if they lost any of their senses. A must read for grandparents to grandchildren.

First of all, this book is chalk full of gorgeous images that correspond wonderfully to what is written. Any child's interest will be captured by the pictures alone, as they help the child understand what is going on in the story. They help make the story versatile for all ages.

The story itself is a beautiful story. It teaches a powerful lesson that is best learned young. The descriptions are rich with imagery. The story is easy to follow and will hold the attention of kids of all ages.

This is a book that I will be reading in my high school English class. It is a great example of imagery, and it never hurts to be reminded about the things we often take for granted.

I truly love this book and know you will, too!

`The Beautiful Princess Without a Face' is a wonderfully written story of a child learning about vanity. It is one that every child should read. Its teaching is one of a very valuable lesson that all children should learn. Congratulations to April Robins, F. Jay Robins and Celeste Robins on bringing a lesson to the children in a delightfully and talented telling of a lesson in morals that every child should know.

Rating Number Is: 5 *****
Anastasia Cassella-Young-Reviewer
www.thebookattic.us
Theodocia McLean-Owner of thebookattic.us

My grand daughter loved this book. The story line lets you reinforce the importance of appreciating the beauty around us and not putting too much emphasis on physical beauty.

This book is about a young girl who daydreams about being a Princess in Doll Land. She learns to appreciate the beauty around her and the value of each of each of her five senses. It offers you the opportunity to discuss what your child likes to hear, see, taste, smell, or feel. The book is well written and beautifully illustrated. I highly recommend it.

I loved the pictures! i gave it to my nephews for christmas to read with their parents...

I bought this book for my son and found it a joy to read myself. Too many books talk down to kids and over simplify the story. This book doesn't do that and communicates the story effectively. The artwork is intricate, filled with jewels of details and rich colors. I wish more books (children's and adult) were crafted with such love and care. I make a rule to only buy books that I would want to read myself for my child. This book is one to keep for the long run.

I read this book to my daughter's second grade class (7 & 8 yr. olds) after a recent New England Blizzard. The beautiful, poetic words and colorful, intricate pictures mezmerized the class. The children asked that I continue to hold up the pictures after I had read each page so they could take in all the details of the drawings. The full page with the drawing of the Robe has only one sentence, but I held up the picture for at least 3 minutes! There is so much detail. The children gasped and cheered at certain points in the story and clapped when the book was finished. We all loved this book.

A story told to explain the Northern Lights. It is about a tribe called "the People Who Fear the Winter Night", and member of their tride, named Teune, who is a great robe maker. During the winter nights, everyones fire went out because of the Blizzard. Teune puts all her robes on her fire to keep it roaring. It destroys the Blizzard. Later, the Blizzard visits her in her dreams. He tells her that if he makes him a new robe, he will give her tribe a great gift.
So she goes out and starts making him his ice robe. After the leader of the tribe realizes that she is making a robe for the Blizzard he gets angry and threatens her. But before he destroys the robe, and Blizzard takes it. In return, the Blizzard gave them the Northern Lights, so they don't have to spend all that time in the dark.

This book's magnificent art, done in batik, catches the eye first, but the story is equally powerful and lyrically written.

The People Who Fear the Winter Night fear Blizzard's terrible storms most of all. They rejoice when sparks from Teune the robemaker's fire destroy his robe and leave him powerless. Teune, however, feels only sadness. In a dream, Blizzard promises a great gift for her people if she will sew a new robe for him. Teune risks the anger of her people to do what she knows is right.

Nothing in the book indicates whether this is an original story or a retold folktale. Sabuda does use traditional folk motifs in the art.

Warning! If you do not know how this story turns out and you get this book in Hard Cover, the inside flap of the dust jacket summarizes the whole story including the outcome. At least let it be somewhat open-ended. I was so disappointed, I actually put off reading this book. Dumb! This book turned out to be one of the best and exciting books I've read in a long time. The story and the writing definitely made up for knowing how it ends.

McKay Jenkins does an excellent job researching and writing this tale of murder, investigation, and trial involving a collision of cultures between the Inuit people in the Arctic and the western world of missionaries, law enforcement, and jury system. Priest Jean-Baptiste Rouviere, who was later joined by the often ill-tempered priest Guillaume LeRoux, set out to the far reaches of the north with no hunting, carpentry, or navigational skills, no experience in the extreme northern climate, and no knowledge of the native language. They were aided, for a time, by the legendary, albeit mostly unreliable, frontiersman Jack Hornby.

Inexplicably, in October 1913, the two priests began their trek north following a group of natives (including Sinnisiak who was known for a near violent altercation with Hornby) at the onset of winter while in poor physical condition. It proved a fatal decision. They met their end at Bloody Falls where the Coppermine River empties into Coronation Gulf. Stories began to circulation throughout the Northwest Territories that the priests were killed by two Eskimos--Sinnisiak and Uluksuk.

Inspector Charles Dearing and Corporal Wyndham Bruce led investigations into the priests' disappearance, finding many of their articles in the possession of natives. Once they found the two suspects and received confessions, they took them to Canada for trial. But did the natives, in fact, act in self defense against the two men of God? A jury of white men--hardly a jury of their peers--would decide.

The book proved very exciting and entertaining. I looked forward to picking up the story where I left off each evening and was actually bummed when it ended. I definitely recommend Bloody Falls of the Coppermine. Five stars all the way!

Wow! What an interesting tale of murder and justice in the Arctic Circle at the turn of the last century. I had no idea how much I would enjoy this book when I picked it up. It has a lot to say about colonialism and the concept of justice.

"Now one of virtue's main gifts is a contempt for death, which is the means of furnishing our life with easy tranquillity, of giving us a pure and friendly taste for it; without it every other pleasure is snuffed out." Michel de Montaigne-1572 from Essay To Philosphize Is to Learn How to Die.

You feel a great sense of outrange, sorrow, shame, and pity after reading this book. Mr Jenkins' vivid description of the unbelievable tale of tragic Artic Circle ,tale of strang murder trail in 1913. You cannot help but feel outranged how the Eskimos were unjustly treated; you cannot help but feel sorrow how the Eskimos would be unprepared for the "white man" after thousand years of isolation; you cannot help but feel shame for the all-white jury and how they behaved during the trail; you cannot help but feel pity for the courage Eskimos displayed and injustice they faced. This book is about crime and punishment at Artic Circle, a clash of Western civilization and native culture, a man's courage and will to survive in a hostile envinoment (ie the Western developed world), a very clear example of how not to impose one's views and culture customs on another people. The book also contained many eye-opening black and white photography of the highest historical and cultural importance. I thank the author Mr. Jenkins for giving me the opportunity to learn about this bone-chilling and interesting history.

This fascinating piece of history and investigative journalism explores the ramifications brought about by the deaths of two priests in far northern Canada in 1913, at the hands of Eskimos in what could be considered a catastrophic case of cultural misunderstanding. McKay Jenkins offers an interesting look at the cultures of both the Eskimos and the first Whites who tried to enter the frozen north permanently, as well as showing some insight into each culture's worldview and proclivities toward misunderstanding the other. Jenkins then describes the impressive efforts of the Mounted Police in tracking down the two perpetrators and hauling them back to the white man's city for what may have been history's strangest trials - in which the media, judge, and lawyers behaved with a bizarre mix of cultural condescension, morbid fascination, and political correctness. Jenkins justifiably uses this sad but entertaining story as an example of the problems of colonialism, illustrating the difficulties faced by long-established cultures when they try to adapt to other environments or customs. Here we see that the Eskimos were indeed nomads but were far from uncivilized, as they had built a strong knowledge of their demanding environment over centuries, while the incoming Whites may have appeared to be civilized but were themselves cultural nomads who were nearly helpless in a forbidding landscape. The result, as seen in this book's story, was tragedy, but also a quite interesting cultural lesson about cooperation and humility. [~doomsdayer520~]

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. Jenkins does a great job piecing together the story from letters, court records & scattered oral history. The first half of the book is a lot of adventure & was hard to put down. The second part included a lot of lawyer-speak in court, but it wasn't overdone. This is a great example of manifest destiny at work. After reading the epilogue of "Bloody Falls...", I've come to the conclusion that neither the Catholics nor the Eskimos won! ps. All of Jenkins' books are great!

The essays and poems in this collection, which would make a good gift book, are meaningful, and the American Indian tone is meditative and enriching. Even the cover, in dark colors and smooth to the hand, encourages contemplation.

This book is a beautiful collection of stories and references to ceremonies, a good addition to any library of books on native ways or shamanism. It is not a "cookbook" of rituals or ceremonies, but a book that honors the beliefs and energies behind the ceremonies as important.

The primal wisdom that emanates from these ancient teachings lifts up the spiritual practice of reverence-one that is often lacking in modern times. Horn demonstrates a kind of radical amazement, a deep feeling tinged with both awe and wonder as he sees the sacred in all things. These ceremonies touch the heart because they arise out of a felt sense of participation in the universe, a kinship with all beings and with matter.

Anyone wanting ceremonial richness in their own lives will cherish this book and will feel emboldened to start where they are right now-even in the middle of a city, far from the kind of natural surroundings available to the ancients. "It is the spirit of the ceremony that is most important," reassures a grandmother. This is treasure to own and consult, a treasure to give.-SA

The Book Of Ceremonies is an intensely sensitive, reverent collection of Native American sacred songs, poems, stories, observations, and ceremonies. It's prayerful tone is beautifully underlined by the delicate, perfect black and white art work by the author's son, Carises Horn. Drawing from a variety of sources, The Book Of Ceremonies unifies and presents thoughts on Preparing, Greeting and Gratitude, Love, Marriage and Divorce, Birth and Death, Dreams and Visions, and Seasons and Healing. An additional list of recommended reading includes Native Heart: An American Indian Odyssey by Gabriel Horn, and other selected books by Kent Nerburn, Jason Gardner, and Loree Boyd. The Book Of Ceremonies is a beautiful book to be treasured and shared.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer