Native American Books

He's opinionated and stubborn, sure. But did I mention Northrup is also a sassy, silver-rongued, and insightful writer? WALKING THE REZ ROAD is a tremendously important, truthful contribution but never dreary or dowdy.

I bought the hardcover years ago when it first came out and loved it. Mr. Northrup has an easy going style that grows on you. Just an all-around wonderful book.

I hear it is GREAT! I can't wait.... only two more days til I get this book! Everybody I know who has read it rates it as 5 stars! Is this cheating? Rating it before I read it? I hope not... I'll be back within a week to give it my personal critique. :)

I stumbled across this book in a bookstore and bought it after I flipped it open and found the main character's name was Luke Warmwater, I knew this would be a good book! The author begins this book with stories and poems about his experiences as a Vietnam veteran, stories which I felt were powerful and insightful for the reader - and then the author continues with stories from Indian country, stories which can heal by sharing the strengths of Indian people (our humor, families, traditions). I really felt connected to the stories and characters because I swear he was writing about my cousins and I had a few really good chuckles. Northup is able to make light of serious issues, and does so in a good way. Highly recomend this for both members of the "rez road" and those who want to take a glimpse into Indian country.

"Walking the Rez Road" is a great find, a wonderful book. Not only does Jim Northrup have a tremendous sense of humor, but I love the way he seriously contemplates events in his life and makes it all good, with a little sugaring and ricing for good measure. I've met Jim once, and he was the nicest guy, he stood and listened to me gush about how I loved this book and how I was tricked into giving my own copy of the book away -- I had to have a gift for my sister-in-law at Christmas and was caught short, so I wrapped one of my most-treasured books ever. If she were MY sister, I could ask her to give it back, alas...My moral? BUY THIS BOOK, BUT DON'T LET IT OUT OF YOUR SIGHT!

The photography in this collection is some of the best, most colorful that I've seen. The interviews with the people in the book are very well done.
This is a must for anyone that has an interest in the native American culture.

I found this book to be entertaining and infomative. It moves the reader to a better understanding of the Native American Indian, their customs and their celebration of life.

Never have I found a more informative book on "the People" as this one. Being Native American myself, and wanting to learn more about my heritage, this book answered questions I've had for years. The pictures are amazingly vibrant. This book makes me proud to be a part of the Native American family.

I have had the pleasure of meeting over half of the people featured in this book. For those wishing to know more about Native American culture and pow wows, one would be hard pressed to find a better book. A beautiful illustration of a magnificent culture.

For anyone interested in Powwow and the American Indians, this book is a treat! It is loaded with beautiful photos of the dancers and their regalia as well as a wonderfully readable text. Each dancer profiled shares his or her own thoughts on being Indian in America today as well as what Powwow means to them. I found it hard to put down and I learned so much from these wonderful people who were willing to share their experiences.

As a person very interested in California history, I thoroughly enjoyed "When the Great Spirit Died" by William B. Secrest. It is the most informative and educational book I have read about the Native American Indian tribes of early California. Mr. Secrest's clear descriptions of the culture and way of life of California's first inhabits stirs the imagination. He vividly illustrates how cultures clashed with the arrival of the white settlers. He truly makes history come to life. I highly recommend this well-written book.

William Secrest has once again done an outstanding job of historical research. This book explores one of the most painful episodes of Euro-American history, and brings to light the attitudes and morays of early settlers whose goal was, indeed, to exterminate the Native American population. He offers irrefutable proof of a shameful period in our history, one that we need to recognize and deal with.
It is a factual and well-written documentary that every American should read, especially those of us whose roots go back to those settlers.

Len Wilcox
Author, Desert Dancing

This history deserves to be better known. They didn't teach this in school or college when I was growing up; and when traveling to the various historical sites and museums in the state you'll see few references to the many sorry episodes well told in this excellent book.

The book is broken into eighteen chapters. The first briefly sketches the history of the California Indians to 1850. The following chapters are each a regionally centered story of the one-sided conflicts during the period 1850-1860 that traditional histories refer to as Indian `troubles' or `wars'; but is no different from the genocides or ethnic cleansing of more recent times.

The author makes powerful use of newspaper accounts, diaries and similar sources to tell the stories of the brutal destruction of California's original inhabitants by Americans flooding in. As the settlers and miners spread throughout the state they took land and, more importantly, access to traditional sources of food away from the local Indians. And no matter whether the Indians resisted or cooperated the men, women and children were killed with impunity. Many children were sold into slavery; many women were kidnapped and raped or forced into prostitution. Treaties weren't honored. Assistance from the Federal Indian Department was diverted by corrupt officials. Even on the reservations the Indians starved and were ravaged by disease. It can be a difficult read.

The author acknowledges that he isn't an academic historian or anthropologist; and thankfully this book is free of 'theory', although it might have benefited from some additional context. It is nonetheless well referenced for those looking to check his facts and sources. And it is a history well worth knowing and thinking about.

As Jonathan Kirsch says in the March 2, 2002 LA Times Book Review section (p.R2), 'Secrest reminds us that the California dream was a nightmare for its original inhabitants... For anyone whose knowledge of California history derives from bland grade-school textbooks, Secrest's book will be nothing less than shocking." An important supplemental history to the usual tales of missions and the gold rush in California.

This history of the destruction of California's Indians covers a narrow time frame from 1850-1860, but documents a startling point in American history where Indians were slaughtered and hunted. When The Great Spirit Died probes the philosophy behind these killings, using source material references, previously unpublished material, and a host of vintage black and white photos to capture the terrible events. A 'must' for any Native American history collection from high schools through public libraries.

Its a great back. I give it five stars. When I started reading it,I instantly fell in love with it. It made me cry and it made me laugh. It took me back into time when I grew up. I could not put it down. Its a great book.

That old saying "big things come in small packages" is perfectly proven in Joyce Sequichie Hifler's "When the Night Bird Sings" -- and don't for an instant underestimate the strength of this book by its diminutive size.

Sequichie Hifler is certainly a modern day mystic for our times. In this small collection of vignettes reflecting on her Cherokee childhood in Oklahoma, her homespun wisdom brings us closer to the true meaning of God than any would-be Deepak Chopra or Marianne Williamson.

With all due respect to those noted authors, it's the simplicity of Sequichie Hifler's writing and the warm introduction to her life through storytelling that unlocks the door and allows us to return to that wonderful place of knowing and understanding.

Throughout the book there is the haunting voice of the Great Spirit that almost demands the reader to run outside and kiss the ground, embrace the trees, touch the flowers and look into the warm eyes of all the little creatures about. We should thank them all for having patience with us while we struggle to remember and return to that which is real and important and necessary in our lives.

Sequichie Hifler writes, "the soul of the Cherokee is forever immutable in its love for a kindred spirit. And yet that love of brother is never so strong as the love for things of nature. So closely woven are these allies of spirit, we can sense that all things are brothers, all people are one with nature. All nature keeps a constant pace; it never forgets and never loses the love of life for which it was made."

Her poignant memories delivered me back in time to my own Oklahoma childhood and to the remarkable, almost daily, celebration of the mystery and magic in nature. She provides a gentle reminder that we are connected, all creatures great and small, and that by gracefully honoring nature we come face to face with the reflection of the God that exists inside each one of us.

Sequichie Hifler might have been deeply and wonderfully exposed to the innate wisdom of her Cherokee elders but she grew up in a time and place where the Christian doctrine was exceptionally unforgiving - unfortunately quite common and typical even in the Oklahoma of my youth. But we survived and transcended it by overcoming our fear of church and heeded that inner call which allowed us to make our own church in the bosom of nature and there find God and become one with the Great Spirit. With remarkable insight she reminds us that "the true church is within each one of us, and it is a personal responsibility to worship there often."

Through the words and memories of Sequichie Hifler we are introduced to some incredibly delightful characters, wise beyond their time, that help pave the path to our journey back home. We marvel at her simple but exceptionally wise mother and applaud when her equally sage-like grandmother encourages Sequichie Hifler to love herself first and unconditionally and watch, as the rest of the world would certainly follow. These are simple words to live by and truly insightful writing that can help you change your life in an instant.

I think, perhaps for me, as one who endeavors to reflect on the simplicity of life through the written word, the following passage moved me more than anything else in the book; and promises to challenge me forever to the way I see things. She writes, "Everything is full of life for such a short time. The image must be as important in my notebook when I read it again as it was when it happened. It must be able to live again on the page in another season. My winter notebook goes with me into spring, and my spring notes are soon filled out with the summer pictures. I record and record, because each image must have time to work through my own fingers and my own consciousness to live on paper. The word is only part of the Spirit, but it feeds the one who cannot stop to see, to experience the purples of the land. I cannot assume readers will know what I have seen, how a flower blooms, how a bird flies, or what fragrance is. To trigger someone else's imagination to see for themselves is to come full circle to awaken my own. No one should miss the purples that accent nature. We who record the whisper of the land must live in it, breathe it and bring it forward. Wonders await us all. But our spirits must be kindled to see and to feel. Then, when we are weary, when all the color has drained from our spirits, we can tap into the life of the land again and find a healing peace."

This is the little book that could and it speaks volumes to anyone who dares to allow Sequichie Hifler's memories to ignite their own and transcend ordinary life. As grandmother Sequichie says, "when you think you have learned all the lessons in life little one - look again." If you look for life's lessons in this book you will be rewarded beyond belief.

What an enjoyable book. When visiting Okla. I used to hear the night bird calling in the middle of the night and was so touched by this. When I saw this book, I knew I had to have it. The little stories are so wonderful, spiritual and educational. I read one story a day as a daily lesson and then I think about it throughout the day and realize there is so much more out there for us to learn and understand. Thank you for the book to the author, Joyce Sequichie Hifler. I have other books by her and enjoy every one of them and have bought for family members for the spiritual content and peacefulness. Loralee Minyard

I know the land she writes about - every tree and creek in Cherokee country - for it is the place of my birth, too, and her lovely memories are as true as my own heartbeat. I even knew her beloved Papa. I write about this same land in my own book of memoirs "Sometimes A Wheel Falls Off" (Hawk Publishing Company.) Joyce Hifler wrote a blurb for my book, saying it is "deep and dear and so touching that I want more of it." We have the same homeland and the same abiding reverence for ordinary, holy place. She leads the way in telling this story.

When The Night Bird Sings is a beautiful collection of meditations or essays by the author of A Cherokee Feast of Days. How easily and how gently these pages read, like clear water flowing in a stream. As they are absorbed page by page, sequentially or haphazardly, the reader experiences a feeling of renewal. An example of her inspiration is found in Living by Personal Measures: "Plan for good...Rise up and make your own decisions. Open your mind and spirit to new understanding and new ability to overcome any problem - especially inertia. What appears to be impossible may be the wall you can only see from your present stance. If you are willing to give thanks for something you want before you see it, you will not be disappointed. Be constant and faithful to your goals, show gratitude - and one day you will look back and wonder why you ever doubted (p.81)." All of this book of days is to be treasured. It is a gift to the heart. Highest recommendations for inspirational reading.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

I am told I am a distant relative of Nick Wilson. My Whole famile has all of the copy's of this book and the movie of this story also. It is very well written and very captivating. You cant go wrong buying this book or any of the Nick Wilson stories!!! A must read and must see!! L.J. Gittins, Utah.

Fast service - thanks a lot.

If you are interested in America's early frontier west - the days of cowboys, pioneers, explorers and Indians - you will be fascinated with two western classics, The White Indian Boy and its sequel The Return of the White Indian.

The White Indian Boy, first published in 1910, is the story of Nick Wilson, a young Mormon pioneer boy who became the adopted son of Washakie, famous chief of the Shoshone Indians who inhabited areas of western Montana, eastern Idaho, western Wyoming and northern Utah. Nick later became a Pony Express Rider, a driver for the famous Overland Stage, a guide for General Albert Sidney Johnston, and co-founder of Wilson, Wyoming in Jackson Hole.

Years later Nick's son Charles A. Wilson wrote a sequel to his father's famous book, telling of his father's later years and of his own adventures in early Jackson Hole. His book, The Return of the White Indian, is equally as interesting as his father's, telling of Jackson Hole's earliest days, of cowboys and Indians, of big game hunting, lake and stream fishing, world famous celebrities, development of Grand Teton National Park.

These two books, published by the University of Utah Press as a single volume, vividly bring to life a unique time and place in American history. There is considerable humor mingled with historical fact, and enriched with early day photos.

A delightful Foreword has been written by John J Stewart, author of several books and chief founder of the National Association and Center for Outlaw & Lawman History.

I felt like I was reading a diary of actual events. The historical insight was enlightening. History is hard to write about from the frame of mind of the people that lived it unless it is written by someone that did just that. "The White Indian Boy" transports us to the time of the settling of Wyoming through the eyes of the author.

I read the book and then recommended it to a book club I was organizing. We used it as our first book and everyone enjoyed it. I found the stories spellbinding and the history was very interesting. Nick Wilson led a fasinating life and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history from the old West.

"Windsong" is a charming historical novel set in the 1800s on Mackinaw Island. The story is a romance between Windsong, a Native American Woman, who was educated with the whites, and Etienne, a wealthy French Canadian "comte" turned trader and adventurer. Windsong's baby boy, Skye, an integral part of the story, draws the couple together and fosters their romance(a lovely touch).

Meticulously researched by author Kelly Ferjutz, "Windsong" also is noteworthy for teaching the interplay of the French, English, and Native American cultures at the time and place in which the novel is set. The couple move fluidly between all three cultures, maybe a little too fluidly to be realistic, but this does move the story along and emphasizes both the differences and similarities of all three cultures.

The love scenes are torrid; otherwise, I think this book might be approproptiate for not only the adult audience, but also the classroom. Certainly, the book is appropriate for teenagers to read on their own.

Kelly Ferjutz's Windsong is a gripping page-turner, with real sense of pace and strong characterizations. Also impressive is her research: this is a work with a real sense of period and culture clash. She is also excellent with sexual tension. A highly enjoyable read from beginning to end! Alice McVeigh

Despite the fact that romance novels sell big, they are frequently put down as fairy tales of a sort, fluff with not much in the way of redeeming literary value. Gorgeous boy and luscious girl meet, there's instant love and/or lust, but complications keep arising, first on one side, then on the other, until after a few hundred pages, love finally conquers. But judging by Kelly Ferjutz's Windsong, this is an attitude both unfortunate and inaccurate. Windsong is a fantasy, rather than a fairy tale, and like other artistic examples of fantasy, it provides the reader excellent insights into and understanding of particular problematic matters in human society.
Windsong takes place in Michigan in 1837. The title character is a beautiful Indian woman who, the year before, had been forced to marry the young chief-to-be of a local tribe, who managed to get her pregnant before he died of smallpox. As the story begins, Bear Dancer, the old chief and Windsong's father-in-law, has set out to find an acceptable new husband who will be a proper father to the two-month-old baby, Sky Warrior, next in line to be chief. But first, Bear Dancer and his entourage of advisors stop on Mackinac Island to report the death of his son to the Indian agent there, and given that it is January and freezing-cold, he leaves Windsong and Sky Warrior on Mackinac until spring, when he will presumably return with the new husband.
On Mackinac Island, Windsong meets young Etienne Nicolet, an Indian scout. Their exchange of glances probably melted snowbanks for miles around. Etienne engineers the situation so that Windsong and Sky Warrior get a room at Mrs. Haggerty's home, where he himself just happens to be staying. Under the sympathetic and not-too-watchful eye of Mrs. H, the romance blossoms. Etienne is as taken with Baby Sky as he is with Windsong.
But there are problems: Sky's new father must be able to teach the young chief-to-be his Indians ways and heritage, so Bear Dancer will never accept Etienne, a non-Indian, as a worthy husband and father. The second Catch-22 is that if Windsong does marry Etienne without the chief's approval, she must give up Sky to the tribe.
Fortunately, there's a temporary solution. Since smallpox has decimated the Indian population, Bear Dancer and his men are not able to find a suitable husband over the winter, and it will be a while before they can. And under Indian custom, any man and woman may live together as husband and wife during the summer, but must then separate at the Green Corn Ceremony in the fall. So, Etienne and Windsong go off with the tribe, she willing at least to have a few more months with Etienne, he determined to convince the chief and the tribe that he can be a proper husband to Windsong and father to Sky.
The story is suspenseful, but beyond that, Ferjutz's assiduous research (documented at the end of the book) presents a fascinating account of life in both white and Indian cultures in early nineteenth-century Michigan. Primary focus is on white-Indian relations, where Windsong and Etienne come to be excellent historical metaphors for their respective cultures. The information is presented beautifully through the rounded characters, as Ferjutz avoids the twin pitfalls of preachy didacticism and bias. The Indians do have plenty to complain about, regarding their treatment at the hands of whites, but clearly they themselves are far from free of prejudice, stubbornness, superstition, and downright reactionary behavior. Without giving away too much of the story, I'll say that the gradual understanding and acceptance of white customs by Indians, and vice versa, was a very satisfying aspect of the story.
I'd be remiss not to mention that Ferjutz writes terrific sex scenes - truly erotic, never clinical, or so sloppy that the reader feels a need to set down the book and wash his or her hands.
I was pleased to learn that Ferjutz intends to develop the story into a multigenerational saga. I'll look forward to following the exploits of these interesting and sympathetic people.

As an author who appreciates descriptions and the setting-in-its-time aspect of a story, I have nothing but praise for this book. Kelly Ferjutz has such feeling for her characters, and for the historic settings in which they move, that her passion exudes from every page. From the opening scene, where Etienne first sees the beautiful Indian woman, the Windsong of the title, the reader knows that the treat ahead will provoke the imagination to such an extent that everything will be seen as well as felt.

The research is awesome, and so accurate as to almost make one wonder if Ms Ferjutz had access to a secret library of detailed journals. For anyone wanting to know what nineteenth-century life was like on Michigan's Mackinac Island, this book is essential reading. For anyone wanting a rattling good historical novel, filled with sensuous love that battles against the odds, this book is essential reading.

Read, enjoy, and savor the delights you found between the pages. Then read it all over again. WINDSONG will always be a treat, and will always have new pleasures to impart, no matter how many times you delve into its wonders.

There is to be a sequel, called SECRET SHORES, which I know will satisfy readers' craving to know what happened next.

Windsong by Kelly Furtjetz opens in 1837 in Michigan in the United States. The back-story - Windsong, an Indian maid lives with the husband she was forced to marry, a young heir to the chief ship of a local tribe. He manages to do his husbandly duty before dying of small pox, leaving her alone and with child. Bear Dancer is the father-in-law, and he feels he must find a suitable husband for Windsong and a good father for her baby, Sky Warrior. Since his father died, this mean Sky Warrior will one day be the chief.

During the freezing Winter Bear Dancer journey's to Mackinac Island. There, he intends to report the death of his son to the Indian agent. Since the weather is so bitter, he thinks it best to leave Windsong and Sky Warrior on the island while he continues his father hunt. He leaves, promising to come back in the spring with a new husband for her. While staying on Mackinac Island, she meets Etienne Nicholet. Instant attraction flairs between the two. Nicholet is an Indian Scout and he arranges for Windsong and her son to stay at the same home where he rooms.

While things heat up between Windsong and Etienne, she knows her father-in-law will never accept this man for her husband. His grandson is to be chief, he needs to learn the ways of their people, and grow up in the traditions of his heritage as ruler of the tribe. She loves Etienne, but to marry him would mean she'd have to give her child to Bear Dancer to raise.

Oddly, the same small pox epidemic that killed Windsong's husband, also took many other fine braves, so Bear Dancer is not finding a man suitable to step into the role. Their laws do allow for a form of marriage, saying a man and woman may live together as if they were married for the summer. Come fall they must go their separate ways. Windsong seizes upon this chance to be with Etienne. She hopes when Bear Dancer sees what a wonderful man Etienne is, how he loves her, he will finally give his blessing to their union.

Ferjutz is meticulous in her period research, thoroughly weaving a tapestry of the Indian ways and White Man's ways, far beyond other authors of this genre. She paints with vivid colours their beliefs, prejudices and the power of love. The author doesn't give you stereotypes, but richly conceived characters and who come alive in this mesmerizing tale, that neither is preachy nor takes one "side". The chemistry between Etienne and Windsong nearly burns up the pages. I understand this is to be a series of books, and I for one cannot wait for the next one

Very highly recommended.

"I have a question for my soul," Joy Harjo writes in this book, "a creature who has little patience with crows--and less with snow. The question grows new leaves with each hard rain yet bends with grief at loss in the cold" (p. 26) After first reading this amazing book of poetry in 1996, I've returned to it many times. Something new is revealed with each reading, and along the way, Harjo has become one of my favorite contemporary poets.

Harjo writes that she is a poet "charged with speaking the truth about "the landscape of the late twentieth century" (p. 19). Written from a Native American, feminine perspective, her poetry here is filled with images of earth, sky, stars, bones, blood, rain (the "earth is wet with happiness," p. 12), and lightning ("A blue horse turns into a streak of lightning, then the sun," p. 48). In each poem, Harjo asks her reader the question: "do you see the connection?" (p. 51). At least for me, Harjo's connections are rarely obvious, but the poetic experience offered by her verse is always powerful. "It's possible," Harjo observes, "to understand the world from studying a leaf . . . It's also possible to travel the whole globe and learn nothing" (p. 57).

In her poem, "Witness," she connects walking the streets of Lucca, Italy with "driving the back roads around Albuquerque, the radio on country and a six-pack" (p. 42).

I recommend the breathtaking experience of making the connection with Harjo's poetry.

G. Merritt

I found this book in a thrift store, of all places, several years ago. This has become one of my all-time favorite books of women's poetry. The truths that Joy Harjo puts forth through her use of language is so telling and pierces one like arrows. So good and highly recommended.

In this book, Harjo herself identifies poet with truth-teller; truth-teller is an accurate description of her work, especially in this volume. This volume contains several of the more political pieces on her album (with Poetic Justice) - the boarding schools, the unkept promises, the discrimination. Several of the piece blur the line between poetry and prose but read aloud a clearly poetry.

To read this poetry is to receive a gift, a grace of seeing another way to view the world - one in which the tree, the butterfly, the water speak and are connected to oneself. She clearly speaks from experience, from truth - not as some who tell such stories of connected for personal gain but as one to whom this telling describes her world. But in connectedness she shows the tears - the alcohol, 'Nam, enforced 'white culture' - the rips in the Native cultures that must be healed for the people to survive.

Excellent poetry - deep in meaning, superb in handling of language and image.

Joy Harjo's "Woman Who Fell From the Sky" encompasses many aspects of modern Native American life and, although it reflects a strong sense of her own cultural heritage, is not overtly political. In many of her poems she incorporates her religious tradition into modern contexts, effortlessly merging magical or mythical reality with the modern industrial experience. As she states in "The Place the Musician Became a Bear" (51-53), "It's about rearranging the song to include the subway hiss under your feet in Brooklyn."

Harjo's writes in long poems, about one-and-a-half pages long, and uses complete sentences. Her style resembles prose only in form, however, for each sentence is dense with meaning and rewards close perusal. She chooses each word with care, working and re-working each sentence for maximum effect. Her sentences are so compressed, in fact, that a casual reader might fail to comprehend the full meaning of her work. Explanatory notes at the end of each poem are invaluable to understanding the meaning and context of her poetry.

"The Woman Who Fell From the Stars" is a finely-written and inspiring book. The author's unique writing style rewards careful reading and re-reading, and, while she chooses heavy themes, she deals with them positively -- weaving pain, human cruelty, joy and love into a tapestry of life which is beautiful and understandable.

I must admit that I usually have a hard time reading poetry (a serious problem for a literature major!), but Joy Harjo's THE WOMAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY is simply the most moving and eloquent group of poems I have ever read. From beginning to end, I was awed by Harjo's skillful use of language to convey not only impressions and emotions, but levels and varieties of meanings. I was especially moved by the title poem, which recounts a timeless love story -- these characters could be out of myth or they could be your neighbors, but either way the story is lyrical and passionate, the events flowing like eddies in a stream toward a natural conclusion. Most of the poems in the volume have this same motion -- of fated adventures that make one serenely happy that things turn out as they should. For lovers of poetry, stars, water and people, this is one volume of poetry that cannot be passed over

"The World before This One" was a motivating book for me. I wouldn't recommend this book for younger people, because the vocabulary and names are very challenging, even for me. It was also hard for me to follow what was going on in the book, so if you have a short attention span, this book isn't for you. This book is a good book for scholars in the literary area. It is a very good legend, but if you aren't interested in a novel told in legend, I would definitely not recommend this book.
The main characters in this book are a young man named Crow, and his grandmother. The setting is at a lodge, and in the forest. The climax is when grandmother asks Raccoon, Crow's old friend, to spy on him and see why he doesn't bring home hardly any books from hunting a full day in the forest. The plot is how grandfather stone tells Crow the legends of the world before this one, and it is up to him to see if his fellow villagers are ready to hear the legends.

I enjoyed this book very much. It touched my heart and mind by teaching lessons that mean something today as much as they must have in "The World Before This One." Certainly a worthwhile read - and then some.

In THE WORLD BEFORE THIS ONE a stone speaks, transporting the listening Seneca boy, Crow, and ourselves, to an older time; a world of myth and legend where integrity and nobility of action bring rewards. The stories Grandfather Stone tells Crow transform the listening boy, his people, and ultimately ourselves.

Rafe Martin, a gifted storyteller, posesses a rare ability to bring to life for adults and children alike the world of magic inherent in nature. THE WORLD BEFORE THIS ONE is partly a coming of age story, as Crow finds his true path as a tale teller and guardian of his people's wisdom. Martin's retelling of these Seneca legends reaches all of us to touch a deeper consciousness within, and imbues our present world with meaning.

If you are looking for a book to read aloud to your children, you'll love this one. The imagery and folk lore are as interesting for the parent as for the children. Because many of the Native American legends and customs are the same as my children are learning in school, this book was a great way to have fun while reinforcing learning.

This book is about a boy and his grandmother who have to move away from the village. He finds a rock that can tell stories. I like this book because it has different stories in it. I think it is part fantasy and part realistic fiction. I would recommend that other people should read it because it is good if you like realistic fiction or fantasy.

Deftly compiled and professionally edited by James Treat (Associate Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Illinois), Writing The Cross Culture: Native Fiction On The White Man's Religion is a provocative and somewhat iconoclastic anthology of writings based upon the Native American cultural transformation and adaptations of the beliefs and practices of the Christian faith. Featuring works ranging from satire to philosophy, Writing The Cross Culture presents a creative collective interpretation of the significant occurrences in the Native American culture as impacted by Christianity. Writing The Cross Culture is very strongly recommended to students of Native American history and literature as a quite unique perspective on an often neglected aspect of contemporary Native American culture.

Deftly compiled and professionally edited by James Treat (Associate Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Illinois), Writing The Cross Culture: Native Fiction On The White Man's Religion is a provocative and somewhat iconoclastic anthology of writings based upon the Native American cultural transformation and adaptations of the beliefs and practices of the Christian faith. Featuring works ranging from satire to philosophy, Writing The Cross Culture presents a creative collective interpretation of the significant occurrences in the Native American culture as impacted by Christianity. Writing The Cross Culture is very strongly recommended to students of Native American history and literature as a quite unique perspective on an often neglected aspect of contemporary Native American culture.

Deftly compiled and professionally edited by James Treat (Associate Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Illinois), Writing The Cross Culture: Native Fiction On The White Man's Religion is a provocative and somewhat iconoclastic anthology of writings based upon the Native American cultural transformation and adaptations of the beliefs and practices of the Christian faith. Featuring works ranging from satire to philosophy, Writing The Cross Culture presents a creative collective interpretation of the significant occurrences in the Native American culture as impacted by Christianity. Writing The Cross Culture is very strongly recommended to students of Native American history and literature as a quite unique perspective on an often neglected aspect of contemporary Native American culture.

Deftly compiled and professionally edited by James Treat (Associate Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Illinois), Writing The Cross Culture: Native Fiction On The White Man's Religion is a provocative and somewhat iconoclastic anthology of writings based upon the Native American cultural transformation and adaptations of the beliefs and practices of the Christian faith. Featuring works ranging from satire to philosophy, Writing The Cross Culture presents a creative collective interpretation of the significant occurrences in the Native American culture as impacted by Christianity. Writing The Cross Culture is very strongly recommended to students of Native American history and literature as a quite unique perspective on an often neglected aspect of contemporary Native American culture.

Deftly compiled and professionally edited by James Treat (Associate Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Illinois), Writing The Cross Culture: Native Fiction On The White Man's Religion is a provocative and somewhat iconoclastic anthology of writings based upon the Native American cultural transformation and adaptations of the beliefs and practices of the Christian faith. Featuring works ranging from satire to philosophy, Writing The Cross Culture presents a creative collective interpretation of the significant occurrences in the Native American culture as impacted by Christianity. Writing The Cross Culture is very strongly recommended to students of Native American history and literature as a quite unique perspective on an often neglected aspect of contemporary Native American culture.

19th Century Plains Indian Dresses

I make Native American dolls and their traditional clothing. This book is going to prove invaluable to me as reference for authenticity and style which I am trying to achieve in my dolls. Susan Jennys has provided excellent history and style information to allow me to make clothes that are properly made to represent specific tribal styles. The instuctions are detailed and easy to follow and I find it very easy to look at the patterns and adjust them to the size I need for my dolls. I am also a writer for a Native American web site and this book will be a great resource and reference for me in relation to the issues I cover in my articles, newsletters and forum.

I needed info on beading on leather. This was a great resource. Nice pictures and instructions.

This is an amazing book! It is a must have for anyone who wants to create authentic Native American dresses. The attention to detail is amazing! The book describes the four basic styles of dresses and how to construct each one. Beads, elk teeth, cowrie shells, trade cloth dresses, and many other design features are discussed. It also describes the beliefs and thought processes that went and goes into making these dresses. I will never put this book down and have used it for every project I have made since I bought it!

At last, a book with detailed information as to how to create authentic dresses of various tribes. The book also provides details on the correct moccasin style for each dress discussed. Great attention is given to the decorative elements of each dress. The book even discusses the various types of hides available, indicating which tanning method provides the most authentic appearance.