Native American Books

Featuring color paintings by Sioux artist S. D. Nelson (who was inspired by the traditional art style of the Plains Indians), Crazy Horse's Vision by Joseph Bruchac is the true story of a young Native American boy named Curly who witnessed fierce battles between his tribe of Lakota Indians and white settlers. Defying the custom of his people, Curly ran to the hills in search of a vision, and what he saw would transform him forever. Curly would then come to be known in history as the Sioux war chief Crazy Horse. An author's note following the story relates a summary of the life and death of this brave an unselfish leader. Crazy Horse's Vision is an outstanding picture book and a welcome addition to personal, school, and community library collections.

I adore Crazy Horse and bought this for my 5 year old daughter who just loves this story. It's a great story for anyone and I highly recommend it for all schools.

This beautifully illustrated book is one to read to your children many times over. It tells a story all American children should hear, and it has a magical feel to it.

I especially enjoyed the illistrations in this book. The pictures almost draw you into the pages. They are drawn in the traditional style of the Sioux People. The story is about a man who is greatly respected by his people.

I have both of Theresa's books and I have to say that they have to be the best books I've ever read; my daughter and I are constantly swapping these books back and forth. They are beautifully written, have wonderful illustrations and are very easy to follow. I love the history she inputs into every chapter and I have learned so much from these books. Please Theresa, write another one!

"Beadwork has an amazing history through the millennia. Even with so many brilliant examples of beadwork found on all continents except Antarctica, the Native American style of beading remains extremely popular worldwide. It is characterized by bright colors, bold designs, and extravagant beauty with natural themes. Embedded in the designs are symbols of spiritual significance to the native cultures originating them."

"People who do beadwork readily acknowledge that their beads 'speak' to them. Beads are like letters that are merely abstract symbols for composing words of human expression. They form a universal language that appears to cross all cultures."

from Native American Beadwork, Theresa Flores Geary

Theresa Flores Geary weaves tales and plant lore with drawings and patterns, as well as practical advice like how to finish your knots, in two lavishly illustrated books on Native American beading techniques and projects. She also nourishes a creative space with plenty of opportunity for improvisation and design on the part of the beader.

Much of a beader's time is spent looking closely at beads. Full-color photographs throughout the books breathe detail into the process of creating about three dozen beaded projects for beginners to advanced beadworkers. The photographs include finished beadwork pieces by many artists, as well as close-up shots of the bead projects at various stages of completion and diagrams which are easy to understand.

Of Tewa and Aztec ancestry, Geary started doing beadwork at 14, taught by her mother, Anna Flores, and later received advanced instruction from elders of the San Carlos Apache tribe while working as a clinical psychologist. For the past ten years she has devoted herself to full-time beadwork, writing books and teaching.

About a project with a traditional Thunderbird pattern, Geary writes: "A famous Kiowa poet, N. Scott Momaday, describes a different beast that roams the sky during a thunderstorm... Momaday's beast has a horse's head and a fish's tail. From its mouth lightning flashes, and its tail embodies the hot wind of a tornado. During a particularly violent monsoon-like season in southern Arizona, his description comes to life."

Geary's descriptions bring to life many projects, including a round peyote-stitched hatband for advanced beaders, Apache weave (or brick stitch) earrings, loom designs, Huichol lace, miniature ears of corn using a corn stitch, and eyeglass and badge holders. The range of designs makes the book useful to experienced beaders and to those just starting out. Lists of materials and instructions are clear, and most show ways that the patterns can be adapted to other projects.

Some of the stories Geary spins are old and pass on culture, and some are new, told in a clear and personal voice. The whole is a delightful how-to on beading techniques for any level of experience in a rich cultural context.

I have a Master's Degree in Museum Studies, and have devoted much of that study to the care and well-being of beadwork from all over the planet. I also interned at the Bead Museum in Glendale, AZ during the summer of 2000, where I learned much of this knowledge, but also I have worked for the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha, Nebraska, where I learned preventive conservation techniques. I, myself, am an accomplished beadworker, and have found this book to be filled with many great designs and techniques; ranging from very simple, to difficult. The average beader will find this work to be most rewarding, while beginners and advanced beaders alike will definately learn something new. It is one of the best technical books out there, with lots of helpful, clear photographs.

I am familiar with many of the projects in the book, however, I immediately sat down and began working on the Blue Violet Flower pattern and fell in love with the outcome! Many of the projects are pieces you will find for sale on some reservations today, as I also worked for the White Mountain Apache Tribal Museum and Cultural Center -- and have seen them there first hand. The purchaser of this book is getting the authentic thing, and that is rewarding in a time when beadwork is moving further and further away from its Native roots.

Good Work Theresa!

David Bingell

I own many beading books, but this one is a favorite I go back to over and over for the beauty and originality of the designs, as well as for the clear instructions. Projects are suitable for beginners who want to build their skills, as well as for the more advanced. The designs are Native American in theme, yet with just enough of a modern twist to be unique and a great jumping off place for one's own designs. I highly recommend it!

Crooked River by Shelley Pearsall is a Historical fiction book based on a true story. It takes place in Ohio in 1812.This book is about a girl named Rebecca who along with her sister Laura experienced the hard, happy and sad times w/ a Chippewa Indian John, Her dad had crossed the Crooked River and brought the Indian back accused of murdering a white man. At the same time Rebecca is helping Laura to take her dead mom's position in the family. During the first days Indian John was in the same house as both girls Rebecca and her sister could not sleep without thinking that Indian john would escape from the attic and kill all of them. As time passed Rebecca slowly began to believe in Indian John's innocence. She felt that horrible things would happen if he really was guilty. Finally the trial came. Was Indian John guilty? Will anybody try to help him? Will he die? Shelley Pearsall is an author that makes you wonder and adds a little bit of mystery to her book. So if you like mysterious and suspenseful endings read Crooked River and find out the mystery behind Indian John's trial.

Shelley Pearsall has written an important work of historical fiction exploring the clash of two cultures and how assumptions about our enemies often prevent us from seeing our common humanity.

Set in 1812, the bulk of the story is related in a straight-forward narrative from the "white man's" view as each day two sisters, Rebecca and Laura Carver, climb the stairs to their cabin's attic to bring food to a Chippewa accused of murding a trapper. Interspersed between chapters are the Chippewa's point of view related as poetic interludes.

Using these different points of view, Pearsall is able to suggest that each character occupies a position outside the other's consciousness... as if poetry and prose represent two different worlds... simultaneously revealing not only the differences between each culture's values and perspective but the common ground that each culture shares.

Gradually, Rebecca comes to see these two worlds, not as separate, but as sharing a common humanity. Trusting her sense of justice, she is willing to act to save the Chippewa, even though it means going against her strong-willed father's beliefs and her own culture's code of conduct.

In the end, Pearsall shows us how two very different views of the world can co-exist, even when the occupants of each world are unaware of their connection.

An enormously penetrating tale shedding light on an often overlooked aspect of American history.

About halfway through a thorough reading of this book, a question popped into my brain. How many well-known children's books center on an important court case? There must be dozens, right? I mean, a courtroom is a perfect setting for drama. Just ask the audience of "Law and Order". Children's books, similarly, thrive on heightened emotions. Hence, there must be lots of children's fiction out there employing judges, juries, and gavel poundings right? Maybe so, but I was hard pressed to think of a one. The closest story I came up with was Harper Lee's, "To Kill a Mockingbird" and calling that a children's book is bound to offend all sorts of people everywhere. No, at this time I think that "Crooked River" is probably the only children's book I've personally read where the courtroom becomes the center of one young girl's life. I just wish I could figure out whether I liked it or not.

It's 1812 and Rebecca Carver has just learned that there's a manacled Chippewa in her attic. Needless to say, the news comes as quite a shock. Till now Reb has lived a pretty downtrodden life. She has an overbearing father, a series of spoiled or ignorant male relatives, and just her older and younger sisters for comfort. Finding an Indian in her attic has done little to improve her life. It seems that her father and some men in the village decided to go out and find the Chippewa that killed a white trapper some miles out of town. They proclaim Indian John (as they have dubbed him) to be the murderer, leaving Carver's daughters to fear for their lives as they sleep in their beds. In time, however, Reb learns that the man chained in the attic may not be the kind of man her fellows have always taught her to fear. A red-haired lawyer named Peter Kelley has known Amik, the prisoner, since childhood and believes fully in his innocence. It will take a trial to prove to Reb just what kind of influence that she, a mere thirteen-year-old slip of a girl, can have over events beyond her control.

Judging the portrayal of a Native American in a children's book is a monumentally difficult task. Often in cases like this one I turn to the Oyate organization (a Native American group charged with determining how popular culture depicts them) to see what their reactions to any given book are. In this particular case, however, "Crooked River" is too new for much outside critiquing. The book itself is broken into two narratives. In one, Rebecca talks about her changing perceptions and disillusionment with the people around her. In the other is Amik's voice. His words are in a different font and are written in a kind of free verse. At the beginning of the book, these words are rather beautiful. "it is the time when the leaves / are small on the trees. / too small / for hiding". But I had a very difficult time deciding whether or not Amik's mode of speech was a creative answer to giving his character a distinct personality and way of seeing the world or if it was an offensive stereotype too often done. He does, after all, revert back to those old clichés of wondering why the whites around him are seemingly deaf and dumb to the smells and sounds around them. It's a moment we've seen in countless books and films. On the other hand, the verse is often rather touching and quite interesting. I'm torn both ways.

The book itself is more than readable. At first it seems reliant on two-dimensional characters. Rebecca is good and therefore she pities the Indian. Her father is bad and therefore loathes Amik. It takes a while to realize but Rebecca's older sister Laura is one of the exceptions to this rule. In her case you have someone good who fears and dislikes Amik and has a hard time overcoming her own prejudices. Amos, Rebecca's older brother, is the same way. Pearsall's writing deftly plays with their thoughts on the matter while making it perfectly clear that early U.S. settlers weren't exactly the saintly explorers so lauded in American stories and songs.

A book can be beautifully written, penned with aplomb, and smart as a whip yet not quite touch the reader. Personally, "Crooked River" was not one of my favorite books of the year. This is not to say that it isn't a worthwhile piece of writing. I simply couldn't get a grip on the character of Amik and all that he was meant to represent. For others, their reactions will be different. Some people will adore this book. Some will despise it. I feel neither of these emotions myself. I simply recommend that you read it on your own time and come to your own conclusions about it. If Amazon.com is good for nothing else, it helps us to proclaim to the masses how much we love or hate a title. I will be eagerly reading all the other responses, "Crooked River" engenders.

CROOKED RIVER is the second novel for author Shelley Pearsall, winner of the 2003 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Set in Ohio in 1812, CROOKED RIVER tells the dramatic story of an unjust trial of an Indian--nicknamed Indian John--who was captured and held prisoner by one of the white settlers. "Indian John" is accused of murdering a white fur trapper. The story is told from two perspectives: prose chapters narrated by Rebecca Carver, the 13 year old daughter of the white man who captured the Indian, and a series of poems narrated by the Indian--whose real name is Amik. As his formal trial draws closer--although the men in the settlement have already concluded his guilt--Rebecca becomes more and more convinced that "Indian John" is innocent. One other man, Peter Kelley, a lawyer, also believes in his innocence. Kelley tries his best to win the case and set his friend Amik free, but the judge and jury will not be swayed. The trial is a mockery. Evidence or no evidence, they want this man to be convicted and hung.

CROOKED RIVER is based loosely on the true story of an Indian named John O'Mic who was tried and convicted of murder in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1812. He was held captive in a cabin and shared it with the white man and his family--there was a thirteen year old daughter. Using this true story as a basis and framework, Pearsall fictionalized the account to show how these people might have felt. Her research was thorough and impressive as her author's note indicates. While CROOKED RIVER is based on a true story, fact and fiction have two different endings. In real life, John O'Mic was sentenced to death--by hanging. "Indian John" was also sentenced to die--however, thanks to his friends he faked his death and was able to escape further west along with the rest of his family.

I thought CROOKED RIVER was a wonderful book. Although Pearsall is not of Native American ancestry, I believe her research was so extensive that Amik's voice was authentic. The poems narrated by Amik are beautiful. To learn that some of these phrases were borrowed from authentic Ojibwe sources--poems, stories, songs, etc--was fascinating. It made the book even "more authentic" than I originally thought. The narration of Rebecca Carver was equally researched. Pearsall read primary sources--diaries, books, letters, etc--from the time period to capture authentic language patterns and phrases of the whites as well. One source in particular that Pearsall used was an unpublished diary of a young girl named Emily Nash.

CROOKED RIVER is an excellent novel, and I highly recommend it to all. I am impressed not only with the novel CROOKED RIVER but with the author's in-depth research into the time period and opposing cultures that provide the background and context for the novel. I am curious to find a copy of her first novel, TROUBLE DON'T LAST, and read it as well.

If there were such a thing as "coffee table books" for children, this book would be selected to be one of those. I found myself turning the pages with reverence and care, reading the material carefully but more so gazing at the beautiful pictures. The picture of the Chief seemed to almost jump off the page, and the other illustrations were as good as the photographs. A little-known tribe to those of us from the northeast, the Crow are a fascinating Native American group to study as they have maintained their heritage and customs despite a difficult life on the plains of Montana. As a retired teacher, I think fifth and sixth graders would benefit greatly from a study of comparative tribes and how they adapted their culture to the land, and how the land formed them. This book has a great deal of class. It is expensively produced with color and style, besides being well written and carefully researched. Any child would be proud to own it. Any teacher would be proud to have it in the classroom. Tarbescu has taken difficult material and presented it in such a way as to make it come alive for the reader. It is a gem.

The Crow is a splendidly illustrated introduction to the history of the Native American Crow Nation written specifically for young readers. Author Edith Tarbescu begins with the Battle of the Little Bighorn as her prologue introduction, then devotes separate chapters to the early history of the Crow, their lifestyle, beliefs, their history up to 1870, their history after 1870, and life on the Crow reservation today. Very highly recommended for school and community library collections, The Crow is additionally enhanced with a "Timeline of the Crow Nation"; a glossary; a listing of books, videos, organizations and online sites; a "Note On Sources"; and an Index.

If there were such a thing as "coffee table books" for children, this book would be selected to be one of those. I found myself turning the pages with reverence and care, reading the material carefully but more so gazing at the beautiful pictures. The picture of the Chief seemed to almost jump off the page, and the other illustrations were as good as the photographs. A little-known tribe to those of us from the northeast, the Crow are a fascinating Native American group to study as they have maintained their heritage and customs despite a difficult life on the plains of Montana. As a retired teacher, I think fifth and sixth graders would benefit greatly from a study of comparative tribes and how they adapted their culture to the land, and how the land formed them. This book has a great deal of class. It is expensively produced with color and style, besides being well written and carefully researched. Any child would be proud to own it. Any teacher would be proud to have it in the classroom. Tarbescu has taken difficult material and presented it in such a way as to make it come alive for the reader. It is a gem.

Wow, this gave so much information on the Crows, Ms. Tarbescu has a lot of talent! If you're a teacher or if you're simply interested in the Crow heritage then I highly suggest getting this book!

This is a good book that can be read to or by children ages 7-15. This book could be read in 2-3 hours and has natural breaks that allows you to return to the book a number of different times. The story is interesting and keeps the listeners or readers attention. I teach special education for behavior disorder students and this book is useful in teaching a variety of different social skills. I also have to sons that have enjoyed the story line and the messages that the story contains. The illustrations are colorful and add life to the books content. I highly recommend this book for any youth library.

I have given more copies of Crow and Weasel away than any other book in recent years. It is the most beautiful portrait of male friendship available in any genre for children or adults. I most often give copies to young men facing some important transition in their own lives...graduation from high school or college when they too will be asked to go beyond what is familiar, and in doing so, will learn more about themselves. This is a story to share with those you love again and again. As Lopez says, "If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed..." This is just such a story.

This is a good book that can be read to or by children ages 7-15. This book could be read in 2-3 hours and has natural breaks that allows you to return to the book a number of different times. The story is interesting and keeps the listeners or readers attention. I teach special education for behavior disorder students and this book is useful in teaching a variety of different social skills. I also have to sons that have enjoyed the story line and the messages that the story contains. The illustrations are colorful and add life to the books content. I highly recommend this book for any youth library.

...and a crow, and many other insightful characters within "Crow and Weasel" have stayed with me since I first read it almost 10 years ago. The story itself is vibrant, almost to the point of actual narrative. Beautiful landscapes and dialogue throughout lend themselves to the imagination; I feel very much a part of what I'm reading-a true escape. And I like that it teaches me by surprise. Everytime I finish this book, I find that my joy in diversity, my desire to be kind, and my reverence for the natural world have grown. Tom Pohrt's illustrations are each works of art, and complement the story perfectly. I wish they were available as prints. Share this book with the young, and then go share it with everybody else.

Mary Youmans has created a beautiful fantasy world with a distinct american voice. Not a thee or thou in the whole book! The fast moving plot, palpable excitement and frightening (but bravely meet) situations faced by our heroine Adanta all make for a fun, thrilling book that is written in a manner far better than is typical.

When one thinks of the fantasy genre one usually pictures the well worn paths of dragons, sword and sorcerer, medievil speak, etc. There is an overwhelming sense of Tolkien wannabe (See Eragon). As an American it is refreshing to read a fantasy not limited by that mind set. The story line is a classic child on a quest, but the language, imagination, landscape, imagery, and beauty of thought behind Raven Mocker makes it an outstanding read.

When one thinks of the fantasy genre one usually pictures the well worn paths of dragons, sword and sorcerer, medievil speak, etc. There is an overwhelming sense of Tolkien wannabe (See Eragon). As an American it is refreshing to read a fantasy not limited by that mind set. The story line is a classic child on a quest, but the language, imagination, landscape, imagery, and beauty of thought behind Raven Mocker makes it an outstanding read.

Marly Youman's latest book, The Curse of the Raven Mocker is a perfect introduction to literary writing for the younger reader, so finely worked and that adult readers can fall through the page, forget reading, and watch the story. As in her Catherwood, Ms Youman's descriptions of landscapes and local color is like a mother describing her child or Shackleton describing the cold.
The dearness of the values of family love, acceptance of grave personal purpose, and the courage to muster over again against what is terrible, shown especially in the young as she weaves her story, gives today's readers more than a book to bequeath to our children. This is a minor masterpiece of a handbook on how to live with open-eyed love in an often incomprehensibly dangerous world.
Even with all of that, much of value of The Curse of the Raven Mocker is a born teacher's easy stimulation of a reader's curiosity to need more of the rich background the author respectfully serves. There is plenty of convenient, graspable and interesting material related to Cherokee culture just waiting to be appreciated by Ms Youman's post-Mocker readers.

I suggest reading this book before reading "Ride the Wind". It serves as a chronicalled historical foundation before reading the novel "Ride the Wind" that will definitely prepare you for an unimaginable journey into the world of the American Indian of 150 years ago.

This is a compact history ... but it does just what you want - gives what history is known of Cynthia Ann Parker. This is an excellent resource if you are wanting to know about Cynthia Ann Parker from the settler's perspective - the people she left behind, the family she had come from, and the search for her that continued throughout her 'captivity'. The author seems to steer clear of any area of conjecture, such as why Cynthia Ann got shuttled between family members after her return or what may have happened to her pension, and sticks only to documentable history. She also avoided sidetracking into the history of Cynthia Ann's famous son or the other people in her life except for as far as they pertain to Cynthia Ann's life. Focus is very tight, very informative.

On May 19th, 1836 nine-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker, a member of a group of religious families occupying Fort Parker in Texas, witnessed the massacre of friends and relatives by combined bands of Caddos, Kiowas and Comanche warriors. Abducted by the Comanches, Cynthia was raised for the next 25 years as a tribal member and became "fully" Comanche, giving birth to Quanah Parker, the last Comanche Chief and one of the most influential intermediaries of his time, a representative of both the Native American and White cultures. Abducted a second time as an adult by a well-meaning Texas Ranger, Cynthia Ann was forced to return to White society, but mourned deeply for her Comanche family, ultimately starving herself to death out of grief.

Much lore and legend has grown around the story of Cynthia Ann Parker over the years, and it has often been difficult to separate the myth from the reality of her dramatic story. However, Margaret Schmidt Hacker has done just that. Over a period of five years, Ms. Hacker painstakingly researched the archives in Texas, Oklahoma, California and Washington, D.C. and objectively weighed all the accounts of Cynthia Ann's life. The result of her efforts is what is considered the most authoritative book on the subject. Although scholarly, it is at the same time, a gripping drama of the Texas prairies, and very readable by anyone with an interest in the Old West. Highly recommended reading.

Countless folk tales and sagas have focused on the story of Miss Parker, a captive of the Comanches for more than 15 years. Many of them deal only with her years as the mother of the famous Quanah Parker. Author Margaret Schmidt Hacker devoted five years to researching the life of the Cynthia Ann to reveal the history behind the myth. This is the tragic story of the abduction of a nine year old girl who returned reluctantly to white society when she was 24. A fascinating portrait of her life among the Comanches on the Texas frontier.

Even though this book is geared to the older elementary student, I used it to supplement my instruction for third graders. It has a wealth of strong information and contains clear and interesting illustrations.

At first glance this book looks like it is simply another children's book but once you open it the beautiful, full color photos speak for themselves! The book is 100% full color and shows a variety of men and women of different Plains tribal affiliations and their routines of daily life. Everything from styles of clothing to weapons, to men's and women's roles is covered in accurate, deatiled photography accompanied by brief commentary. Each subject is attired in meticulously replicated regalia done by the author who is a well known and respected Plains Indian authority. Another nice feature is the addition of a resource page listing historical sites of the Great Plains region. For such a small price tag this is one book that should be on every American history buff's bookshelf! You will not be disappointed!

A very well done, beautifully illustrated book for all ages, highly recommend it.

Michael Terry's "Daily Life in a Plains Indian Village, 1868" is a wonderful book that, although geared toward children and adolescents, provides a colorful overview of the ways of life of the Plains Indian peoples for all readers. The full color, large photograaphs on every page are incredible. Northern Palins replica makers and craftworkers will also find a wealth of close-up photos and descriptions of tools, weapons, and art to which they can refer in their work. If you wish you could see the Plains Indians in the full color splendor for which they are known then this is the book for you!

The first thing I noticed when I got the book was how beautiful the cover is. It just makes you want to open it and discover the story within. The introduction to the book gives parents a great understanding of the history behind the story. If you are the type of parent who wants to expose your child to different cultures, this book is an easy and fun way to introduce them to the Sioux Indian Oral Tradition.

The imagery in the story as well as the beautiful artwork make this story a delight to both the eyes and the imagination. The vocabulary of the story is a bit more challenging than is found in your typical children's book, but there is a glossary to help with those words, for the older children enjoying the story.

I don't personally have children, although I've always loved reading aloud to them. I lent my copy of this book to a good friend so she could 'test' it on a real child. Her son, 4yrs old, loved the story and asked for it to be read multiple times. She said he normally doesn't do that. So not only is this book a delight for an adult to read, it is a delight for a child to listen to.

Dance in a Buffalo Skull has been voted as the Most Outstanding Children's Book of 2008 by the Mom's Choice Awards.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

Translated from the original Native American legend into English in 1901 by author Zitkala-Sa, and illustrated by award-winning Lakota artist S.D. Nelson, Dance in a Buffalo Skull is a picturebook tale of mice conducting a dance in old, dried-up buffalo skull, while a wildcat sneaks up on them. The art blends Lakota tradition and modern styles to match the tall tale and bring it to life. At the peak of the dance, the wildcat is spotted and the mice run away into the dark! An enjoyable story faithful to the original legend. Also highly recommended is the first picturebook in the Prairie Tale Series, "The Discontented Gopher".

The history of the American West is a history of conflict between encroaching whites and defending Native Americans. One of the least known of these violent and bloody wars was a four year confrontation known as the Snake Conflict and took place between 1864 and 1868. Now western historian Gregory Michno has written a definitive history of a lethal and extended fight led by the Winnemucca tribe against the overwhelming forces of the Union Army. Enhanced with maps, an appendix, and a bibliography, Gregory Michno's "The Deadliest Indian War In The West: The Snake Conflict, 1864-1868" is a model of informative research and an impressively seminal work that is especially recommended reading, as well as an essential, core addition to academic and community library Native American Studies and 19th Century American History reference collections.

I found this a great book full of information about the war the Snake (Bannock) Indians waged for their homeland. I find it interesting that they were so successful in their war agaist the white people invading thier land, yet their war was such that it was little known. I even found a great-great grandfather for one of my cousins. This I found very interesting as the grandfather settled in the Camas Prairie of southern Idaho, the site that much of the Idaho era of the war covered.
Norma Dart

Michno puts a tremendous effort into his book on the Snake campaign that is totally unlike the Great Plains campaigns that generally consisted of relatively large armies in the field by post Civil War standards. In the Snake Conflict, small diverse tribes, (Shoshones, Paiutes etc.) resist the burdensome intrusion of whites into their land that contains few resources due to the climate and terrain. However, these bands rarely reach over 100 and in contrast to the plains wars; small troops of companies typically ranging from 40 or not much more go out in the field across wide landscapes in search of offending Indians. Along with the troops are occasional forays or alliances with civilians that take the initiative to fight the Indians. The Snake tribes are very effective in eluding and defending their line and due to the numerous small tribes; it is impressive when the commanders in the field can distinguish the various tribes. Michno did a tremendous amount of research to locate the battle sites and he personally took a myriad of pictures of the various sites that sprinkled throughout. The book contains 5 large maps in front that require constant reference and smaller battle maps within the text to accompany key battles. This book is more for the serious student of the American Indian Wars, the less inclined may find the book too detailed for their taste.

There is no better historian of the Indian Wars writing today than Gregory Michno, and in his latest book he more than confirms that judgment. His previous books, which include Lakota Noon and The Mystery of E Troop (available on amazon) - hands down two of the best histories ever written of the Battle of the Little Bighorn - established Michno's credentials as a historian par excellence and master of narrative prose. Now, with The Deadliest Indian War in the West, he adds to that luster with a compelling and revealing account of a bitter struggle in America's Northwest that should be much better known. Michno's outstanding new book undoubtedly will help to fill that void and familiarize readers with a war that, in terms of loss of human life, was the Indian War's costliest, but which has "rarely gotten its page in history."

Michno, author of The Encyclopedia of Indian Wars (also available at amazon), is exactly the right historian to take on the task of presenting readers with the personalities, units, battles and skirmishes, and associated events of the all but forgotten Snake War that raged in areas of Oregon, California, Utah and Nevada from 1864 to 1868. His command of the subject and overall knowledge of America's Indian Wars is, well, encyclopedic, and Michno's superb narrative is propelled and enhanced by the fruits of his extensive research. It is history written by a master in command of his craft. Writing this account is, perhaps, more of a challenge than might at first appear. Chief among these is that the participants (aside from the celebrated Civil War and Indian War commander, George Crook) are virtually unknown to most of us today. Michno's narrative, therefore, cannot rely on the "star power" of Sitting Bull, Custer, Crazy Horse, MacKenzie, Chief Joseph, Sheridan, Cochise or Geronimo. Instead, Michno's cast is made up of relative unknowns: highly effective but unfairly overlooked "Indian fighters," like Col. George Wright; and the Native American leaders, Paulina, Weahwewa, Howluck, Ocheho, and Winnemucca. The Deadliest Indian War, however, succeeds superbly in meeting the challenge of providing these hidden heroes their "page in history."

Like its leaders, the U. S. Army lineup lacked the big names. Heralded outfits, like Custer's 7th Cavalry or the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th are missing. Much of the Snake War's early combat was borne by California Volunteer Regiments. Michno points out that (when the all-Californian 8th U. S. Cavalry regiment is included) Californians not only inflicted fully one-fifth of all Native American casualties in the West's Indian Wars (over 2,500 in 287 fights), "in five years [the Californians] killed more Indians than any of the ten U. S. Cavalry regiments did in the forty years from 1850 to 1890."

"Snake" refers to several bands of Native Americans inhabiting the Great Basin and the Northwest's Columbia Plateau (principally Bannocks, Shoshonis and Paiutes). Michno speculates that one reason for the general lack of knowledge about the Snake War is that these tribes "were not taken seriously as warriors" (as were the Sioux and Apaches) and therefore have not been given their due as a formidable fighting force. Another reason that more attention has not been paid to the Snake War is that volunteers, not regulars, constituted most of the Army troops involved. When the Snake War broke out in 1864, most U. S. Army regulars had been sent East to fight the Civil War (by Spring, 1861, fewer than 700 regulars remained in the entire Northwest). However, lest readers mistakenly believe that this left a dangerous void, 18,000 volunteers (like the California regiments) rallied to the colors to back-fill the West's 5,000 pre-war regulars. With more troops available, fights with Native Americans increased while the volunteers were in service.

The war's casualty figures, however, belie the short shrift given to the fighters on both sides and provide a compelling justification for Michno's book. In total, 1,762 whites and Indians were either killed, wounded or captured in the Snake War's battles and skirmishes. That is nearly twice the number of casualties in the much more well-known and intensely studied "Great Sioux War" of 1876-77 (in which Custer met his end at the Little Bighorn). Michno writes that the true casualty count for the Snake War was even higher when the countless, small-scale Indian raids are added to the battle and skirmish totals, noting that, conservatively, "an additional ninety civilians killed, thirty wounded and sixty Indians killed or wounded" should be included.

Finally, in an observation that echoes in how today's headlines are produced, Michno points out that another major reason the Snake War is not better known is that few reporters covered the action, nor did "Indian Wars combat artists" like Remington, Schreyvogel or Russell produce colorful, dramatic images as they did for the fights against the Plains Indians. It seems that, 140 years ago, editors were deciding what was "newsworthy" for the public -- and even in those days could miss a great story. Michno's outstanding new book finally tells that "great story."