Native American Books


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Native American Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Native American
Maggie Among the Seneca
Published in Library Binding by HarperCollins Publishers (1990-10)
Author: Robin Moore
List price: $14.89
Used price: $0.60

Average review score:

Read this super book!!!!!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-10
Maggie Among the Seneca by Robin Moore is a great book! This book starts out with Maggie and her friend, Old Jake Logan. They are drained and exausted and have been traveling for four days! They are heading towards Ohio River Country. Maggie is an Irish, sixteen years old red head. Her hair as red as the fire burning that night. She wore a short blouse and dress, and an apron with her knife tucked into the waist band of her apron . My favorite section is when Maggie gets stolen by two Seneca men.
Maggie's aunt Frannie and uncle Thomas are the only family she has she hopes her dad is still alive. Maggie is a caring girl and also cares for nature. Maggie's alive when the Indians are.
Oh-no! Trapped! Maggie's so scared after a couple of months pass as Maggie is in the Seneca. In the winter of Maggie's second year there she meets Frenchgirl . Frenchgirl was captured by the Seneca warriors too and so was her brother Firefly. Maggie whose new name Redwing was forced to marry Firefly . A few months later after Firefly died Maggie had a baby who she called Owl Hoot . I can't tell you the rest you'll have to read it on your own.
I'd recommend this book to a friend because it's an outstanding book with excruciating detail. This is one of the best books I've ever read. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes surprises.

Maggie one of the Seneca, No Way! - Morgan
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-12
Maggie ran from her fiance in sinking Creek, she went with her friend Jake Login, and found herself taken by a Seneca tribe, now you ask will she servive? What will happen to Jake? Will it be a piece of cake? of course there is another book but just to be sure take a look. I love this book it's fun to read, yes I think it's neat in deed!

MAGGIE AMONG THE SENECA
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-12
I UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS LIKE TO NEED A FREE BOOK REPORT FAST SO HERE IS ONE.

It is the summer of 1778, and 16-year-old Maggie Callahan is traveling through central Pennsylvania in search of her aunt and uncle, her only surviving family. With her aged friend Jake. The person who takes care of her. Furthermore when they almost reach there destinations her and Jake are taken captive by Seneca Indianýs. While traveling along the war trail Jake manages to escape.
After living among the Seneca Indians Maggie is adopted by them and given to the Seneca in marriage to firefly Frenchgirl's brother. Frenchgirl is other captive who can also speaks English and helps Maggie out. While Maggie is out on a hunt for food her and firefly wait for Frenchgirl and the other Indian to come back with the boar they rap there self in the fur of an animal they had killed early that day. While sleeping together in the fur wolfs come and attack them. Not being able to move because of the fur becoming frozen. Firefly foot is bit off. And ends up dies on the boot ride home in Maggieýs arms.
A few months after fireflyýs death Maggie find out that she is pregnant with firefly's baby. She gives birth to a baby boy which is named hoot owl.
When a British office notice Maggie red hair he try's to recapture her. But now Maggie has become custom to her Indian ways and wished to stay among the Indians. While running from the British officer she comes a pone the mysterious Indian woman whom the Indianýs call Ragpicker. Maggie has only seen her while making the fires at night for firefly journey She is called Ragpicker because she goes though the Indians garbage to survive . The British officer tell Ragpicker to take the baby and for Maggie to come with him. Ragpicker takes the baby but Maggie still gets away. Now she doesnýt know where Frenchgirl or any of the other Indians are. And Ragpicker does not come back with Hoot owl .Maggie must try to find her way back to her aunt and uncle house to survive.
Maggie fights bitter cold and near starvation in making her way back to her aunt franny house. She mostly live on pine needle tea. Finally after having many heart ships. Maggie finds the tavern on the Allegheny and now know when Jake escape from the Indians he didnýt die but made it back to her aunts house were he layýs there sleeping now.
In over all I really found myself glued to this book. I just couldnýt put in down. I believe they explained many events well. So many things happen to Maggie and her strength through all of these hardship borders on the unbelievable. Although there was a few things that stump me. Like Firefly, Frenchgirl's brother and Maggie's husband, is a completely mysterious character. He is described as blond and blue-eyed, but readers are not told if he is Frenchgirl's natural brother--and if he is, why he can't speak English as she can. This is over all a five star book in my eyes and cant wait to read a follow up book on Maggie.
Writing by Alisha L. Somma

A masterfully spun tale
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-04
I read this book for the first time after the author gave an assembly at our school. He kindly donated a copy of this work to our library. It's the second book in a trilogy, the first being The Bread Sister from Sinking Creek, also a wonderful book.

Maggie Among Seneca tells the tale of Maggie who is desprately tring to find her way to her aunt after the last members of her immeadite family sicken and die. On her journey to locate her, Maggie and her party are captured by a band of Indians and taken to their camp. She is able to befriend a girl who had been taken captive by the same tribe several years before, and who kindly explains everything that goes on for the bewildered Maggie. When she learns to fit in, she meets with both love and heartache, but ultimately still dreams of finding her family.

Robin Moore tells the story very well, in a manner which had me wishing that I had not read it, so I could read it all over again for the first time. Many of my freinds who I coaxed to read this book have the very same opinon, and we are all looking forward to the third book in the trilogy.

Native American
The Man Who Knew the Medicine: The Teachings of Bill Eagle Feather
Published in Paperback by Bear & Company (2002-11-30)
Author: Henry Niese
List price: $16.00
New price: $9.65
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Average review score:

I am different now...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-29
In searching for that illusive "something", I came upon this book. Its stories and lessons have made a profound impact on my life and how I view the world. As a Mohawk, I have deep respect and admiration for the way Henry has honored Bill Eagle Feather. The sharing of the amazing experiences and teachings is done in such a way that anyone can grasp the meaning and depth and power of the Lakota ways.

The faith of the Native peoples is captured here, and if you are looking for something to touch you and change your direction, this could be the book. Aho Mitake Oyasin.

Eagle Feather's Explanation
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-01
"The author's memoirs of the Lakota ceremonies are brilliantly vivid and downright fascinating. I cringed as they were making flesh sacrifices and discovered that I was rubbing my chest after reading how the Sacred Tree would not allow him to break free during his first Sun Dance, even though he had only been lightly pierced. Eagle Feather's explanation for this sent chill bumps down my spine."
-RAMBLES pub. March 13, 2004
written by Alicia Karen Elkins

Teacher
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-14
The Man Who Knew the Medicine: The Teachings of Bill Eagle Feather A wonderful truth. A story of discovery and of the path of the red road. Henry Niese weaves a wonderful panorama of his life, seen through the eyes of experience as taught to him by Bill Eagle Father. This is a MUST have book, to pull out again and again throughout life. Each time I pick it up, I learn something new. I love this man, and this book.

An invaluable contribution to Alternative Medicine
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-04
The Man Who Knew The Medicine: The Teachings Of Bill Eagle Feather by Henry Niese (who has participated in more than one hundred Native American ceremonies, including dancing in thirty-seven Sun Dances) showcases the Lakota shaman Bill Schweigman Eagle Feather who in the 1960s defied a U.S. government ban on Native American religious practice and performed the Sun Dance ritual with public piercings and continued on as a Sun Dance chief and instructor in the Lakota way of life until his death in 1980. Niese first met Bill Eagle Feather during a Seat Lodge ceremony preceding a Sun Dance on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in 1975 and now carries on the work and legacy of Bill Eagle Feather by performing healings and giving seminars and workshops on medicinal plans and Native American healing practices. The Man Who Knew Medicine is a unique and enthusiastically recommended addition to Native American Studies collections, and an invaluable contribution to Alternative Medicine reading lists as well.

All My Relations!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-07
It's a testament to the writer's humility that this book is not a how to in the Ways of The Lakota. More honestly it is a loving and skilled tribute to Bill Eagle Feather. I cried through much of this book..everything so vivid and real. I only wish it had been twice as long.

Native American
Medieval People
Published in Paperback by Dover Publications (2000-09-18)
Author: Eileen Power
List price: $9.95
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Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

The real taste of real life
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-04
Eileen Power studies the Middle Ages, not from an abstract historical point of view but from simple and real people and what we can know about them. I particularly like her study of Marco Polo, from his notes and diaries, which gives us a materialistic and realistic vision of what they saw of the world, and not what we want to see of what they saw. I also loved Madame Eglentyne, a prioress taken from Chaucer but at once identified to one particular prioress through real life archives and descriptions. A very interesting and useful book to enable us to capture the density of everyday life in the Middle Ages.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

A view of History from the Medieval Kitchens
Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-16
Eileen Power's Medieval People sets out to study the Middle Ages not from the viewpoint of an Historical abstraction, but rather from that of the people who lived during the age. It is an account of six individuals who lived during the MA's; Bodo, a Frankish Peasant; Marco Polo, the famous Venetian merchant; Madame Eglentyne, prioress of Chaucer; an anonymous middle-class Parisian housewife; and two English merchants, one engaged in the wool trade and the other a clothier in Essex. The author has illustrated various aspects of social life of the era by drawing on such sources as account books, diaries, letters, records, and wills. She starts the work with a previously unpublished essay entitled "The Precursors," which describes the barbarian conquest of Rome. In this, she describes the lives of three men, Ausonius, Sidonius and Fortunatus and uses them to foreshadow the life that would re-emerge in the Middle Ages.
She starts by imagining a day in the life of the Peasant Bodo, in the time of Charlemagne. From her study of primarily economic documents from the Middle Ages of this time, she not only extrapolates but truly brings to life Bodo and his wife Ermentrude. From there, she goes on to the better documented life of Marco Polo, and also describes how he served as an inspiration for Columbus. Madam Eglentyne is next. Here, Power humorously details the inner workings of a gossipy nunnery and how Eglentyne would have gone about her life as an aristocratic women of God. She next details the life of a middle class Parisian housewife by studying the contents of the Menagier's Wife and validating many of it's points by citing other documents. She concludes by detailing the lives of the two Thomases; Betson and Paycocke of Coggeshall. Both are merchants and provide a chance for Power to really show off her grasp of medieval economics as well as an ability to compile disparate correspondences into a story of a life. This is a rare scholarly work that truly entertains while being read. One of the best books I've ever read.

Great Book
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 38 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-10
This book is the catharsis of all books. Very good to read. It is a book that will allow you to read it in any position at any place where you can see the pages and words. Excellent.

History at its best, up close and personal.
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-22
Wonderful scholarship in a most readable written style. Goes beyond institutions to discover real people of the "middle" ages.

Native American
A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison
Published in Paperback by University of Oklahoma Press (1995-03)
Author: James E. Seaver
List price: $11.65
New price: $5.39
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Average review score:

Fantastic Indian Captivity Narrative
Helpful Votes: 15 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-27
This book is an incredible account of the life and times of Mary Jemison, a white woman taken captive during the French and Indian War and adopted into the Seneca tribe of the Iroquois in western New York. This tale covers her more than 70 years living among them through many of the most vital years of the long history of the Iroquois Confederacy.

In November 1823, when she was in her 80s, Mary Jemison, at the urging of many of the friendly local inhabitants, gave her amazing life story to James Seaver to publish for posterity. Though his truthfulness in some details of that account has often been called into question, this book is one of the most important and complete of any of the Indian captivity narratives to come out of the period between the French and Indian War and the War of 1812, which most historians mark as the end of the period of influence of the Eastern Woodland tribes. This account gives unequalled insight into the Seneca Indians and their ways including religion, food, hunting, warfare, culture, etc.

Mary had many opportunities to leave the Indians and return to white civilization but chose not to do so and thus was witness to some of the most amazing events in the history of her adopted people. Her tale is important to not only historians and ethnologists, but to the general public itself as it is a truly amazing story of triumph and tragedy for a proud people struggling to survive in the face of overwhelming odds as a young United States continued to expand, forever extinguishing their way of life.

Fascinating History
Helpful Votes: 17 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-05
The narrative is fascinating reading, both in terms of the history revealed in the words of Mary Jemison and in terms of James Seaver who gives us his own version of her story. The effect is a layering of historical periods. With the help of the editing, you can peer through and see not only the period of Mary Jemison's captivity, but also the prejudices of the following time. An interesting example of the simultaneous respect and loathing with which the early settlers viewed the native inhabitants. I first read the narrative in high school, and would recommend it for young and old readers alike.

Firsthand account of Captive who became tribal Matriarch
Helpful Votes: 27 out of 27 total.
Review Date: 1996-05-30
They say if you visit New York State you will find her descendants; many native-americans have her last name. Taken captive; her parents killed - Mary becomes part of a native-american family. She married a Delaware (Lenape) warrior, with whom she was very content and has many children. This is a dramatic, true story, told in her own words. She is in her 80's, and reminisces about her unusual life.

The meeting of two cultures
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-07
Though it is nominally written by James Seaver, The Life of Mary Jemison is told primarily through her own words as recounted in her advanced years. The tale is perhaps unusual for its length, but not for its subject matter. It was, in fact, a far from uncommon occurrence that in colonial days the captured victims of Indian attacks would be formally adopted into the tribe as a form of compensation for lost relatives of previous battles. This was the fate of Mary Jemison. The saving grace that made her subsequent life manageable was that the adoption in question was apparently done in full faith. Once enough years had passed for her to lose her drive to return to civilization she was treated every bit as a member of the community.

What followed was a life that she tells of that is filled with the usual tales one might expect from that era and community. She formed a family and was given to two husbands who treated her well and gave her several children. Lest we are tempted in this century to romanticize the life of the Eastern Indian tribes, she tells of the many brutalities that were commonplace among her new people. Violence, whether directed outward towards the white communities or inwards towards each other, seemed to be an unfortunate fact of life. Though it did not touch her person, it did touch her life and always for the worse.

Interspersed with her story are various anecdotes about her family members and the occasional other member of the community. In her late years Jemison related tales that she found fit to share for their intrinsic interest to the outsider. Through her words the modern day reader may find a simple glimpse into a world that is cut off from us today. Following her own tales are several appendices covering a few aspects of Indian culture as it was understood at the time (the early 1800's) that related to her story. Overall, I'd say this is a worthy look into a real-life event that straddled the boundary between two cultures.

Native American
Native American Cross Stitch
Published in Hardcover by David & Charles (1999-08)
Author: Julie S. Hasler
List price: $27.95
New price: $21.95
Used price: $8.35

Average review score:

Native American Cross Stitch by Julie S. Hasler
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-21
Beautiful and breathtaking designs. As a first time cross stitcher (now hooked)I found the instruction in this book very user friendly.

Inspiring Cross Stitch
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-26
I wanted to make everything in the book and/or adapt some of the designs into my own creations.

Amazing Book for Lovers of Native American Cross Stitching.
Helpful Votes: 32 out of 32 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-09
I live in Cape Town, South Africa and my husband and I travelled to london for a holiday in July, 1999. I saw this book at Harrods while I was there and promptly bought two copies, one for my youngest sister, and one for a very good friend. It is amazing that an English designer of the stature of Julie Hasler, who has published many other fine cross stitch books, has been able to, so perfectly, portray the wonders of the Native Americans and their culture, both ancient and modern through this medium. The two people I have bought this book for have been stitching non stop from the more than 40 patterns featured in this high quality book. The picture of the Nes Pearce woman featured on the cover is but a small taste of the wonders to be found under it. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves the art of Cross Stitching and who loves the culture of the Native Americans. For cross stitchers who hate back-stitching, this book is ideal as Julie has managed to portray her subjects poignantly, using mainly whole cross stitches and using little or no back stitch. A fabulous buy. Stunningly easy patterns to follow, and the colours are amazing. I have found myself totally inspired by the contents of this book and have, as a result, started to read up as much as I can on the Native American culture. If you have the money and you like this type of work....buy it...you won't regret it! :)

Good subject coverage
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-24
I really liked this book - I did find the large designs rather "busy" but very striking never the less. A nice varity of design complexities and sizes. Well worth owning.

Native American
Native Harvests: American Indian Wild Foods & Recipes, Revised & Expanded Edition, 1998, (20th birthday edition)
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Amer Indian Archaeological (1998-11)
Author: E. Barrie Kavasch
List price: $13.95
Used price: $25.00

Average review score:

WONDERFUL--EXCEPTIONAL!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-11
One of the BEST books I've ever known. Thoroughly researched and beautifully compiled, it's a work that springs from a deep connection with the Earth. Excellent for enthusiasts of the wild foods and medicines of the northeast--but applicable to other regions, as well. The recipes (for both plants and animals) use primarily native American ingredients.
Copies may still be available from the publisher's museum bookstore. Check out www.birdstone.org.

Outstanding new edition! Fuller than ever!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-07-22
This new edition of a well-loved classic continues to please the many teachers who use this book as a classroom text & field guide. We are pleased to have played a major role in bringing it about! Our museum, exhibits, trails, and villages reflect much of this work here at The Institute For American Indian Studies in Washington, CT.

Best WildFoods Trail Guide with illustrations!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-07-22
This expanded, 20th Birthday Edition of Native Harvests, with color photographs + 3 more chapters + expanded glossary & bibliography is even more valuable than the previous edition, which the New York Times called "the most brilliantly researched book on the subject." This edition will also become a treasured teaching text and tool for greater appreciation of Native People and their contributions to our contemporary lifeways..

Review Correction
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-12-14
The Institute for American Indian Studies did not review this book. The review was written by the author.

Native American
Native Roots: How the Indians Enriched America
Published in Hardcover by Crown (1991-10-08)
Author: Jack Weatherford
List price: $21.00
New price: $2.50
Used price: $0.48
Collectible price: $21.00

Average review score:

Fascinating
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-08
Jack Weatherford is a well known and respected professor and author and he brings great perspective and respect to this subject. The book is not terribly long or difficult to get through but really does a great job of educating the reader about the enormous contributions of the Native people of the Americas, in particular the U.S. and should be assigned reading for high schoolers.

An Entertaining and Educational Book
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-28
This book details the origins and development of many everyday / ordinary things in our lives. You may be surprised how much the Europeans owe to the natives of this land. This is NOT a hate filled, preachy, or mean spirited book. I think that regardless of age, race or up bringing you will enjoy this book and be educated by it.

HOW DEEP DO OUR INDIAN ROOTS REALLY RUN?
Helpful Votes: 15 out of 30 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-09
Although the clarity of some of his writing is a little fuzzy, Weatherford uses his expansive knowledge of Native American history as the basis of his work in a manner that is quite intriguing. However, I believe that while the basic premises of Weatherford's thesis are sound, his assertions frequently overstate the Indian's influence on the settlers. For a number of his references, he has relied on secondary sources, some of which are incomplete or even controversial in regards to the validity and reliability of their factual assertions. For instance, Weatherford frequently refers to historical documents and journals of various explorers (i.e. - DeSoto, Schoolcraft, Columbus), missionaries and other early settlers as sources for his "facts", without having the benefit of being able to interview any of them first-hand. He would have been able to make sure he more fully understood the nuances and exact meaning of their writings if he had at least conducted more first-hand interviews with their descendents and others who were associated with them. This is, of course, something that is at times unavoidable in this genre of writing. And even though he usually clarifies the reliability of the material he cites, Weatherford does not always make it explicit that the events he refers to are chronicled as someone's opinions of what they observed, and are not necessarily a 100% accurate account of what really took place.

It would seem that with such an extensive knowledge of Native American history as his basis, that Weatherford's work would not only be adequate, but even possibly the defining work on this subject. I feel this is not the case. Although he writes about some 20 or so different aspects of the social, material, technologic and intellectual culture of Native Americans in an attempt to show how present-day America was built on Indian foundations, his rendition of the abuses, atrocities and various injustices they suffered is somewhat one-sided. Weatherford tells of Indians being extensively enslaved by the early Spanish and European explorers and how they were cruelly treated while in servitude. He also tells of their homes being burned, their places of worship and burial being looted and desecrated and other offenses that would make even the most callous person cringe with disgust. While these tragic atrocities most certainly happened, he does not make mention of the other races (except for brief mentions of African American slaves), such as the poor, lower class Europeans, that were forced into indentured servitude along with the Indians. These whites were slaves to almost the same extent as the Indians. Whether it was to pay their fare across the ocean to the "New World", to pay off some real or imagined debt to a nobleman or some other circumstance, these indentured whites were treated just as poorly, if sometimes not more so, as the enslaved Native Americans. Weatherford also does not make any real mention of those that spoke out against the practice of enslaving the Native Americans and African Americans. Just as there were abolitionists in the Civil War era, there were sure to have been anti-slavery advocates in the early days of the "New World". If one were to take Weatherford's account of early North American history at absolute face value, it would seem that the Spaniards, Europeans and other newcomers were little more than self-centered, cruel, greedy warmongers that had no other cares in the world than their own advancement. It would also seem that they did nothing more than rape, loot, pillage, destroy and/or enslave every Native American group that they encountered. Other races suffered injustices just as grave as those purported upon the Indians. They just are not always as "publicized" in the annals of history. The positive contributions of early European settlers, such as the introduction of horses, metalworking and other skills, are virtually unmentioned in the pages of Native Roots.

Weatherford's work is more than adequate in the sense that it gives the reader a wealth of information about how the Indians provided much of the foundations upon which modern North American culture is built. It also is adequate in regards to detailing the horrors that were committed against the Indians by the explorers and early settlers. However, I find it lacking in that it seemingly presents only the totally "pro-Indian" point of view. If I were face-to-face with Weatherford, I would ask him why he did not adequately discuss the massacres, rapes, looting, burning, etc. that the Indians committed against the settlers and other newcomers. Would he say that their acts were in retaliation for the crimes first committed against them by the whites? Perhaps he would, but even that would not justify the "cruelty-in-kind" on the part of the Indians. Regardless of the injustices suffered, returning evil for evil does not solve anything. As the old saying goes, "Two wrongs still don't make a right." What are the implications to be found in the history of the interactions between the early Spanish and Europeans with the Native Americans? How does what happened so long ago affect us today? I think we can take the lessons about the need for racial tolerance and cultural integration learned in these long past decades and centuries and transplant them directly into modern times. Some of the misunderstandings and misconceptions about others of a different ethnic or cultural background still exist today. The early Spanish Conquistadors, the European "explorers" and "missionaries", their monarchs and others all touted the superiority of their individual ethnicity and cultural standing. They felt the Indians were mere savages to be enslaved or "converted" as a means of controlling them and taking what was rightfully theirs. Organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Arian Nation and the Black Panthers as well as others each advocate their own brand of hatred, often calling for "racial purity" so as to be able to emerge as the dominant race in the world. We must learn from the disastrous consequences of these types of attitudes that were evidenced in the early days of North American settlement. If we do not, we will be condemned to repeat them and once again suffer the intolerable injustices of a bygone era that is best left right where it is; in the past.

A fascinating unobstructed view of the true Native Americans
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-11
Native American history is a significant part of America in all its facets today. The myths and half-truths that have filtered down through television, movies, school textbooks and the educational system have seriously tainted these indigenous peoples. Jack Weatherford has placed the lives, cultures and customs of the Native Americans in an historically refreshing and accurate portrayl. He writes with carefully researched truth essential to create the groundwork for understanding and respecting America's first -- and perhaps most intelligent --civilization. Once this is accomplished, Mr. Weatherford weaves the complete tapestry that makes up this rich and self-sustaining society, long before the first European set foot on this continent. A must reading for serious students of American history and adults like myself who missed the full story the first time around!

Native American
Native Stranger: Black American's Journey into the Heart of Africa
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (1992-02-15)
Author: Eddy L. Harris
List price: $22.00
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Used price: $0.06
Collectible price: $22.00

Average review score:

a delightful surprise
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-22
I found this book as I was looking for a travelogue on Africa before I went there. What a delightful surprise it was. I loved it. I've gone on to read everything that Eddy Harris has written. His self-aware, honest reflections of what he is thinking as well as experiencing are a great read. And as a person academically trained in "cross-cultural sensitivity", I thoroughly enjoyed him saying very "unsensitive" things that any American has to really be thinking in some of his circumstances. I gave this book to my sister who has no interest in Africa and she liked it as much as me. It's just a fun (and educational!) read.

A Triumph
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-04
This book was greatly informative of what modern Africa is like. Many of us have misconceptions or just a vague knowledge of the so-called "Dark Continent". Harris opens it up for us. I found his courage and his adventurous spirit to be both touching and inspirational. My imaginings manifested themselves this year when I treked through Spain on the Camino de Santiago- where I met with and engaged the culture, the elements and my own will. The process of discovery and adventure outside commercial tourisim is the REAL way to travel. With travel we change the way we think of where we live ... this book encourages this philosophy and will hopefully provoke people to take some time and go off to discover something. I encourage all readers to discover this book. It will challenge you and the enrichment you recieve may surprise. Thank you, Harris.

Amazing book...
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-30
The first three fourth of the book was amazing. The author painted a clear picture of the places he visited and the people who lived in the places he visited. I was, however, at times a bit annoyed by his failure to go beyond poverty and corruption to find the many positive images of the land and the people. I am an African who was born and raised in the continent ...and although living in the west has improved my "economical situation" I would not change the memories of my childhood for anything.

I also felt that Mr. Harris rushed through the last couple of chapters of the book. They lack the detailed imagery as well as the enthusiasm that was exhibited for the first three fourth of the book.

Still, I thought this was the best travel book I read on Africa.

Much more than a travel book
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 1997-06-02
This is quite possibly THE best non-fiction book I have ever read. It is a triumph of superb, lyrical writing and devestatingly honest philosophical reflection. It is a travel book, certainly - Eddy L. Harris, the author of (to my knowledge) four stunning "exploration" books like this one, travels through Africa top to bottom - but so much more.
Harris not only explores his terrain, he explores its people, its customs and the reaction he gets from Africans. At the same time, he explores his own inner being: what did he, as a Blackamerican, expect to get out of Africa? What did he really come to understand? And so on. As much as the book is about Africa the continent (and the reader is treated to descriptions of villages, recreation, transport, jungles, wildlife, etc.), it is about skin color, people, race, generosity, need, pride, and everything else that makes people human.
The description was beautiful and powerful: I would put the book down for the night, and when I started it again, would be transported instantly back to where Harris was and what he was experiencing, without any sense of a break.

This book deals with the generosity of a people who have nothing, thje patient endurance of a people who have been trampled on for centuries. This is not to say that the book was a typical liberal interpretation of the Third World; nor were Harris' experiences as a black man what one might expect. In fact, Harris' honesty was astounding. He described his neuroses about germs (and how he had to get over that in a hurry!), his anger at the condition of the African people, his sadness and pity at the tyranny of black officals. And in South Africa, he found not only a peace which he did not expect, he even felt so overwhelmed he retreated into a formerly white-only luxury hotel, an oasis amid the poverty of the black population. This, of course, was the source of further inner exploration about his guilt and his place as a black man, but an American - a true "Native Stranger."
All

Native American
Natives and Academics: Researching and Writing about American Indians
Published in Paperback by University of Nebraska Press (1998-04-01)
Author:
List price: $16.95
New price: $14.95
Used price: $9.45

Average review score:

How to research 101
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-07
A must have for writers looking to explore the world of American Indians through Academia. This book makes a great place to start for any writers outside the world of the American Indian because it informs from the perspective necessary to invoke change in the poorly and mainly Euroview of the American experience. The essays are insightful and informative and I found the bibliographies at the ends of each chapter a gift that only research freaks like me could enjoy. Thanks for the direction and how about a Volume 2?

required reading for all students in humanities
Helpful Votes: 18 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-28
Professor Mihesuah does an excellent job, as writer and editor, promoting a new model for American Indian studies, one more cognizant that the scientific/historical assumptions of the academy are themselves culturally loaded against a just understanding and representation of American Indians. Personally, I think this is true of much modern culture as well; one reason academics have such a hard time figuring out what to do with (and how to talk about) rock and roll, for instance, is that it doesn't quite fit the categories western civilization has developed so far. This is a fine collection of essays, one that should be required reading for all PhD candidates in the humanities.

Natives and Academics
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-03
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The book addressed the issue of disrespecting the oral tradition of American Indian cultures by writing about them. This is something that has concerned me, especially as I look into continuing my studies through a PhD program.

Required reading for ALL academics
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-19
Aside from the excellent job Professor Mihesuah does (both as writer and editor) in presenting the case for creating a different model for understanding American Indian history and culture, the essays here offer a much needed balance to academic presumptions about the primacy of scientific (as it were) fact. Should be required reading for all Ph.D. candidates in the humanities.

Native American
Navajo Nation 1950: Traditional Life in Photographs
Published in Hardcover by Glitterati, Inc. (2006-10-25)
Author: Jonathan B. Wittenberg
List price: $50.00
New price: $26.00
Used price: $24.95

Average review score:

so moving
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-10
this book made me cry. The pictures he captures, especially of the textiles are poetic and seriously moving. I am definately buying a copy of this book for my mom.

A Wonderful Glimpse into Navajo Culture
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-23
Jonathon B. Wittenberg's book does a wonderful job of capturing life as it is in Navajo culture through a Navajo-centered lens as opposed to a Western-lens. I think Tony Hillerman's quote on the back of the book does a wonderful job of capturing my feeling for the Navajo people after reading this book: " What I saw there [the Big Rez] sparked my love affair with The Navajos, their enduring culture of love, good humor and harmony, and the high, dry, dramatic landscape in which they endure. This is a beautiful and valuable book." I certainly fell in love with the Navajos after reading this remarkable book, and I encourage others to read this book to gain further understanding and appreciation for the incredible Navajos.

Go in peace.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-12
This is a beautiful, heart warming collection of images, outstanding for the quality of the photographs and above all for the choice of subjects, made with great sensitivity and an obvious love and admiration for the culture it portrays. Viewing Jonathan Wittenberg's photographs will be a memorable experience, especially for Tony Hillerman fans.

A showcase of photographic excellence
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-09
Navajo Nation 1950: Traditional Life In Photographs is a compilation of 100 black-and-white duotone-printed photographs taken by Jonathan B. Wittenberg to record and illustrate life on the Navajo reservation in 1950. Truly capturing with an artist's eye the dignity and beauty of an ancient Native American culture surviving in the midst of the broader mid-20th century American nation, Navajo Nation 1950 is a showcase of photographic excellence taken with a bulky, twin-lens reflex camera enabling the preservation through a photographic record of the Navajo people and culture that includes images from the Monument Valley, Black Mesa, Navajo Mountain, Lukachukai (a high bench between the Chuska mountains to the east and the desert plain to the west), Teas Toh (close to the old Highway 66), the Window Rock Navajo Tribal Fair, and the Canyon de Chelley. Enhanced for scholars as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in Navajo culture with an index to the photographs, and appendix (Progress of a Shootings Chant), and a Navajo reservation map, Navajo Nation 1950 is a welcome addition to personal and academic Photography and Native American Studies collections.


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