Native American Books

Daniel Richter, in this astonishing book, does an excellent job explaining social, political and economical aspects of the Iroquois people with strong evidence. This book is a resutl of a big reserach and Richter's dedication to the subject. I would recommend this book not only to students who need to take Native American History, but also to anyone who is interested in learning about the Iroquoi's life and their impacts on the French, the England, and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though i am not a native speaker, i really enjoyed reading this book because of Richter's plain English.

I've found this book to be both insightful and easy to understand. Though this is a well researched and referenced academic text it is accessible to the average reader, assuming an interest in the subject matter.

The Iroquois were a centerpiece of North American colonial life and I would highly suggest this book for those interested in History or Anthropology, as Dr. Richter takes broad approach to his analysis and documents cultural practices and history of interest to many disciplines.

The Ordeal of the Longhouse is an excellent start to gaining an understanding of how the Iroquois were affected by the onset of Europeans in their territory. This book does an excellent job of looking at Iroquoian culture and how it developed both before and after Europeans arrived. Europeans changed the cultures of all groups that they interacted with as each took on some of the characteristics of the other and the Iroquois were not exception. Richter takes great detail to play out the various council negotiations and treaty discussions that led to the formation of the five nations council in the view of the Europeans and how this affected diplomacy in the new world. The British, Dutch and French all were forced to deal with the five nations and having a book that so expertly captures their negotiations is wonderful. This is an essential study for anyone who wishes to understand colonial history. While newer books have been coming out on the subject this still remains the gold standard and one of the excellent studies on the Iroquois. A great addition to any colonial or native American historians library.

There's an implicit question raised by The Other Game, which is relevant to all of us. Which is the game we want to play? Dahl-Bredine and Hicken depict lives that are productive and rich in meaning, wisdom, and sharing. They demonstrate how the unwritten protocols of this Oaxacan village keep the society tending towards a more inclusive distribution of wealth. This is accomplished through festivals of generosity, self-funded and rotating leadership roles, and work projects in which everyone contributes to the community's well-being.

In an interlude at the center of the book, the authors detail the unwritten assumptions by which we operate. I found this a good common ground for discussion.

This book is particularly useful for those of us trying to figure out how we can be *individually* such good people and *collectively* doing such terrible things. We're focused on winning a game whose rules benefit the casino owners. It's time to walk outside and see how the other 80% lives. It will prepare us to walk back inside and change the game.

There is much to learn from other cultures. We can look at them and then examine ourselves to see what's really important. "The Other Game: Lessons from How Life Is Played In Mexican Villages" is an historical survey focusing upon villages that have existed for thousands of years, and a look at their inhabitants and their way of life. Alternatives to our culture are presented to make a better future for ourselves, and while it is far from being a romantic view of the past and in the Mexican villages, it is simply meant to offer another option for life. Recommended for religion and social issue community library collection shelves, and those who seek to learn about how others live day to day.

Authors Dahl-Bredine and Hicken have given us a very clear description and analysis of the situation in the Mixteca Alta Region of Oaxaca, Mexico. They show in a detailed and documented fashion the damage done by agricultural policies and trade practices coming from the North. Then based on the life experiences and stories of the local people, they show us another way to live and produce food. Reaching back to the wisdom of the Mixtec ancestors they offer a vision of hope for the future.

Her poems are breath of sping, heart of summer, sprint of fall and the pure soul of winter white.
have this book and go to Pip.com to read more other writings.

The poetry in this book is as beautiful as the lady that wrote it.
Marge Tindal is THE POET of everyone's heart.
Her verses written of the love of the Cherokee will bring you to more knowledge of the plight they suffered, the loss of what they had, the fight for survival, the seek of peace.

BUY IT !
It's worth every penny of the cost.

Marge Tindal touches the heart with her wonderfully sensitive poetry. I would highly recommend "Out of the Whispering Winds" to any lover of poetry or anyone interested in Native American culture. It's a wonderful book.

Is the United States policy on the Native American Indians far more based in religion than we believe? "Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery" is a look at the government's relations with the native people of this country and how the treatment of the natives, non-Christian indigenously, may be part of a sub-conscious Christian doctrine that the country has been following for centuries. Intriguing information from first page to last, "Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery" is deftly written and highly recommended to community library Native American studies collections.

Newcomb delivers an analysis on U.S. federal Indian law that traces its racist history to Christian discovery and dominion. The entirety of the book is devoted to elucidating the idealized cognitive models (ICMs) present in U.S. Indian policy that originated in the expansion of Christendom and the entitlement of Europeans as chosen people and conquers on native lands.
The final chapter is definitely worth waiting for as Newcomb summarizes and projects into the present-day his well-researched and professional perspective on how and why American Indians have always faced such extremely racist treatment from the United States. For example, he writes

"Because other books have dealt quite capably with U. S. statues and legal decisions dealing with Indians, the aim of this work has been to use some of the findings of cognitive theory to account for the mentality of empire and domination that has resulted in the assumption that originally free and independent Indian nations and peoples are now subject to the plenary power and dominion of U. S. government. The same mentality has also resulted in Indian people losing before the Supreme Court more than 80 percent of the time, more often than convicted criminals seeking reversals of their convictions."

He goes on to relate the well-developed, Christian-based, American psychology of dominion over indigenous people in the United States to the post-9/11 American Empire. Pagans in the Promised Land is an essential perspective for Americans of European-decent to grasp as even citizens of an atheist background will realize the depth to which our cultural attitudes and prejudices (racism, sexism, classism, etc.) are rooted in the Christian doctrines of domination, entitlement, evangelism, and superiority.

Every educator or world peace advocate must read this book. Passionate and compelling arguments inspire readers to be more informed about overlooked and archaic policies in the U.S. Government. This contemporary work examines and explores doctrines that began with Indian Nations and are still being implemented in other areas of the modern world. Pagans in the Promised Land written by a Native American Scholar, Steven Newcomb, delivers some stimulating arguments based on over 20 years of research. This book is a must read for all universities prompting engaging classroom discussions.

David Chethlahe Paladin (1926-1984) was a Navajo visionary, healer, shaman, and artist. He was also a survivor of the Nazi prison camp of Dachau. Painting The Dream shares Paladin's wisdom and poetry, as well as color plates of his vibrant, visionary art. David Chethlahe Paladin's art was his life; through it, he fulfilled his desire to serve, to heal, to live compassionately, and to walk the Navajo way of beauty. This remarkable book explores the connection between Paladin's public art and his private life, showing how he not only honored his spiritual ancestors but also his personal commitments through the art that he gave to humanity.

At the age of 14, Paladin was a runaway adventurer in the South Pacific. He and a buddy stowed away on a ship, where he met a German named Ted Keck. While at sea, Paladin sketched what he saw, including the Japanese preparing for an invasion. When the war started, the American goverment became very interested in Paladin's sketches, and eventually acquried them. Paladin was then drafted, but instead of going to the South Pacific, they used him as a decoder; the Germans couldn't understand Navajo, and Paladin used this language to transfer information. Caught wearing a German officer's uniform, Paladin was captured and sentenced to death for spying.

As destiny would have it, Paladin came face to face with his sailing buddy, Ted Keck, who was now a German officer. Keck exchanged Paladin's identity tags with another prisoner, so Paladin was sent to a work camp rather than the death chamber.

Having endured starvation, exposure in freezing temperatures, and other atrocities like having his feet nailed to the floor, the worse memory of all for Chethlehe was of a German officer that would put maggots on the open sores of his legs and who shoved raw chicken entrails down his throat. He was very bitter and angry at this guard, but something changed during the Nuremburg War Crimes Trial. After he testified to what this guard did to him, another man asked for permission to address the court. While not intending to defend the officer, the man explained that the maggots would eat the gangrenous flesh, allowing new flesh to grow--and that in Paladin's weakened state, raw entrails was one of the few things he would be able to assimilate and draw nourishment from. Paladin writes of his experience:

"The impact of these words were shattering. I broke down in tears as I released the years of bitterness I had harbored toward that officer. I made a silent oath to myself never again to hate or condemn another person.

In my experience as a German prisoner of war I learned much about the inhumanity of man to man, and also much about love, sharing, and attempts to reach out. It was frightening to see how low we could sink as individuals, but it is wrong to say that the Germans or any one group were particularly cruel. We were all experiencing, in one way or another, something that we needed to experience--our own ability to hate, our own ability to be 'inhuman', whether we were Americans or Germans. And yet, in the prison camps I met many people--Catholics, Gypsies, Jews--who each shared a little bit of their truth, their love, their myths with me in order that I might somehow survive.

Today, I am committed to inclusiveness. I believe that it is possible for us to accept and honor the beliefs of others, to sing with joy their songs of praise, to learn from their faith, and to grow with them."

Paladin was a decorated hero before the age of 20, but he still felt confusion and despair, especially because he was crippled from his Dauchau experience. He went back to the reservation, before the council of elders. According to Paladin, they gave him hydrotherapy, Indian-style. The tied a rope around his waist, removed his prosthetic appliances, and threw him into the Little Colorado River at flood stage. He was angry at them, but recognized the wisdom of their actions. They forced him to use his body in new ways in order to survive, and in doing so, he called back his spirit. He realized his strength and his power, and was born anew.

A shaman as well as an artist, Paladin was one of the first Native American painters to move beyond traditional themes and styles of painting. Using various mediums such as acrylics, clay, and sand, Paladin painted Navajo, Pueblo, Huichol, and Egyptian deities; Aboriginal Dreamtime images; and mythological beings born of the imagination and lore of many ages and lands, Paladin's art has been praised for its exuberance, eclecticism, spirituality, and original use of symbols. Together, his prose and paintings illuminate a philosophy in which we are all creators and transformers when we respond with openness to our environment and our fellow beings.

When at the Chicago Art Institute in the 1940's, Paladin met the Russian artist marc Chagall. Chagall used to say to him "You have this beautiful heritage. Tell me some stories.", and then "As an Indian, why don't you just go to sleep and paint what you dream? Paint those beautiful stories!" According to Paladin, those words meant more to him than anything else in his life. It gave him a direction to explore with his art.

I was never a fan of Native American or Aztec-type art, but after reading of Paladin's experiences in his own words, as well as beholding his beautiful spirit and life, his art has taken on new meaning for me. I can't stop looking at his vibrant art that is so uniquely rich and alive with meaning. Although Paladin is no longer with us in body, his art and wisdom remains--still healing and uplifting the souls of humanity.

Painting The Dream: The Shamanic Life And Art Of David Chethlahe Paladin is a vividly presented artbook showcasing the work of visionary artist and activist David Chethlahe Paladin (1926-1984) in full color. Paladin grew up on a Navajo reservation, was a student at the Chicago Art Institute, and left a longstanding legacy of brilliant color shapes and patterns of undying imagery. Painting The Dream is a welcome and commended addition to any personal or academic American Art History , Native American Studies, or Metaphysical Studies collection.

This is an extrarodinarily beautiful and powerful book -- the one I return to more than any other when trying to share with others my understanding of the visionary and shamanic path toward wholeness and healing. Lynda Paladin's selections, of art and complementary written pieces by David Paladin, are brilliant. Painting the Dream is a treasure. It not only delights the eye but nourishes the soul.

I was greatly moved by the life story, poems, and art of this remarkable person named David Chethlahe Paladin in "PAINTING THE DREAM".

Through his colorful life, suffering, and cultures; he brought me to an understanding of our inter-connectedness with one another and the universe.

It is relevant that we learn from his knowledge base, in order to live better, healthier, and a more harmonious exsistance. We must understand that there is so very much more for us to understand.

David opens up a window you have never looked through before.

No matter who you are, where you came from, your sorrows and joys of your life experience; there is no way that you can walk away- after reading this book and experiencing the essence of this exceptional human being- that you won't be positively inspired for the rest of your life.

I bought this book after hearing Carolyn Myss's version of Paladin's story. I was surprised to read Paladin's version which is quite different; Myss seems to have invented some facts. All that aside, this a deeply moving book. You feel what it is to be a shaman, and visually it is beyond description. I wondered why a paperback was so expensive, and then I saw the 31 plates. I would be thrilled to have any of this art in my home. The back of the book says you can buy it. If I had the money I would. This is a stunning book for anyone interested in healing.

I always come back to this book. It contains more than magnificient paintings. It contains wisdom, peace, light, dreams. An incredible perspective of life. Everything in this book is made with beauty: the words, the thoughts, the paintings, the stories. It opens our eyes to the world of the chamans. And, strangely, it also opens our eyes to our own inner world! Magnificient.

As anyone who owns books on the ancient Maya will probably attest, they have a habit of becoming out of date rather rapidly; yesterday's Copan is today's Xukpi and yesterday's King 18-Rabbit is today's Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good thing. Unlike the vast body of scholarship that Egyptologists can only hope to add a sentence to here or a footnote to there, Mayanists are faced with a field where every turn of the spade yields material that is likely to keep them busy for decades. That is the exciting thing about Mayan studies; every year sees yet more exciting discoveries by both "dirt" archeologists and by "armchair" or more correctly "keyboard" scholars. Every new book on the Maya is welcome and if they are as well written and lavishly illustrated as this one, they are doubly welcome.

I've read much of what has been written about Mayan ceramics and can say with confidence that this is the best book on the subject ever written. The essays in it, by top professionals, discuss the forms and functions of the ceramics, the meaning of their calligraphy, their basic themes and the places particular styles of ceramics come from. Indeed, if you read it carefully and more than once, you too will be able to decipher the principal inscriptions even on pots that are not in the book. There are hundreds of full-color photographs of Mayan ceramic vases and plates in this book. These vases are decorated with pictures of formed the greatest Pre-Columbian civilization. These ceramics depict Mayan textile design, Mayan hair-dressing, Mayan head-dresses, Mayan ceramics (within the ceramic paintings), Mayan concepts of design and of the other worlds below this one. From them we learn of Mayan myth,Mayan ritual, Mayan daily life, and Mayan art. Leaving aside the great monumental art of sculpture and stucco that adorned major structures, leaving aside the structures themselves, and giving credit for a host of varieties of artistic representations ranging from the Tsimshian to the Moche... I think it is an absolute fact that the art that appears on Mayan ceramics is the best that America ever created prior to Columbus and arguably the best... period. This book discusses, describes, depicts and defends that incredible artistic legacy better than any other ever did.

This handsome book covers a wide range of Maya ceramic imagery, and is filled with stunning photographs. The imagery is also broken down by catagory, and is supplimented with explations of glyphs. The accessible text that explores the mythology, culture, iconography, and hieroglyphics on and related to the ceramics. The information is thorough without being overly specialized.

This book is a series of papers initially presented at a symposium during the Southeastern Archaeological Conference. It summarizes what was known at that time (1993) about the Paleoindian and early Archaic periods in the Southeast; that is, the time when the first ancestors of later Native American cultures first settled in what is now southeastern North America.

The book covers the entire southeastern region, with site reports and syntheses from Florida out to Arkansas and north to Virginia. It presents a good picture of what we know of the first human settlers in this region, including their believed use of "staging areas" - that is, places the first settlers could learn about their new environments before moving outward into more marginal territory - as well as the environmental factors, such as stone outcrops and plant and animal communities, that would have affected patterns of human settlement.

My only complaint against the book, like so many others in archaeology, is that it does not address what is known or what could be known of the cultures themselves beyond the merely physical. That is, there is far too much attention paid to environmental and technological factors at the expense of attempts to understand what these first settlers may have been thinking, or what their cultural systems or worldviews may have been. However, this alone does not mar what otherwise is a well-written and comprehensive synthesis.

I enjoyed the book, and recommend it to anyone interested in Native American cultures and archaeology.

If you have ever wondered about your ancestors, whether or not you have Native blood, this is a worthy read. I have been hunting for and collecting American Indian artifacts for many years and studying the material discussed in this book. It not only informs but leads the reader to think. I also highly recommend another book: Walking the Trail by Cherokee author, Jerry Ellis. He was the first person in modern history to walk the 900 mile route of the Trail of Tears and the book was nominated for a Pulitzer and National Book Award.

Very useful collection of papers and summaries of papers on paleo and early archaic Americans in this region. The thought provoking theories on settlement and hunting practices that evolved along with the changing climate make this well worth reading. I keep my copy handy and refer back to it often.

I love this book! It was very interesting and I couldn't put it down.It is about a boy named Dakota and he is half Lakota and half Irish. He is walking home from visiting the Little Bighorn battle site and gets thrown back into time. He meets the great ledgend, Sitting Bull and all of his family! Dakota is confued about his being half Lakota and half Irish and feels angry that he is mixed. He is captured by two Lakota boys and is shot with their arrow! They capture him and take him back to their camp! He trys to get aways many times but is always captured! The Lakota are very interested in him because he is not all Lakota! He proves he is good at riding a horse by the great pony race! He also participates in the great Sundance ritural and steals Crow enemy horses! He is getting to know his people and their languageand forgets to try to leave!I liked the childs eye view of life! And how he accomplishes tasks that make him grow to br a very stong and mature young man! The end is the best part but you will have to read it to find out!!!!!

I love this book! It was very interesting and I couldn't put it down.It is about a boy named Dakota and he is half Lakota and half Irish. He is walking home from visiting the Little Bighorn battle site and gets thrown back into time. He meets the great ledgend, Sitting Bull and all of his family! Dakota is confued about his being half Lakota and half Irish and feels angry that he is mixed. He is captured by two Lakota boys and is shot with their arrow! They capture him and take him back to their camp! He trys to get aways many times but is always captured! The Lakota are very interested in him because he is not all Lakota! He proves he is good at riding a horse by the great pony race! He also participates in the great Sundance ritural and steals Crow enemy horses! He is getting to know his people and their languageand forgets to try to leave!I liked the childs eye view of life! And how he accomplishes tasks that make him grow to br a very stong and mature young man! The end is the best part but you will have to read it to find out!!!!!

In short, I loved this book. The central character is a teenager who is easy to relate to. He is caught between two cultures and his own internal conflicts as a young boy becoming a man. This might not seem like a unique theme but the atmosphere of the book combined with the historical value as we relive Little Bighorn is invaluable. I think we are always learning about how we see family and how we fit into that picture and the wisdom in this book is beautiful.

Trimble gives careful, in-depth and complete descriptions of each tribe of the Southwest (here defined as New Mexico, Arizona, southern Utah and Colorado and southeastern California). Each tribe is studied on its own grounds except to develop linguistic and other inter-tribal connections.

Even if you are familiar with major tribes such as the Navajo, Apache and the best-known Puebloan peoples, Trimble still has a wealth of information for you.

A decade of research and a number of photographs by Trimble himself underscore the interest, depth and care he brings to this book and the tribes of his study.

An invaluable bonus at the end is Trimble's calendar of major religious ceremonies of the various tribes, a helpful vacation planning assistant.

This one of my favorite books. It is an excellent resourse for information on Native American peoples of the Southwest conveniently divided into three parts and includes personal as well as scholarly information on the Pueblo, Navajo, Pai, Yavapai, Apache, Ute, Southern Paiute, O'odham, Maricopa, Mojave, Chemehaevi, Quechan, Cocopah, and the Yaqui people. The writing of such a book by one author must have been a huge undertaking but the author pulled it off exceptionally well and as other noted authors have declared, "it will probably become a classic in Native American studies." If you have an interest in Native American culture - past/present/and future - this book belongs in your library!

Stephen Trimble's The People is an excellent account of Southwestern Native American history and culture. Trimble outlines the history of the several groups inhabiting these three divisions of the Southwest: the Pueblo people, the Upland people, and the Desert people. His ten years of ethnographic field research have given him personal relationships with many Native Americans, allowing him to share the words and emotions of the people he studies. Trimble's well-taken photographs also add to the understanding the reader gains of the cultures of the Southwestern groups. This ethnography does more than outline history and bring the reader up to date with the most recent accomplishments of the people, but also illustrates the strong traditions of the culture that are still practiced today.

The Southwest is an area with a diverse environment, and the groups of people living in the many areas practice different lifestyles to coexist in harmony with their surroundings. Trimble's photographs are helpful in giving examples of these varied environments, some so surprising that they could not be equaled in the reader's imagination. By seeing the places that these people call home, the reader has a greater understanding of lives that Trimble describes. Trimble approaches this extremely varied area by describing one group at a time...After fully describing their history up to present living conditions, he moves on to the next group. For example, when studying the Pueblo people, Trimble first describes the Anasazi, the people who first practiced the ancient Archaic tradition of adobe and masonry building. As time went on, the Anasazi became several groups of Pueblo people practicing the same traditions. As Trimble says, "The Anasazi grew corn, Pueblo people grow corn" (47).

American movement into the Southwest is the single force that most drastically changed the lives of these Native Americans. Trimble not only states the facts of the events involved in this history, but also gives accounts of the highly emotional attitudes of these people when recalling such events. Thus, the reader is presented with accounts given by the people whose lives were radically changed in our country's history. The Quechan are one of the Colorado River Tribes that used to thrive on the rich farmland around the river...Trimble describes decades of poverty suffered by these people. Harold Chaipos, a Quechan, is quoted by Trimble, saying, "I really miss that big river. Those were good old times" (410).

Personal accounts are also important in Trimble's description of the present status of the Southwestern groups. In his conclusion, called "We Are The Land," Trimble emphasizes the connectedness that these people have with the land. This is something that most Americans do not understand...The attachment that these people have to the land makes attempted relocations and constant environmental threats that have come along with the spread of American inhabitation all the more devastating. According to Trimble, many Southwestern Native Americans feel that they live a life in which they practice a balancing act. In order to survive and protect their land, the groups need to be able to interact with Americans while still upholding their traditional culture...[T]he Southwestern Native Americans continue to live rooted in their homeland, while taking what they know from their cultural traditions and applying it to modern American culture. They say, "We are the people. We are the land. We will persist" (457).

Trimble provides a wonderful source of information about the widely diverse groups of Southwestern Native groups...In The People, Trimble captures the attitudes of the native people of the American Southwest and presents them in a form that educates the rest of the world on aboriginal lifestyles and present Native American values.