Native American Books

I personally know children ranging from 5 to 12 who thoroughly enjoyed this book. Both boys and girls became involved in the story and look forward to the resolution. They shared the story with their friends and it was successful in stimulating their own creativity. The story reinforces their nature to follow their own heart and believe in their individual value.

"Songs of the Orcas" is a wonderful tale for anyone, child or adult, who has ever felt different. If you have ever had a time when you wanted to be someone or something else you will enjoy this tale of a young North Pacific Native girl's longing to escape the mold others are trying to force her into.

This book is an easy read and very enjoyable for adults as well. Jan Grokett did a great job at drawing the reader into the story and making you wish you could be in Taahiasu's place. The illustrations are fantastically detailed and really add to the story.

This is a great book for children and adults alike. The author expertly blends myth, legend and imagination to tell her story and her expert knowledge of the subject matter is very evident. The reader is given a fascinating glimpse into the main character's culture and the many fine details make the story both visual and real. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It is one to be read and reread many times!

I thought this was a very good book. I enjoyed the story because it was breath taking and historical fiction. Even though, not all of the characters were real, this event really took place. This book is about an Indian band who is living peacefully in their valley. But one day, they are made to move out because the white people want to build roads and farms on their land. The Nez Perce tribe is forced to move on a reservation, but instead of going there, they set out on a journey to Canada. Soun, the main character, is an Indian boy who cannot speak because of a shock when he is young. Soun is the main helper. He helps herd the horses. I encourage you to read this book to find out if Soun ever speaks again. It is a history helper and is good to realize what happened back then to real Indian tribes.

I thought that this was a very good book, and even though I am 17, it is still a good book to read. I have almost all of his books, which I got a long time ago. I have always enjoyed reading these kinds of books.

When traviling through the Yellowstone and Teton area a while back as a young boy, i picked up a copy of this book. To make a long stroy short,once i started i could not stop. Not only was the historical lessons grand but it was very moving. I actually cried the first couple of times i read it. now over 10 years later i read it every once in a while. Ken is a fantastic writer, and i recomend all his books. Parents and children should read this book. I read it with my grandmother, and at65+ she loved it too.

Long before I ever ventured into the Southwest (I did, eventually, to live & work), I brought this little cookbook home to add to my collection. Over the years I cooked it ragged, then loaned it to a friend. It has never come home, so I am absolutely delighted to find a replacement.

This book is full of gorgeous photos and easy, tasty recipes for authentic Southwestern foods. You'll find good food and enjoyment here for years to come.

Marcia Keegan's Southwest Indian Cookbook wonderfully showcases Pueblo and Navajo recipes enhanced with beautiful photographic images and thematically appropriate quotes. From Potato and Tomato Cream Soup; Skillet Squash; and Taos Rabbit; to Pueblo Venison Stew; Indian Fry Bread; and Navajo Cake, the Southwest Indian Cookbook is a fitting culinary tribute to Native American cuisine and would grace any multicultural kitchen cookbook collection.

This my favorite cookbook covering Pueblo and Navaho foods. Not only are the recipies delicious and authentic, but the many photographs of the people and the landscape of the southwest, along with their words, has produced a small but beautiful book that displays the recipies within the context of the land and cultures.

I wanted this book for some time. I must say, I love it and don't know why I did not buy it sooner. An all time favorite of mine for sure.

As a collector of Indian art, jewelery, pottery and rugs, I had the wonderful good fortune to know and consider the Hopi Master jeweler Charles Loloma my friend.

Finding a book on American Indian jewelery was almost impossible to come by until this great book by Dexter came out in 1992. The artists, their work in magnificent color will move anyone to want to own some of this jewelry.

From it's beginings late in the 19th century jewelery was the Indian method of carrying their wealth around in the form of necklaces, braclets etc, Indian jewery was mainly of two schools. Most prominent was the Navajo and the other Zuni.

Then in the mid 1960's came a Hopi indian Charles Loloma. He was the Picasso that was going to revolutionize American Indian jewelery and he did. This book is a testament to Charlie's followers who now produce jewlery that is both modern and magnificant. Buy the book then go out to an Indian Art shop anywhere in CA, AZ, NM or even NJ and you will not be able to resist owning someting.

Hi I bouhgt Southwestern Indian Jewelry and it arrived with no plastic wrap and the jacket was damaged. Please let me know how to go about exchanging it for another in perfect condition. I am a collector and condition is important. Thank You, Joe Garcia.

This book is just wonderful. . . I couldn't put it down. Cushman is truely an artist. He shows the funny side to a very real issue. His characters are deeply developed and so loveable. The reading is light enough to enjoy as a book for pleasure but would be very useful to a student of Native American culture and the Native American's assimilation into "civilized" society. You'll feel like you're there with the Champlains. You'll want to reach out to them. . .too bad you can't literally climb into a book.

Risque by 1950s standards and controversial even today, Dan Cushman's runaway horse-and-motorcyle farce paved the way for serious (and comedic) writers of 20th Century Native American life: Sherman Alexie, James Welch, Kinsella, Deloria.
It shows the soft underbelly of well-intentioned efforts of whites to "uplift" their Indian neighbors and the uninentended consequences of these clashes of cultures, values, expectations.
Many of the scenes are priceless: The fiesta that follows Joe's return with war honors from Korea, or Madison Square Garden, or wherever he was; the horse-racing/horse-trading scene as a matter of honor as well as strategy and money; the parents' reburbishing of the house -- including a toliet that's not hooked up to anything -- to impress the family of the daughter's suitor.
Cushman wrote millions and millions of words and was one of the top authors of his day.
This is Cushman at his absolute best.
I recommend his autobiography, "Plenty of Room and Air" to get an understanding of Cushman and of Montana.

I mistakenly picked up this book and began reading it to my 7 year old son, thinking it would be a fun read together, which might inspire him to explore other books of this topic matter. In the first page I coughed my way through the word "G--D---" and found myself coughing my way through reading the entire first chapter. I found it too much effort to "bleep" my way through the tricky French-Canadian-Cowboy dialect of the trash-mouthed main character and eventually put the book down. I can't say I enjoy reading those words, myself, even.

So, if you are a parent and think that these older fiction books are more "safe" than the onese being produced today... think again.

I orginally bought a copy of this book for my eldest son in 1997 on a visit home to Vancouver Island. My younger son, aged 3, discovered it in the bookshelf and absolutely loves this story and wants to read it nearly every night. It has all the elements of a great children's storybook - the illustrations are lush and vibrant, with great attention to historical, cultural and artistic detail. The story is simple, with minimal text - half of the story is alluded to via the illustrations. The boy accidentally finds himself in a parallel supernatural undersea world, and eventually returns to his own village bringing spiritual gifts to his people. I will definately be buying a copy of Frog Girl. More please...

People will be framing the artwork from this book fifty years from now. And it's one of my son's favorite books. Great for reading aloud, one of the books you keep reaching for. A classic story, well told and beautifully rendered with images that are faithful to the actual traditions and styles of the Haida and Tlingit people. So it's not just "mind candy" -- it's an introduction to a culture.

Paul O. Lewis does a great service to children by using a scholarly approach to his young hero. Giving us not only rich and evocative artwork but portraying the ancient tale of the mythic hero with fresh and innocent eyes is a wonderful gift. Readers seeking the beauty of a children's book that provides an uplifting experience and faithful cultural feeling will fall in love with this book just as I have. -V.S.

Dr. Owsley tells the story of the Gulf area during the War of 1812 in a very readable manner. His work is quite thorough and includes a lot of detail about the skirmishes and battles. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in the War of 1812 and the Creek Indian War. The research done was well documented and any student of history will find this a great source.

Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands is the best single book on the often-overlooked Gulf Coast Theater of the War of 1812. Well written and researched, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands brings to light several little understood aspects of the War of 1812. First, it illustrates the previously overlooked interrelation of the Creek War and the bearing it had on the outcome of the War of 1812.

Secondly, it details all military and political actions on the Gulf Coast leading up to the Battle of New Orleans. Most books focus only on the events of the battle, ignoring the many actions that had a direct influence on how the Battle of New Orleans was fought. Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands describes these events so one can understand thier impact on the outcome of the battle itself.

Lastly, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands brings to light the divergent Southern opinion that the War of 1812 was a great military victory. From the Southern perspective, victory was nearly complete; the Creeks had been destroyed (opening more land for settlement); the Mobile territory had been annexed; and a major British invasion had been decisively stopped. The book contrasts this Southern perspective to the typical Northern view that the War of 1812 was at best a draw, which is the general view put forward by the majority of books on this subject.

Overall, the book is readable and informative. It is important for the new ideas and information it brings to the history of an area and a period. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in either the Creek War or the War of 1812.

For decades to come this will be the standard reference work on this topic. Superbly researched utilizing not only the usual American sources, but the previously untapped archives of Spain and Great Britain. Owsley has integrated the Creek War into the larger framework of the War of 1812 causing the reader at some point to pronounce "Eureka" as you begin to acquire a whole new perspective on Andrew Jackson and the conflict with Great Britain.

This may easily be the best history on the Creek War of 1813-1814. What could have been a completely altered history of the United States - if Andrew Jackson had not been in command, if he would have hesitated only weeks from the crucible campaign concluding at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, if the British would have landed the state-of-the-art muskets, artillery, military advisors/trainers, and cavalry accoutrements several weeks earlier than they did, if the Spanish had been more pro-active than they were for the Creeks, etc. - would have prevented us from our Manifest Destiny! I never before have read all of this with such fervor, explanation, and detail. Owsley makes the point that too many of our historians have belittled our accomplishments in these two interrelated wars and downplayed their significance. Often we have been led to believe that the War of 1812 was a "draw." He makes the point that it was on balance a resounding victory.

Jackson's being in the right place at the right time for the Battle of New Orleans would not have occurred but for his role in the Creek War and the overwhelming victory achieved. We would not have had the experienced and trained troops in place under his command but for the Creek War. And, inasmuch as the British did not recognize the validity of the Louisiana Purchase, if they had won the Battle of New Orleans then the Treaty of Ghent signed in December 1814 would not have applied to any claims that they would have asserted over New Orleans, Louisiana, and their planned buffer states under the Creek Indians and their allies. The frontier would have been inflamed and we would have had strong buffer Indian states with which to contend and two mutually supportive European powers. All of this was prevented by Andrew Jackson and his juggernaut victory at Horseshoe Bend. The sheer quantum of international intrigue taking place at Pensacola and throughout the Gulf area is enlightening.

This book is highly recommended by this reviewer. You will receive a whole new perspective on Andrew Jackson and his brave Tennessee and Georgia troops in the Creek War.

From the moment I heard about the premise of this book I waited with anticipation. What joy that it fulfilled everything I expected. Susan is a gifted writer and brings these women's words to life. The book made me desperate for more, both in depth and scope. As easy to take as a novel, it is a history lesson - should I say HERstory - and then some. Superb work.

Susan Cummins Miller, a very gifted editor and writer, has scored a hit with this one! It should be read by every woman, young and old, desiring a woman's insight of the events of the West during its formative years. The book gives the reader a woman's perspective as to the hardships suffered along with moments of humor and the joys of discovery and exploration through essays, travelogues, poetry and letters. The editor has blended well a group of women writers who lived this age of discovery and settlement. Almost all the cultures in the West during the period are presented with their particular view of the events as they lived them. It is a unique collection and I wish I had read this book in college. It certainly would have broadened my horizons and complimented the materials presented in my history and literature classes. Hey, professors! You need to add this book to your must read lists. And, to the author, many thanks for finding a unique niche that had been missed and filling it with a great group of women writers, broadening our historical and literary minds and giving us one great book that can be enjoyed many times over. It will hold a sacred place on my bookshelf.

For the first time I really understand the role played by WOMEN in settling the West. This collection of writings by women of all cultures took me to that time and let me feel the joy, loneliness, laughter, exhaustion and fulfillment of settling a new country. It also let me see the life of the American Indian through the eyes of women for the first time. Excellent read.

Jane Archer retells ancient stories in a style that makes them great fun for adults and children alike. But while fun, the stories also give insights into the distinct cultures of the native people from whom the stories arose. The history sections that follow each set of stories convey further insights into the originating cultures and deepen the enjoyment of the stories when they are read a second time, then a third time and a fourth. In short, here is a book containing stories and histories you can reread and enjoy time and again and share often with others. I recommend it highly. It deserves MORE than five stars. Don't miss it!

TEXAS INDIANS transported me. As I read, I felt myself sliding into the past, sitting at a camp fire listening to an elder tell the stories as I walked in the old ways. The myths, legends and histories are told clearly and objectively, yet the cultures come alive. Ms. Archer gave me a window into a world past, yet still present, and I was a bit surprised how deeply connected I felt to both spans of time.

Jane Archer retells ancient stories for modern readers and makes them such fun to read! But while fun, the stories also provide insights into the native Texas people from whose cultures the stories arose. The short history sections that follow each group of stories give further insights into the various native Texas cultures and make rereading the stories even more meaningful and fun. This is a book you can enjoy more than once and in more than one way, and it is a book you will find yourself wanting to share often with others. Don't miss it!

So concludes Chief Joseph at the end of this remarkable and touching book, based on an 1879 interview he gave to reporters from the "North American Review."

Joseph, chief of one of the clans of the Nez Perce, reluctantly conducted a four-month war in 1877 against the U.S. government. The Nez Perce, whose traditional grounds were in the western Montana-Idaho-astern Oregon region, had seen their land steadily whittled away by governmental decree and white settlement until, by 1863, they were allowed less than 1,000 square miles. This led to a splintering of the tribe into compliant and noncompliant bands. Joseph, following his father's insistence that the land belonged to no one and couldn't be apportioned by governmental treaty, led the noncompliant band.

Officially ignored for a few years, Joseph's Nez Perce fell under government scrutiny again when an in-rush of goldseekers in the mid-1870s led to increased tension between whites and Indians. The tension erupted into outright violence when a group of young and angry Nez Perce killed four white settlers, and the war which Joseph had tried so long and hard to avoid was thrust upon him.

Although the war was short in duration, it was intense in fighting. No fewer than four U.S. armies went after Joseph. Nez Perce women and children were butchered by U.S. troops and volunteers. Joseph finally surrendered because he was promised that his people could return to their own lands. But they were sent first to Leavenworth, where many of them died from malaria, and then Baxter, Kansas.

Throughout the interview, Joseph continuously expresses bewilderment at the greed of the white men who insist on owning all the land; at the fact that Indians are treated so unjustly, even though all men and women are kindred; at the willingness of the white community to dishonor itself by breaking treaties ("It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises," p. 41); and at the arrogance of whites, who just naturally presume that they have the right to subjugate Indians ("I have asked some of the great white chiefs where they get their authority to say to the Indian that he shall stay in one place, while he sees white men going where they please. They cannot tell me," p. 42).

An eloquent and heartbreaking document, one that makes the reader proud of Chief Joseph and ashamed of the U.S. government's treatment of the Nez Perce--a tribe, by the way, that saved the Lewis and Clark expedition at a crisis moment.

Its ironic to give a 5 star rating to a man who's nation was decimated by our government. At first blush its sinful to place an entertainment rating on genocide. Yet how else might you learn of the great wisdom of the Native Americans if I do otherwise. ALL ancient wisdom confirms: 1) Violence comes full circle to anyone, or any nation, that pursues it as a solution no matter what `rightous' banner is used to vindicate it. 2) All governments decay into lying, cheating, and stealing from the governed because unrestrained power steals the soul, the humanity, out of a human being. 3) Only love and foregiveness create lasting change in the world. 4) Nature buries her undertakers--do not abuse her. One definition of insanity is `doing the same thing expecting different results.' This is a must read if you care at all about yourself, your children and the greatness of all people.

Other recommendations:
Wisdom of the Vedas (Theosophical Heritage Classics)
Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao
Illusions
Life of Pi

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, who was also known by his Nimipoo name Hin-Mah-Too-Yah-Lahket, gave an interview to the North American Review in l879. This book is a reprint of Chief Joseph's account of the Nez Perce's dealings with their white brothers, the Nez Perce War of l877 which he tried so hard to avoid, and his people's imprisonment on reservations following his surrender. The final portion of the book consists of Joseph's plea that all people treat each other with respect and human decency and as equals. Hin-Mah-Too-Yah-Lahket expresses himself in nothing short of pure poetry. He is generally considered in the Northwestern United States (where he is a hero with a town, schools and numerous memorials named after him) to be one of the greatest Native American orators. This book is a must-read for 1) students of American history and 2) proponents of civil liberties. This edition does contain some strange spellings (e.g., Rutherford B. Hayes is here spelled "Rutherford Hays" and Hin-Mah-Too-Yah-Lahket is spelled "In-Mut-Too-Yah-Lat-Lat"). However, since Snohomish was an unwritten language, the spelling of Nimiputan words and names is anybody's guess. I'm just glad that Mountain Meadow Press reprinted Chief Joseph's l879 article.