Native American Books

This book traces american indian relations in the United States beginning around 1930 and ending in the 1990's. Just as the relations are complex, so to is the character Aurelia, a Lakota. She has had to deal with many harsh experiences growing up on the reservation, but throughout her life she continues to return to traditional thinking and stories. The book moves along slowly, it is not a page-turner, but one has the feeling that the progression of the story is like the movement of the river, the Mni Sosa, strong and continuous and always there. The book is humorous, Native Americans are great storytellers, but mostly I would say it is sad and angry. The American Indian has not been treated fairly by the United States Government, and Cook-Lynn captures the Indians feelings of helplessness and frustration throughout, yet never to the point where you grow tired and think that Indians are whining. You read of the forced relocation, the unfair loss of Indian lands, the rise of A.I.M., the loss of their sacred Black Hills, and the constant poverty and prejudice that continues to this day. However, as sad and frustrating and angry as this book is you are aware of the American Indians ability to adapt and keep their sense of humor, even when faced with adversity. By the end of Aurelia you know that if the Native Amerians can continue to keep their stories and traditions they will rise and become strong. There are some beautiful, thought provoking passages here; some you will remember forever. I highly recommend this book to all who care about allowing the American Indian to preserve their culture, in their own way, without the help of well-meaning, new-age white people. I believe Cook-Lynn is as strong a voice as Vine Deloria, Jr. I thank her for writing this book.

This book traces american indian relations in the United States beginning around 1930 and ending in the 1990's. Just as the relations are complex, so to is the character Aurelia, a Lakota. She has had to deal with many harsh experiences growing up on the reservation, but throughout her life she continues to return to traditional thinking and stories. The book moves along slowly, it is not a page-turner, but one has the feeling that the progression of the story is like the movement of the river, the Mni Sosa, strong and continuous and always there. The book is humorous, Native Americans are great storytellers, but mostly I would say it is sad and angry. The American Indian has not been treated fairly by the United States Government, and Cook-Lynn captures the Indians feelings of helplessness and frustration throughout, yet never to the point where you grow tired and think that Indians are whining. You read of the forced relocation, the unfair loss of Indian lands, the rise of A.I.M., the loss of their sacred Black Hills, and the constant poverty and prejudice that continues to this day. However, as sad and frustrating and angry as this book is you are aware of the American Indians ability to adapt and keep their sense of humor, even when faced with adversity. By the end of Aurelia you know that if the Native Amerians can continue to keep their stories and traditions they will rise and become strong. There are some beautiful, thought provoking passages here; some you will remember forever. I highly recommend this book to all who care about allowing the American Indian to preserve their culture, in their own way, without the help of well-meaning, new-age white people. I believe Cook-Lynn is as strong a voice as Vine Deloria, Jr. I thank her for writing this book.

This is one of the absolute best American Indian first-person accounts available anywhere.

The 22-page chapter of folkways based upon the instructions given by the tribal elders is invaluable to the modern reader/researcher. These cover the Winnebago religion, social etiquette, "medicine," marriage and sex, precepts for women, and the wisdom of the old men.

Highly recommended!

Very few books truly allow you to meet another person from a far off time who lived a life completely different than the one you know, yet remaining utterly human. 'Autobiography' is the word for word narrative of a Winnebago Indian born sometime in the mid to late 1800's who was asked by Radin to tell about his life. There are no attempts to make this into a work of political correctness or to shield aspects of the narrator's culture we might find deplorable. What makes this writing unique is that unlike so many books of 'history', this is about the thoughts and happenings of one individual instead of using the individual as a vehicle to tell another story. If you are looking for the genuine article--a real document of what it must have been like to have been a Winnebago during this turbulant period, look no farther.

A fascinating book, well worth the time to read. I found the following article about Nicholas Said in THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION (newspaper), dated July 23, 1870:
"A REMARKABLE PERSON"
"Nicholas Said, a very intelligent native of Africa, called yesterday at THE CONSTITUTION office to make arrangements to have published his autobiography, written by himself. He is tattooed over his face, arms and body, and says that he was born in Bornou, of a royal family -- was sold to Mischacoff, the Russian General, in whose service he was during the Crimean war. He seems to have traveled much, and talks intelligently on almost every subject. Originally a Mohammedan, he joined the Greek church in Russia, and now professes to have been converted to the Swedenborgian faith, about which he seems to be well informed. Upon the subject of the European war he converses with great intelligence, and seems to be decided in his convictions. He has been teaching school at Thomasville, Georgia, and in the Herald of that place he showed us a very complimentary notice of himself. We examined his manuscript with some care, and were astonished to find it well written, both as regards arrangement and the grammatical construction of sentences. The contents are novel, and, as far as we read them, very interesting.
"Whether he is what he represents himself to be or not, (and we have no reason to doubt it) Nicholas Said is a remarkable character, and a few moments' conversation will convince any one of this fact. He proposes to publish his autobiography if a sufficient number of subscribers can be obtained to enable him to do so. He will wait upon our citizens to canvass for subscribers."

It introduces us to the life of a talented, ambitious and well educated man. This is an inspirational journey of an African and of an American. You will not be able to put this book down.

It is rare for me to have such unbridled praise for any individual writer, but Metzner is quite simply a shining intellect - a hero among others.

Anything with the name Ralph Metzner even remotely attached to it is a safe buy. Metzner brings vitality and encyclopedic awareness to every project. An elder statesman responsible for such dramatic shifts in consciousness within this nation and throughout the world, buy his works and read them with pleasure.

What is striking about this work is the respect he brings to the subject and the well-constructed tapestry of thought contained within the pages.

Also, the design of this book is beautiful.

Solid content with the stamp of greatness. Palatable to the senses and nourishing to the neurons.

Cannot go wrong here!

This book discusses Ayahuasca from a variety of perspectives: historical, religious, chemical, cultural, horticultural and experiencial. The way the book is structured it would be easy for a reader to skip over the topics that don't interest them. All of the information is presented in a thorough, well-written, and objective manner offering some conclusions while at the same time allowing the reader to form their own.

Most interesting were the 25 or so personal accounts, 3-4 pages each written by people who appeared to Americans/Westerners who took the drug for religious/spiritual purposes and in a religious/spiritual setting. It was clear, based on their mindset (objectives and beliefs) and the religious setting that Ayahuasca seems to somehow create a religious construct through which a person can work through personal issues or sort through personal beliefs. The experience seemed to have a profound affect on most of these people.

Overall, I got the impression that Ayahuasca was not connecting these individuals to something divine outside of themselves, but rather that it was freeing the brain up to explore the subconscious/ID in order to resolve problems or explore issues in the persons life.

Well worth reading if you're interested in this sort of thing.

From the back cover: "Pasztory has placed these major works of Pre-Columbian art in a historical context, relating them to the reigns of individual rulers, events in Aztec history, and the needs of different social groups from the elite to the farmer. She focuses on the little-known aspects of the aesthetics, poetry, and humanity of the Aztecs.
In 1984 the book received a Special Citation from the Charles Rufus Morey Book Award Committee of the College Art Association."

A wonderful book; I'd buy another like it in a heartbeat. For Mesoamerican/Aztec cultural arts fans, this is a "must buy" and makes a SUPER gift!

Anyone serious about understanding the Aztec mind and social order should read both "Time and Sacrifice in the Aztec Cosmos" (K. A. Read) and also, "THE JADE STEPS" by Burr Cartwright Brundage (University of Utah Press; (c)1985; ISBN# 0-87480-247-4). FYI, Dr. Brundage has authored nearly a dozen extraordinarily well written and researched books on Aztec civilization; most are (sadly) tough to find.

Any student of early Spanish history or Aztec history must take a look at AZTECS & CONQUISTADORES: THE SPANISH INVASION & THE COLLAPSE OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE, which surveys the impact the Spanish conquests had on world history. The focus here is upon the military might of Cortes, the training and experience of men on both sides of the conflict, and the major battles that subdued the Aztecs. Color maps, illustrations and charts throughout enhance the survey and provide exact explanations and insights suitable for both high school and college level history students.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Well written with excellent pictorial information. And one who has done any kind of research into this period of history and was curious about how things actually looked would be very interested in seeing good detailed and written descriptions of maps, battle suits, weaponry and other items of the period. A good overview of the events during this period in Mexico's history, but the book is more valuable as a visual insight. Would highly recommend this as an ideal companion book to read with a more detailed historical book of this period in history, such as Bernal Diaz del Castillo's book of the conquest or William H. Prescott's wonderfully written History of the Conquest of Mexico.

This book has been a favorite of mine as a teacher for many years. Children are fascinated by the story, and love it when Baby Rattlesnake cries!

Baby rattlesnake wants a rattle and waon't stop crying until he gets it. Unfortunately he isn't mature enough to use his rattle responsibly. Disaster ensues. Both parents and children will love this book. The illustrations are beautiful and all families will relate to the story. Its a great read aloud book and is available in both Spanish and English.

This is an excellent guide to the issues of health and modern civilizations.

Buried deep within human history, voices speak to us through the bones of our ancestors. Femurs, incisors and other skeletal remains tell us stories of how well these ancients made their livings, multiplied, dodged disease, got sick, were maimed, and died.

In their grand undertaking, THE BACKBONE OF HISTORY, Professors Richard H. Steckel and Jerome C. Rose, both economic historians and anthropologists, bring together 52 scholars from the disciplines of anatomy, anthropology, demography, economic history, the health sciences, and paleontology, who act as translators of the dialects interred within our bones, and the stories they tell about the evolution of our societies and economies. An important stimulus for this extraordinary scholarship was the work of Cohen and Armelagos and their colleagues (Paleopathology at the Origins of Agriculture, Academic Press, 1984) that provided evidence through examination of skeletal remains for the decline of human health and longevity in the transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural economies. During this period, in the cradle of agriculture, malnourishment was chiefly responsible for a decline in Eastern Mediterranean male heights from 5'10" to 5'6".

In BACKBONE, which focuses on societies of the Western Hemisphere, perhaps the most significant advances on the seminal work of Cohen and Armelagos are the system of common data recording for the many sources from antiquity through the 19th century, and the development of a health index derived from these sources that allowed more valid and reliable cross-sample comparisons. The effect is to provide an elaborate view, by analysis of population trends in a variety of physiological/ecologic responses [skeletal tissue, tooth enamel (linear enamel hypoplasias), anemia that can be read from bones (porotic hyperostosis), infectious disease prevalence (elevation of the fibrous outer periosteal layer of the bone), trauma, osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, tooth loss and caries], of economic circumstances that would otherwise be unavailable. Additional advances, in comparison with earlier work, are that BACKBONE significantly increases sampling size and diversity across regions and time periods, and incorporates multidisciplinary perspectives.

The nine parts of this complex and "big" book of 636 pages include sections focused on methodology, comparisons between Euro-Americans and African-Americans, Native Americans in Central America, Native Americans in North America and patterns of health in the Western Hemisphere. Specific chapters within these sections focus on the poor in the mid-nineteenth century Northeastern United States, health and nutrition in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica, cultural longevity and biological stress in the American Southwest and much, much more. Always, the stories of these people are told from the bones they left behind.

Steckel and Rose's extraordinary contribution, THE BACKBONE OF HISTORY, will be read by virtually every researcher into the nexus between physical anthropology and economic history. It also provides a treasure trove to those more broadly interested in the social sciences, health sciences and human adaptation. These readers may also find of interest Robert William Fogel's THE ESCAPE FROM HUNGER AND PREMATURE DEATH, 1700-2100 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004), A. R. Cellura's THE GENOMIC ENVIRONMENT AND NICHE-EXPERIENCE (Cedar Springs Press, 2006) and John Komlos' STATURE, LIVING STANDARDS, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1994).

I love my aunt Thelma and her books!

Elk Girl, later a pivotal figure in the Meeker bloodbath, tells her story of kidnap, exile, despair, courage and return in a fully engaging "biography" appropriate for ages 9-14. Reading level is about 4th grade, with large print, 175 pages goes quickly. Biography of Native woman who deserves wider readership.

Bears Make Rock Soup And Other Stories is a highly recommended children's picture book of original tales written by Lise Erdrich (a member of the Turtle Mountain and of Plains Ojibway) and illustrated with paintings by water colorist Lisa Fifield (member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin). The distinctive and colorful art wonderfully complements the brief, unique, fairytale-like narratives of creatures of the earth and sky.

"Bears Make Soup and Other Stories" might seem like a collection of ancient Native American stories but this is actually a rather unique collection of new tales reflecting the time when people and animals spoke to each other in dreams. Artist Lisa Fifield, a watercolorist and quilt maker enrolled in the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, created 14 paintings focusing on animals that still live on the plains and in the woodlands of North America, such as black bears, deer, moose, loons, and crows. Then writer Lisa Erdrich, who is enrolled in the Turlte Mountain Band of Plains Ojibway wrote stories to bring the pictures to life. The stories are organized by animals, so that you start with several stories about bears, including "The Bears that Couldn't Hibernate" nd the title story, then move on to the other species of animals. The points made by the stories are usually subtle, and reflect the sense of harmony between living things as much as anything else. The stories show animals and people teaching and learning from one another, as well as helping each other in times of need. I can see a teacher showing a class one of these paintings, such as The Naming Ceremony or Forest of the Deer Spirits, and having students come up with their own stories before sharing the one with the book. It would interesting to see if the students would catch on to the spirit of these stories if they did this a few time and became better able to anticipate what Erdich came up with from Fifield's artwork. "Bears Make Rock Soup and Other Stories" is a simple but elegant collection of stories.