Native American Books

The first book in the series that I read. Cozzens provides a nice introduction, followed by a great series of primary documents, grouped by event. Beecher's Island is an example of an event, and there are several accounts from the men who fought there. Each account is well footnoted, and the footnotes themselves make for great reading. Maps are included inside front and back covers showing forts, battle sites, etc. Illustrations throughout.

Great historical work. Chock full of differing accounts of incidents from the regular foot soldier to the Indians themselves. Every page lends insights to life in the late 19 century and the fate of the American Indians battle against civilization.

I was a huge fan of Levy's first biography of David Crockett, and was eager to read Conquistador. Once again Levy was able to paint an amazing portrait of these historical figures, while illuminating historical events in an entertaining manner. The final siege on Tenochtitlan makes an amazing climax to this epic.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical non-fiction.

In a letter quoted by Buddy Levy in his magnificent Conquistador, Hernan Cortes confesses that he and his men suffer from a particular "disease of the heart": a lust for gold and power. The tale of the unhappy outcome of that disease, the destruction of one of the New World's mightiest empires in an astoundingly short time by an astoundingly small handful of adventurers, is the most apparent storyline in Conquistador. Levy tells it with eloquence and accuracy.

But there's another storyline in the book that I find just as fascinating. The disease of the heart which afflicted Cortes and his men also troubled Montezuma, for the Aztec Empire, despite its achievements in science and art, was also a bloodthirsty machine that subjugated native peoples, sacrified tens of thousands to pitiless gods, and created caste systems in which the many were ground under the feet of the few. What Levy gives us, then, is a double portrait of two invalids suffering from similar illnesses. One, a European captain with fewer than 500 men, the other a divine emperor with life-or-death power over 15 million people. In the end, both of them died from their diseases, Montezuma and his empire literally, Cortes morally and (despite his sporadic religious zealotry) spiritually. Curiously, neither of them seemed to have quite the necessary stamina to survive their illness.

In telling the story of the clash between these two men, Levy explores the tactics by which Cortes managed to defeat Montezuma: a combination of bluster, good luck, superior technology, alliances with disgruntled indigenous peoples, and hard fighting. His description of La Noche Triste, the night in which Cortes and his men were forced out of the royal city of Tenochtitlan by rallying Aztecs and nearly destroyed, is surpassed only by his account of the 2-month siege that retook and destroyed the city. (Cortes, for example, dug a one-mile canal to launch battle ships in the lake surrounding Tenochtitlan. Over 200,000 Aztecs, including Montezuma, perished in the resulting fight, which Levy describes with the gusto of Homer's account of the fall of Troy.) Afterwards, Cortes built his palace on the ruins of Montezuma's.

The relationship between Montezuma and Cortes has always been a strange one, with both men appearing both attracted and repulsed by the other. Levy suggests that part of the ambivalence may've been because Montezuma, overpowered by the splendor of the invaders, fell victim to the Stockholm Syndrome (a sense of loyalty to one's oppressors). It's a fascinating suggestion.

All in all, a splendid book that combines historical narrative with much insight about how diseases of the heart can bring down both individuals and empires. Something to think about.

this book set everything in motion in regard to this era the fiery speeches of Pontiac alone make the Ottawa chief a character of Shakespearren proportions.This book is not cold historical interpretation but is packed with emotion and tragedy.

This book and its follow-on volume 2 of 2 provide us with rare detail of a mostly forgotten chapter of American history. While Francis Parkman is best known for his 7-volume masterpiece "France and England in North America, as well as numerous accounts of Westward expansion, this more focused 2-volume work, in my opinion, brings forward his most impressive writing skills. Parkman literally paints with words, including the most descriptive interpretations I have ever read of the early American frontier and the fascinating range of peoples vying for control or mere survival.

These two volumes are a true pleasure to read and a treasure for those who enjoy the history of North America and its peoples, as well as those who appreciate the power and beauty of the written word.

This book presents an intriguing look into present-day Mayan beliefs. The author's thorough academic research of the Mayan religion in contemporary society is also vivid and accessible to the lay reader.

The chapter on the sacred Mayan calendar was especially interesting, as I found the descriptions of the interpretations of my sacred days extremely accurate. This is one of few books in this category that I can honestly say I truly enjoyed reading.

The author attempts to explain as rationally as possible how one feels called to become a Shaman and pursue an Earth-centric spirituality.

This isn't a boring story and I had to re-read certain sections to fully process and feel the experience. The section on how the Mayan calendar works as a type of life-guide is complicated, but a slow read makes it all understandable. Although this book discusses the Mayan indigenous perspective, the knowledge contained in its pages could easily be used to understand other Native American peoples' worldview; and just how one studies and connects to the lifeforce, and emerges a medicine person, or a healer dedicated to the community.

The author doesn't mystify the Mayan religion but rather shows that it is alive, evolving, helping and living with the present day people and deserves equal footing and interaction with the dominant religions.

Corn is Maize is a great book on corn. It not only shows how corn is grown and the many uses. It teaches the children about Indian culture and how they shared their corn with the prilgrams. A book of history, science, and social development.

This is an interesting book and the second science book that we have looked at which was written and illustrated by Aliki. In this book she covers a wide variety of aspects of Corn.

She begins by explaining that a corn kernel is a seed. She then shows how sun and rain affects the planted seeds. There are drawings of developing corn with tassels and silk (boy and girl parts.) There is a smaller drawing of the route pollen takes to get to the kernel. The pollen travels down the silk to reach the kernel egg.

It is at this point that I will say that I think 4 and 5 years of age is too young for this book. (I have a 5 and a 3 and it was definitely over their heads.)

But to continue-- The book discusses how other plants scatter their seeds but how corn needs people to survive. It emphasizes that scientist have never found any 'wild' corn but only the `civilized' version we know now.

From there the book divulges how native American were instrumental in developing the corn of today. It discusses how some groups used to bury a fish under each corn `hill' and how growing beans and squash with corn made all do better.

It then proceeds to show how corn was used by native Americans, how it was stored and celebrated in religion and dance, and how Christopher Columbus took corn or maize back to Europe. The pilgrims appreciation of corn is discussed as well as the many, many ways that corn and corn products are used today.

Five stars. A comprehensive book about corn for children. The artwork is alternatively in color and grayscale, but this should not be a big drawback for those interested in the subject. The age range as mentioned before, should be fairly advanced, say first or second grade and above.

Example of text follows so you can gage reading level, etc.:

"But although scientists searched,
they had never found any wild corn.
Not long ago they found some.
It was in a cave in Mexico where people once lived.
They found scraps of plants and tiny ears of
ancient corn, more than 5,000 years old.
It was not like any the scientist had ever seen."

This book.. will delight children.. and adults..

It tells a story that will delight and capture your imagination. This was the first book of Mr. Kings I hesitated to purchase. The cost of a children's book I thought was a tad high, and I have no little children around at the moment. But came across it for the 3rd time in one week and decided to purchase it... and after not only being totally delighted with the story, the manner it is written.. I must say I was impressed with the quality of the book it self. This book was made to endure the thousands of times little hands, and old alike will pick it up and become absorbed in this story. It will make you giggle.. chuckle.. and look at the sound of coyote singing to the moon.. in a whole new wonderful way. A true native story... in the most amazing way.. thank you Mr. King


Holley Schultz

Every time I read this to my daughter she laughs so hard it takes a good long while to get her back into a quiet bedtime mood! We originaly bought the book for a friend who lives in the woods and loves animal stories, but we will just have to get her another copy as we cannot part with this one. This is a great book to read out loud and the language, tone and humour make it a joy for both the listener and the reader. It has easily become one of our favorite books in my daughter's library.

Coyote Steals Fire is a well-researched, authentic folk tale, retold and illustrated with the participation of Shoshone children. The illustrations are charming. The CD, which is included, has a wonderful telling of the story in Shoshone as well as songs, all by Helen Timbimboo, Northwestern Shoshone elder. Wonderful!

Not sure why Amazon says 4 to 6 weeks for shipping; maybe it's an error they will correct in time. In any case, one could order this book directly from the publisher and it would ship within 48 hours. 800-621-2736.

As a child (45-50 years ago), I read this book while visiting my Grandmother on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Reading the book again reminded me that cultural stories have a theme and thought pattern to them that includes common sense. In other words, that we now know that Coyote is not the supreme ruler of the animal world does not diminish the lessons that each story contains. A simple, excellent work that will acquaint even the most intellectual person with a world some say no longer exists.

Mourning Dove, (Hu-mis-hu-ma) is the pen name of Christine Quintasket, a member of the Colville Reservation of north central Washington. She had little schooling and even less exposure to literature, however she was determined to be a writer of fiction, particularly in her collections of Native American folk lores. She sought out the aged members of the communities near her home and carefully wrote the stories and legends she heard. Mourning Dove thought it was important to write down these stories, which, up to that time, were mostly oral history, because she feared that each story and tradition would be lost as members moved away from the tribe and into western or white civilizations. While the stories of Coyote, (the coyote represented that irrepressible joker and alternate savior of many tribes) as recorded here, have been "santitized" since Mourning Dove thought they were too "ugly" to write about. Coyote is shown in this book at his best and his worst with special powers to summon help for people when needed. He is earthy and greedy, and filled with gluttony and lust. As a precaution, Coyote was given a kinsman to deter him, a Fox, who was able to restore life. Mourning Dove leaves behind the stories she heard around many a cold evening or near a council fire. This book is edited and illustrated by Heister Dean Guie with notes by L.V. McWhorter (Old Wolf) and a foreword by Chief Standing Bear, Oglala Sioux. First published in 1934, this book harks back to time when Native American civilization still had some of their stories left to tell and is vital to read because of the time period in which it was written. This book is often considered "required reading" in some college classes which are enlightened about the value of Native American stories. Let us hope many more will take the time to review these stories in light of their own stories.

Was this helpful to you?

The subjects of gender, race relations and responsibility in the growing field of Shamanism requires a tremendous amount of thought and respect.
Cruden's book provides both.

Written in an easy style, Cruden takes her readers through personal and shared experiences, each dealing with the toughest questions facing anyone interested in Modern Shamanism or in practicing the numerous Native American religions.
These are often painful subjects, and the author does not shy away from the issues.
As the author and commentator, she makes no apology for her personal bias, yet offers an even commentary, including reminders to the reader to make their own opinions.
To counter author bias, and to bring fresh perspective to the discussion, Cruden supplies the reader with a list of questions posed to today's leaders in Shamanistic practice, and their unique responses.

The only possible shortcoming is that the book is fairly small for such an encompassing topic.
Even a few of the respondants were daunted by the sheer scope of the questions, and fell back into the familiar territory of their own published works.
However, unless the book develops into a twelve volume set, all efforts on the part of the author are meant only to spark thought and ignite debate.
For anyone who has an interest in Shamanism, Native American Religion, or Earth-focused Religion, this book is a must.