Native American Books

Most of her entries were written from a Christian's perspective and how she tried to share gospel with the Kiowas and in fact, many became Christians because of her. Crawford also with the help of the Kiowas built a church at Saddle Mountain, Oklahoma. Unlike some missionaries who preached to save the "savages", Crawford truly respected their cultural identity and in fact sought a middle ground, where cultural exchange took place. She told them that becoming a Christian would not change their identities.

This book is valuable because it contains speeches, conversations and testimonies given by the Kiowas which can help to increase our understanding of both their culture and the complexity of their relationship with missionaries.

The horse brought about a cultural revolution for the Kiowa Indians enabling them to better prosper and extend their influence. It was the catalyst for the development of the Plains Indian culture, without which it would never have existed. Emerging in the seventeenth century, the horse oriented Kiowa brave literally evolved from a "half-starved skulker in the timber" to a daring buffalo hunter and valiant cavalryman. By 1790, with their new found sinew, Kiowas in confederacy with the Comanches drove the Caddos and Wichitas eastward along the Red River, taking over mastery of the Southern Plains.
The Kiowas, by Mildred P. Mayhall, published by the University of Oklahoma Press, is a topical study that systematically sets forth the cultural history of the tribe. Well written, it provides informative as well as engaging reading. She begins with a paleethnological look at the Kiowas as they emerged upon the Northern Plains out of the Yellowstone area; an Athapascan-speaking people, they had close ties in the north with the Crows and Arikaras who taught them the ways of the plains. Accordingly, they lived in the Black Hills for a number of years until they were driven out by the Dakotas about 1775. Mayhall goes on to present a proto-history of the tribe. Earliest descriptions go back to La Salle in 1682; Lewis and Clark note the earliest American descriptions of them. Then, at the Fort Gibson, on May 26, 1837, the Kiowas made their first treaty with United States government. As it turned out, American citizens were given the right to travel across the Southern Plains to and from Mexico; the Kiowas, in turn, were to be at peace with Mexico and Texas as well as the United States. In the mean time Texans "continued to drive" all Indians from the their state and historic Indian hunting grounds provoking immense enmity with the Kiowas. As it turned out, many Kiowas did not keep peace, especially with Texas, rather the "Tejannas" (Texans) became their "favorite" antagonists.
In considering the evolution of the Kiowa culture, Mayhall argues that there were no aboriginal Plains Indians prior to the arrival of the horse on the Plains; evidence shows that the Plains were not habitable in a practical manner until the introduction of the equine which became its modus vivendi. Hence the culture developed during the period of white intrusion onto the Plains. She disputes Clark Wissler's contention that the horse only "augmented" the already developing Plains culture.
Two important Indian records of the Kiowa culture were the Sett'an and Anko annual calendars. She provides a narrative interpretation of the two calendars, then narrates an extensive history of the Kiowa plains culture at its height starting in 1845. Events like the Wagon Train Massacre in 1871, Lawrie Tatum's work at the Fort Sill Reservation, and the ordeal of Satanta and Big Tree are presented in detail among other important occurrences.
She finally documents various difficulties related to Kiowa acculturation to the "white man's way" like farming and the great tension of the drift away from the glory of the Plains culture. For example on the trivial side, Satanta complained that eating corn hurt his teeth, but in a more serious light, as late as the Hoover Administration Indian Affairs was under the judicious guidance of Charles J. Rhoads who was extremely interested in Indians welfare and did much to help them.
She ends her study with a brief survey of archaeological evidence related to the Kiowa tribe. For instance, linguistic evidence directly links the Kiowas with Athapascan origins in Canada. Further evidence suggests that in the sixteenth century Indians inhabited the prairies but not the Plains.
The Kiowas, by Mildred P. Mayhall, published by University of Oklahoma Press, is a masterful study on the Kiowa Indians. Her writing style is fluid, succinct and interesting. The first part of her bibliography includes seven pages of primary source materials. The work is a systemic study of the Kiowas and is recommended for any student of the Southern Plains Indians.

The figure of Kokopelli is found chipped into desert stone at various ancient sites throughout the American Southwest. It also appears in contemporary forms, painted on canvas, etched into glassware, printed on Christmas cards, and sculpted into candelabra, in presentations that range from the holy to the kitschy. What energizes the frequent appearances of the enigmatic hunchbacked flute player? The authors suggest that the centuries-old drawing power of this archetypal figure may lie in both its protean nature and its spiritual origins.

Hill acquaints the reader with images of Kokopelli as hunter, warrior, healer, gambler, fertility bringer, and even mythological insect who appears in some Native American accounts of the Creation, by presenting a broad review of the available literature on the topic. Wisely, he presents Kokopelli's multiple manifestations without seeking to narrow them to a definitive representation that would deny the complexity of the image. His smart narrative contains a mine of information that yields a pocketful of nice nuggets with each perusal; and his readable style turns them up without a lot of digging.

In stunning visual images that complement the text, Montoya presents Kokopelli as an avatar figure who both generously offers and thankfully celebrates the receipt of the gifts of a bountiful earth. To Hill's scholarly analysis, Montoya adds the cultural insights of one steeped in the kind of ceremonialism from which Kokopelli likely first emerged, and the imagination of a skilled contemporary artist. Their collaboration is a complimentary one in which the text illuminates the paintings, and the visual images add an intuitive content that transcends the text.

Hill is frank about his intention to produce a hybrid text that is concurrently an art book, a study of Native American spiritual beliefs, and a review of Kokopelli literature. The challenge in such an undertaking is to do it seamlessly. How that challenge was met produced my only caveat, and a small one considering the ambitious nature of the project. The book's divisions make it seem a bit episodic, particularly the insertion of a short chapter by art critic James Bialac that might better have been placed in an appendix. At the same time, the holistic approach to the book's subject matter is an essential part of what makes it original and interesting. Hill and Montoya have added an important spiritual component to an art/cultural study without becoming simplistic or sappy, a laudable achievement.

Kokopelli Ceremonies provides some satisfying depth in an area in which much of the available material only skims the surface. Although the book is brief, it contains a well-selected bibliography for those readers who wish to further pursue the elusive Kokopelli through the avenue of cultural studies. For the text-challenged and those who prefer to see beyond black and white, sixteen gorgeous color plates provide a visual feast. Leave Kokopelli Ceremonies out where you can reach for it often--you'll probably make frequent journeys following the elusive notes of the ancient pied piper.