Native American Books

Marc Simmons has done a wonderful job documenting the Southwest through many of his writings. In "The Little Lion of the Soutwest" he brings to life Manuel Antonio (Duran y) Chaves. Manuel lived through a drastically changing political environment of what he considered his homeland since when the Duran y Chaveses first found their way into what is now the American Southwest in the early 1600s. Simmons documents Manuel's childhood, military service, and livelihood through his son, Amado's collection, and other historical documentation. Mr. Simmons puts a face on some of the personalities that helped shape (what is now) New Mexico during the 1800s.

These are the tales of which my family grew up on. This story reminiscents to how well our great+ grandfathers lived compared to what resulted when many hispanic families were pushed off their lands. As a child, I remember hearing tales about the dealings with the Native Americans, having huge herds of cattle and sheep, and that there were a few in the family who fought in the old wars. During that time, I chalked these up as family "fish tales". In reading "The Little Lion", some of these myths come to life. Mr. Simmons helps in piecing together a history of what one great man of the Chavez family went through. For this I am grateful to read about because my fifth great grandfather was one of Manuel Antonio's uncles. Mr. Simmons writing's on Manuel Antonio Chavez makes many proud of the honor of being part of this "Distinctive American Clan".

This book is one I will always cherish, knowing someone took the time in giving a voice to a few lives of the Southwest. This is the stuff that should be taught in American History.

Manuel Antonio Chaves, New Mexican pioneer, Indian fighter, soldier, and rancher, made quite a reputation for himself during his lifetime (1818-1889). Born at Cebolleta, northwest of Albuquerque, Chaves first gained prominence as a foe of his corrupt uncle, the Governor of New Mexico, Manuel Armijo. He participated in the Mexican War and distinguished himself at the Battle of Taos Pueblo. In 1855 he was a captain of New Mexican volunteers in the Ute-Jicarilla War and rode against the Apaches on the Gila River in 1857. In the Civil War, he guided troops at Glorieta Pass, helping assure a Union victory. After the war he settled down to a rancher's life near San Mateo where he died in 1889.

Even though Chaves participated in a number of important events in the development of the Southwest, he was not a major figure in terms of the historical record. Not much has been written about him, and Simmons had quite a task before him to present an adequate picture of the man. He's done an admirable job, however, and the book is an interesting and informative account of El Leoncito.

This book is a wonderfully written classic Christmas story told from the perspective of a wolf family. The illustrations are captivating and the writing is what my second graders describe as "spicy". The writing lends itself to having discussions with your children about the Native American culture as well as the Mexican Gray Wolf species. The classic story of Jesus' birth is intertwined with a rich history of Native Americans and wolves, and how this special day affected each of them and will for generations to come. This story not only shares a wonderful story but teaches an important lesson that we all have special gifts to share.

(...)

The first thing that must be said about Little Wolf's Christmas is that while the word "Christmas" is in the title, this is a book that children can enjoy year round. This is in part due to Jill Taylor's gorgeous illustrations of Mexican wolves and Native Americans. Each page is a delight to enjoy over and over again. The other reason is that much of the book describes life inside an extended family/pack of Mexican wolves living in the White Mountains. I think that most children would enjoy learning about wolf life, regardless of season.

Still, I must confess, when I fist heard the premise of this book it struck me as odd. What would wolves living in the White Mountains have to do with the birth of Christ, an event taking place on the other side of the planet? As I read the story, I understood. We are told in The Gospels that at the moment of Christ's birth all the animals of the earth rejoiced. Somehow, reading of wolves singing for joy in the White Mountains emphasizes the importance of the event in a way that I think will be quite meaningful to all who celebrate Christmas.

Christmas too often means presents and parties these days. But for those who want their children to celebrate the day as the anniversary of the birth of Christ, I think this gentle story should be a must read.

The book has been a useful and valuable tool for my class English 710, Gender and Sexuality in American Indian Literature. Informative and enlightening. Members of numerous tribes are heard from. Resource section allows for further study.

This incredible book is a compilation of essays, stories, poems, and biographical accounts of living as a gay, bisexual, transsexual, or hermaphrodite American-Indian (all which have been lumped under the term 'berdache'). This book not only deals with the history of American Indians, and how they embraced the non-heterosexual members of their society as healers, but shows how, with the creation of the New World, the English made American-Indians turn against their own, converting their religion, and, in turn, converting them into a homophobic subculture. Finally, there are wonderful accounts of living in modern society as a gay American-Indian, and the scorn these people receive. This is an eye-opening and disturbing book that really gives us a better understanding of all the things we took from American-Indians.

Ralph Andrist, already in 1964, opened the doors for authors to follow, such as Dee Brown and "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee."

Andrist tells the story facing eastward, part of his overall effort to incorporate the Plains Indian point of view into his story.

Putting the history of broken treaties and broken promises front and center Andrist paints a portrait of Plains tribes struggling to maintain an identity and way of life -- a struggle that continues to today.

After reading the other review calling the book revisionist...I was pleasantly surprised, by this book. I would call it very evenly balanced, presenting both sides of the historical record. Very equally balanced, and also extraordinarily well written. The author was a master of story telling. His historical accounts not only present events I had never heard of, they do it in such a way that you are informed and engrossed in the historical account.
Highly recommended for study of the Sioux, early Minnesota,plus many other tribes and states. (Osage, comanche, etc)
Your obt. servant,
Doc

This book is well written with some wonderful photos to boot...I enjoyed this book thoroughly and very happy with the purchase. Great photos, nice layout. Definitely earned a place on my bookshelf!

What an awesome journey this was with Pete Lourie. I didn't know anything about the Chaco culture, but after reading Lourie's book, I was inspired to visit. When I got there it was exactly like Lourie had described it. I camped a few nights in the canyon. Lourie perfectly captured the mystery of the place.

This book is a must read for all Creoles! Jolivette really gave justice to all the misinformation that has been said of Creoles. Race as it has been applied to Creoles has been nothing more than a political concept that ignored the true culture and Jolivette really explains how culture should be of more importance than race. The book clearly provides evidence why Creoles deserve their own separate ethnic category and why we must preserve our cultural legacy. I think it's very wrong for the government to attach labels to people without letting them self define and we're supposed to be a free country? I once had a dark skin friend from Honduras who told me that I would be considered a Creole in his country! I would hate to think I would get my true identity in a foreign country but not in my own! I also don't understand how the Native American contribution to Creole culture can be ignored when New Orleans always had the Mardi Gras Indians who they honor from their past relationships. I think the Mardi Gras Indians should've been mentioned in the book but overall Jolivette shows how the Native Indians contributed to Creole culture and each ethnicity( French, African, Indian & Spanish) deserve equal attention. I'm more proud to be Creole now because I kind of strayed away from the Creole culture due to society pressure to just think in black and white. And now with the internet I can reach out to other Creoles. I also recommend watching the film Spirit of a Culture: Cane River Creoles.

Louisiana Creoles: Cultural Recovery and Mixed-Race Native American Identity

As I read this book, I was constantly taking notes. It gave me a more indepth look into my culture as it incorporated the American Indian history and identity of our many, different ethnic backgrounds. I definitely recommend this book to all readers of multiracial background interests.

This book is a must for Louisiana Iris growers.
It provides excellent growing information and the graphics are both beautifully done and they provide help in identification of your plants.We also found that Amazon offered a great price value. Shipping was prompt, and the product arrived in excellent condition. Amazon is a great place to buy.

Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, The Louisiana Iris: The Taming Of The Native American Wildflower covers every aspect of the history, botany, and development of these distinctive flowers, with particular emphasis on the newest hybrids, hybridizing techniques, and horticultural practices. Drawing upon their members' extensive and practical experience and expertise, the Society for Louisiana Irises provides the perfect introduction to these remarkable plants to the gardening public with a beautifully and profusely illustrated volume that is exhaustive and authoritative with information. The Louisiana Iris is an invaluable and much appreciated addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library horticultural and gardening reference collection.

It has been a while since I have come across a "new" Paul Goble book (meaning one that I have not seen). Usually in one of his illustrated stories taken from the Plains Indian culture you find out the origins of the story and the sources for Goble's attention to detail in his paintings in the back of the book. But for "Love Flute," the explanation comes up front, before the story. This is where we learn that the titular object was the courting flute, used only by men to play love songs, not just when they were courting but to serenade their wives. When a man died, his flute was wrapped with his body. Goble goes into detail regarding the courtship practices (e.g., the young man brings a large blanket so he can wrap himself and the girl he is wooing underneath it and have some relative privacy in the middle of the camp in plain view of everybody).

However, the focus of "Love Flute" is not on such rich details, but rather on telling the story of the first courting flute. As Goble wryly observed, "men have always needed supernatural help to attract, and to keep, the women they love." This particular version of the story of how the love flute was given to the people is based on various myths, but most specifically one from the Santee Dakota. The story is of a shy young man who would rather face enemy warriors in battle or lead the dangerous buffalo hunt than speak to the girl he loved. He knew in his heart that he could never ever tell the young girl all he wanted to say. In despair the young man left the camp one morning and shot an arrow into the air without thinking about what he was doing. To his surprise the air stayed up in the air, pointing in a direction and leading him on at a walking pace. The young man knew that he was being guided by unseen powers and that something wonderful was going to happen (this particular legend is going to make more of an impression on adolescent students rather than the younger ones who would usually be enthralled by a Paul Goble book).

The love flute is the gift of all of the birds and animals, and one of the things Goble does in telling and illustrating this story is to emphasize how the men of the Plains tribes woo women just like the birds and animals. A young man who was courting would be dressed up in his finest clothing, scenting and painting himself, copying the birds and animals. I have always been impressed by Goble's commitment to depicting the clothing and homes of these people, and items such as their flutes, and the fact that he always details his references. At the front of this book he lists the places around the (mostly) Plains states where he found the fifteen different flutes shown (these are pencil and ink drawings that run from the top to the bottom of a page, accompanying the text and colored illustrations, which continue to demonstrate Goble's wonderful stylized interpretation of the artwork of the Plains Indians. Even if you have not seen examples of such historic artwork, you are going to be hooked on what Goble does, which is why it is good that there are so many of his books out there to be enjoyed.

An enchanting tale of wonder and love. It is a beautiful story combining the magic of folklore with the magic of alternate forms of communication. Children love it for the magical content. Adults will love it for the sensitive introduction to Native American myth and legend.

I am a direct descendant of Luke Swetland. I have read Luke's original narrative from a worn and tattered original print my father has had passed down to him. My father has been quite involved with accumulating family history and developing the family tree.

I wanted to share with readers a little beyond the book. With that, Luke not only returned to the Wyoming Valley after his ordeals but was quite involved in establishing the Meeting House and various other key parts of the town and it's government at that time. Luke's original home, with additions by his children and grandchildren, still stands and is open to the pubilc for tours. The house itself, tells the tales of history from its original beginnings of the pioneer days of Luke, up to the early 1900's. The Meeting House I mentioned, still stands just down the street from his home. Both are remarkable time capsules that you can step into and be transported back to early-America days. Both structures are located in Forty Fort, PA.

Many of the descendants of Luke stayed near the Wyoming Valley area, even over the course of the past several hundred years. Maybe it is the security of knowing that this is where your roots are. Maybe it is the love of family and the land around that still holds strong from Luke himself. Whatever the reason, I believe we all still carry a piece of Luke and his values in our hearts.

This book, is a fantastic story of not only his trials and tribulations with the Indians (Native Americans)but a factual historical account of the life and times of settlers to the Pennsylvania frontier at the time. I, and friends whom I've told accounts of Luke's life, are always amazed at the ability and perseverance of Luke even into his later years. There was nothing Luke was not able to achieve when he placed his mind to it.

There are many great books by other or of other early American settlers. Each has it's own account of the struggles of those day's. I respect each book and account individulally. However, this book holds a dear spot in my heart and after you read it I believe it will be in your heart as well. There is something we all can learn from Luke and his way of life, love, and liberty.

Luke Swetland was a patriot. He fought for a new life for his family as Americans rather than let his family merely be British Colonists. During that battle he was captured not by the British but by the Seneca Indians. The Seneca people were fighting another war- the war to keep their homes. He might not have lived and told his story as a SURVIVOR though had he not also been a good man to those people and the land.

His story is frightning and sad at times. Just as he escapes his life in Indian captivity he is not met with joyful arms of his own people but the blunt end of a gun. He survives this new captivity among the Americans only again to be recognized as a good man, good to the country and the land- and finnaly allowed to go home in peace.

This book is worth reading to hear the words of a man who was a devout believer in god, a believer in his country, his family and most importantly himself. To hear the words of a man who just wanted to go home and be with his family. Get this book and remember the sacrafices people like Luke Swetland made for freedom.

While visiting Theresa Delsoin in Florida, I watched her spend many many hours writing and researching to bring her family story Malindys Freedom to life. Watching the painstaking work involved in writing a book gave me a greater appreciation of writers. Since this is her third book (the others were written in while Theresa was residing in Belize), she never allowed me to read anything until it was completed... I cried when I read Malindys Freedom... its a profound reading. I am so proud of her.
A wonderful true story, a must read for all that love family and history

When I started reading Malindy's Freedom, I could not put the book down. The story was so well written and descriptive. It is a book for all times and races. It is about loving, family unity and unfortunately about a terrible time in American's history -that peculiar institution called slavery. The way the authors wrote the book dealt with the human condition and how inspite of extreme hardships, the human spirit prevails through all the diversity. Malindy and her family emerges victoriously with love still in tact. The book also explores a period of the State of Missouri's history that many folk do not know about. I recommend this book highly for it is a book about family and how the human spirit thrives and overcomes difficult times. It is a excellent historical account with good research.
History gives us information to look at what happened and how it has shaped our lives today. With this information, there is an opportunity for us to not repeat the mistakes that some of ancestors made, and draw from the strengths of many of our ancestors who did live their lives to make a difference for all mankind. This book has inspired me more so than ever to make a difference. This book is a classic and should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for literature for it promotes, love, spirituality, forgiveness and understanding.