Oklahoma Books

In recent years theologians and historians have come up with a new orthodoxy regarding the early Christians and their faith. It holds that Jesus was a political revolutionary who was executed as a danger to the Romans. Later on, Christians were persecuted for political, not religious, reasons by the empire. Finally, Constantine's conversion was entirely a practical act, and was in no sense genuine.

Sordi refutes all of these notions. The most reliable and believable sources for the period, he says, are the gospel accounts, and we should believe them, at least so far as the basic facts about the period are concerned. Christianity spread through acceptance of the gospel message. I must say I found this book a breath of fresh air, after having heard so much political correctness. Hopefully college professors will assign this book in addition to the other ones they have been using.

Everyone has heard of revisionists historians who have tried to downplay, minimize, and even deny the persecutions of Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Marta Sorti here engages in a scholarly debate to refute those revisionists. Actual surviving evidence from the emperors, their courts, edicts, and eyewitnesses are presented along with a logical interpretation of those facts. In fact, Marta puts many of the revisionists to shame, for they do not have facts to back them up, only assumptions and criticisms.

I thoroughly recommend this book for those who want to be able to engage the revisionist at an intelligent level with the facts to back up the age old truth.

The horse brought about a cultural revolution for the Kiowa

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.

Here is a superb work that is well worth reading if you're interested in FACT not fiction regarding the American Indian, in this case, the Kiowas - who were easily the fiercest, most far-ranging "horse Indians" of all the Plains Tribes ( did you know that the Kiowas resided in what is now northern Texas and southern Oklahoma, yet they raided as far south as the borders of Guatemala and Yucatan?!! ). Many of their raids and exploits were attributed to their allies, the Comanches, who were far more numerous and well-known to the Spanish, but it was definitely the Kiowa who caused the most serious destruction, loss of life, and horrific torture of captives.

Yes, this book BITES. It pulls no punches. It does not sugar-coat the pill. It does not sanitize the facts. It omitts nothing. IT IS NOT AN EXERCISE IN POLITICAL CORRECTNESS! Therefore, READ IT!
If you're sick and tired of the psuedo-history in trash literature such as "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" or the fiction-as-fact portrayals of fronteir history in motion pictures like "Dances With Wolves" and "Geronimo, An American Legend", then get this book! You'll be happy you did.
Also, pick up Scalp Dance: Indian Warfare on the High Plains, 1865-1879 and Three Years Among the Comanches: The Narrative of Nelson Lee, the Texas Ranger and also Life Among the Apaches (Bison Book) as well as Nine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879: The Story of the Captivity and Life of a Texan Among the Indians - all of which are filled with chilling, blood-curdling FACTUAL accounts of Frontier history and the Plains Indians as they REALLY WERE.
Again, I can't say enough about this wonderful work! Get it at all costs!

Also, for further information on the Kiowa, read the superb Comanches (Pimlico Wild West) which is another in the "couldn't put it down" type of book on the subject of the AmerIndians.

Here is the last part of Aztecs' History in CHIMALPAHIN's compiling. It's followed by a precious kind of calendar by CHIMALPAHIN himself. A prime material to understand Aztecs' meaning of life. I'm waiting for the 4 other books of this exceptional collection of indigenous testimonies (Please excuse my bad English: I'm an usual French writer)

There are many "Codices" about MesoAmerica. This one is presented as a translate of primitive nahuatl compiling of Aztecs' History. An important contribution to Mexican History. The total collection counts 6 books; two are now available.

Great book, details several mining and ghost town areas in Colorado. Very well written and descriptive.

A great book on the ghost towns of this beautiful state! One of the best I've seen on the subject!

This is a review reposted from the Paperback version of Come, Wewoka:

Come Wewoka, July 6, 2008
By S. Miller "liandanson" (N.C.)

I was moved by this inspirational retelling of a historical disaster.
Once started I could not set down the poems of tragedy and conveyance of a People so oppressed and degraded. It made my heart sad to think My people (both white and native american) had brought this to pass.

Touching in its intensity the author has brought life to a past era and shared a side of the story seldom heard.

Thank you for sharing thoughts, stories and passion of an age gone by but hopefully not forgotten for its impact on humanity.

I highly recommend this book to all.
Sincerely,
Sondi Miller

One of the greatest tragedies of our American History, and of the history of our world is the abomination that led to the Trail of Tears of 1831. The devastation that occurred due to the forced relocation of entire nations from their homelands due to the greed of the American government still lingers today within the Five Civilized Tribes who were the victims of this action, and many of Edward Patterson's poetry in this dual collection deals with those after effects, and expresses the anguish, anger, and frustrations that continue to haunt his people almost 200 years later.

In addition to the poems of "Come, Wewoka,", Patterson shares much of his personal life through the prose poetry of "Diary of Medicine Flower". These poems, as personally insightful as the others, are more focused not on the impact of the Trail of Tears on his people as the life he's led and the trials and tribulations which he's faced and overcome.

This collection reflects what I believe to be poetry at its best, poetry which gives us a peek into the heart of the human soul from which we come away feeling a little more enlightened.

This is a poetry collection that every lover of great literature should find moving.

- Gregory Bernard Banks, author, reader, reviewer

In his Common & Contested Ground Ted Binnema fully describes the ecological reservoir that sustained the northern buffalo and was the focus of tribal subsistance. Here is a history of a neglected region that grows from the grassroots and hoof prints, set on a solid foundation and perceptively described. Breaking away from the river bound data of fur trade journalists, Binnema sets the record of the bands and traders properly ahorse and free to range the great adventures of the buffalo world.

As a scholar and researcher of the Northern Plains I can say without hesitation this is one of the best books to come out in years. Binnema has brought some fresh viewpoints to the complexity of northern plains history. It's refreshing to see new, good, work at a time when most authors are restating ideas that have been published to death.

Custer was a fascinating personality and this book offers a good look into how Custer operated from a military, staff and personal vantage point. The Court Martial is based on his performance in the 1867 campaign against the Cheyenne, Kiowa and Arapaho and it reveals a lot about Custer under both professional and personal pressure. Custer was charged primarily with shooting and mistreating deserters, abandoning his post and not moving against Indians that killed two members of a detachment from his command that allegedly killed two of his men. Since desertions were epidemic in the commands at this time in the field, Custer, after a bold group left virtually in daylight announced that deserters would be shot. They in fact were when they resisted capture and he made the announcement that medical care would be denied which had a profound of affect limiting future desertions drastically. The desertions were incredulously almost a third of the command and occurred during field maneuvers jeopardizing the entire command. However, the staff physician spoke at the trial in Custer's behalf that Custer announcing no medical treatment was more shows for effect than truth. The other charge concerns Custer leaving his tired and played out command to go east 270 miles to see Libby. Historians have noted that he may have left in a drastic hurry with 72 men as an escort because of jealousy due to the implied attentions of Lt. Weir or that he was worried about her due to cholera that was spreading across several commands. Although some historians lean to the jealousy angle, it appears that Custer may simply have been worried about his wife due to lack of letters and her failed ability to come further west as planned.

However, not pursuing the Indians that shot two members of a detachment is the most interesting charge. Did Custer in a driven pursuit of a rendezvous with his wife leave behind two men that were shot, one of which survived? That is the most fascinating issue and if true paints a picture of a man more concerned with his personal desire to see his wife than taking care of fallen members of his regiment. The trial in my mind never completely addresses the situation because it is not clear that Custer knew that a man was wounded, only that two men were shot and killed and abandoned by the rest of the detachment that never put up a fight to save them but ran. An infantry unit went out and recovered the bodies one of which turned out to be a wounded soldier. His defense has been challenged as he states that he was told that two men were killed, that the Indians had evaporated long before he could get there and that the infantry was able to perform a body retrieval service. More than any other aspect of the trial, I wish the author had explored this further. In addition, I wish the author reviewed the courts findings and offered an opinion whether the findings were valid and whether the suspension for one year was as lenient as suggested by General Grant. Excellent descriptions of the campaign and the loss of Lt. Kidder and his escort that was trying to deliver a message to Custer. Custer did in fact make an active arduous search for the elusive Indians such as Pawnee Killer who ended up massacring Lt. Kidder's party. The other half of the book covers the trial, actual witness transcripts, defense statements along with the prosecution's argument, newspaper accounts and the controversy over the Court Martial board that included several officers junior to Custer that was an item of complaint since it is improper and since 3 or more members were associated with General Hancock who made the charges against Custer. Interesting that Custer's commanding officer, Colonel Smith, actually gave Custer his regards to his wife after Custer left to board a train to see her a few miles east. Does appear to be more retribution against Custer by Hancock for a failed campaign. Interesting that after 9 months of a failed Indian campaign that Custer was recalled to do the aggressive fieldwork, which was his role in the LBH campaign.

This non-fiction work reviews the court-martial of Brvt. Maj. Geg. G. A. Custer. Following an unsuccessful campaign against the Indians in Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado, Custer was charged with a multitude of infractions, including absence without leave and murder. This book traces the evolution of both the historical and legal aspects of this unique case, and it includes the verbatim court transcript and record. It also traces Custer's return to command after he was declared guilty.

I smiled and finally laughed out loud reading this wonderful book by Princeton-educated historian Philip Ashton Rollins (1869-1950), who grew up in the West and knew early cowboys firsthand. He organizes his encyclopedic knowledge of cowboys into 18 chapters covering such topics as cowboy character, what the cowboy wore, equipment and furnishings, diversions and recreations, the day's work, branding and round-up. At 383 pages in its 1936 edition, there's a lot of reading here for the Western enthusiast.

The subtitle of the book, "an unconventional history," alludes to the less than objective, tongue in cheek tone that Rollins often assumes. He obviously admires cowboys but also sees the latent humor and ironies in a hyper-male culture, where men on the open range bonded into a fierce fraternity of individuals. I laughed out loud at the point where he describes the boredom that led cowboys to memorize the labels on canned products (condensed milk, peaches) and then recite them in unison for amazed outsiders.

For readers fascinated by the minute details of the cowboy's daily life, his beliefs and customs, values and attitudes, habits, quirks, and prejudices, this book is a gem. You learn how cowboys wore their Stetsons differently in different regions of the West. Because Rollins is fascinated by language, you learn a great deal about cowboy lingo and how it also varied regionally. He also gets as close as he can to describing the particularly florid and inventive cursing of cowboys. You learn that cowboys wore vests but not denim. You learn the received method of one-handed cigarette rolling and lighting a match on the seat of one's pants. You learn how guns were worn and used. You learn plenty.

I'm happy to recommend this book on cowboy culture to anyone with an interest in the old west and the life of cowboys as it was actually lived. It was written and published in 1922, then revised in 1936, and is a classic that belongs on anyone's bookshelf of western literature.

This book is absolutely outstanding in its explanation of the cowboy period. It is the unvarnished truth about the twenty-odd year period we think of as the cowboy era. Yet while it is historically accurate regarding the nature and life of the cowboy it is also very readable and not at all like a dry history book. Anyone that wants to go beyond western movies and fiction to discover what being a cowboy was really all about should read this book.

I thought this was a good book. My son who is more educated in Creek Indian culture differs in opinion. He felt that it wasn't authentic enough. My personal feelings are that it held plenty of knowledge for my interest level. It was a quick and fun read. I leave it in the guest room for visitors to browse. I had a few visitors who have stayed up too late because they got caught up in reading it. I would classify this as a book that might get you interested in knowing more. The author doesn't claim to be the last and only expert in this area.

If you are descended from any of the Nations that are from the SE of the US, you should read this book. It is a great book that gives a first person account of traditional Mvskogi medicine traditions passed through a particular family of the bird clan. Ok, there was an anthropologist involved...but he keeps his distance and admits his shortcomings. I really commend him for that. The account is what the medicine person himself wanted to say...

This book is interesting, adventurous, informative, accurate, captivating - a must read! It involves North American Indian history during the last half of the 1800's, in the Northwest US and Western Canada. The major focus is on the Blackfeet Indians of this area. Learn how critical the land and the buffalo were to so many Indian Nations, and how they lost both of these critical necessities of their life and culture. Read this book and learn that there were peaceful Indians, and there were violent Indians, rather like the rest of the world! Read this book and you will never think or say the North American Indians "were savages", as many people still do! This book should also be a must read for every high school student in North America! I highly recommend it!

This book is interesting, adventurous, informative, accurate, captivating - a must read! It involves North American Indian history during the last half of the 1800's, in the Northwest US and Western Canada. The major focus is on the Blackfeet Indians of this area. Learn how critical the land and the buffalo were to so many Indian Nations, and how they lost both of these critical necessities of their life and culture. Read this book and learn that there were peaceful Indians, and there were violent Indians, rather like the rest of the world! Read this book and you will never think or say the North American Indians "were savages", as many people still do! This book should also be a must read for every high school student in North America! I highly recommend it!