North America Books

This is a wonderful story about a white woman that became a medicine woman (winan pejuta).

At the beginning of the book Ms. Eaton was living in a shack, in ill health, and barely surviving. A friend suggested that she go to a medicine man (wicasa pejuta) and ask for a healing at a sweat lodge. As time goes by; attends cerempnies, and as more time passes she goes through fasts, and later obtains a Catlinite (pipestone) pipe and becomes a medicine woman, and used her gift to help the people around her until her death in 1983.

Unfortunately; she had MANY problems with some indians because she attended the ceremonies, and was a pipe carrier. It did NOT matter to them that she helped the people, she had undergone three fasts, and the spirits had chosen to work with her.

This animosity is STILL going on from some indians to whites, and mixed bloods that are not indian enough (in their opinion) to practise this form of spirituality. I have received some very angry E-Mails from people that claim to be indians, and are offended that I am a pipe carrier, and choose to follow this path. One person went so far as to challenge me with "Your people stole our land, and how dare you now steal our religion!".

I am not stealing anyones religion. I am only following a path that works for me. I know there is real spirituality in this path, and it answers more of the questions I have (It even explained the experiences I had 40+ years ago). I have studied most religions from agnosticiam to zen.

Now; I do have a few minor problems with this book.

1. There are several misspellings in this book.

2. She incorrectly assumes that all medicine people or holy people MUST use a Catlinite (pipestone pipe).

The spirit helpers choose to work with the person based on their integrity, and sincerity. In 1999; the Bear Totem animal would NOT be denied. The Bear repeatedly showed up trying to get my attention and let me know that it had decided to work with me. At that time I neither had a pipe, nor used tobacco in any way...

I happened across this book in the strangest way. It certainly makes a person wonder when something like this happens. Only a few days before I purchased this book, I had the distinct pleasure of talking to Terry Eaton, who just happens to be Evelyn Eaton's daughter. Terry had called me to inquire about a writers workshop I was going to sponsor. Because of the attack on the WTC, the workshop had to be cancelled, but I did talk to Terry a couple of times on the telephone. During our first conversation, she told me she had written and published a book titled "Joy Before Night". Impressed with her conversation, I looked the book up on the Internet. We talked on the phone a few days later and I told her how nice I thought it was that she had written a book in honor of her mother. Terry said she thought I might enjoy looking at some of her mother's work. She hit the nail on the head. I ordered "I Send A Voice" and after I finished reading it I ordered two more of Eaton's books.
I was amazed by Eaton, who was born in 1902, being among the Indians in 1965 at the age of 63 and learning the spiritual teachings of her Indian ancestors. Eaton's journey took her into many Sweat Lodge healing rituals, several Fasts, and even found herself worthy of having a Sacred Pipe. After many years of being active in the Indian way of life, she fell into the political war of Indian against White Man. Indians she had developed a friendship with came to resent her presence and shunned her. Because she was a non-Indian and of white skin, she was no longer accepted. It broke her heart but it didn't break her spirit.
Eaton's last paragraph of her introduction to this book pretty well sums up the things she learned during her time spent with the Indians: If we ask aright, with integrity and total committment, the way will be revealed, step by gentle step. So it is for me, so it is for you, so it is for everyone.
I highly recommend this book.

Evelyn writes as a long-time sister/friend, who opens her life and heart to you in a way that makes you feel she is sitting beside you in the desert. Her words cause you to feel every step of her journey as your own. Don't even consider asking your elder for the honor of becoming a pipekeeper without understanding the sacredness of this responsiblity. I understand that Evelyn is no longer walking this mortal path, but I am sure wherever she is the adventure is one of Honor. A respectful, and authentic picture of the Native American through the eyes of a woman who will become one of your heros.

The late Tom Grimshaw was always an effective, entertaining story teller and this book about John Buffum and the early days of stateside stage rally competition is a 'must read' for any true rally fan, American or not. Written by the man who teamed with "JB" to win many rallys and titles, the book is as 'inside' a look at our sport as is available. Buy it! Read it! Display it and then read it again!

M. E. "Mad Mike" Halley
Rally driver, 1977 - present

As one of the few Pro Rally fanatics in the U.S., I have followed John Buffum's rallying exploits since the early 1970s. This book provides excellent coverage of JB's activity, event by event, as well as providing history on the sport in general.

Tom Grimshaw can tell a story with the best of them, and much of this story comes from his memories of those rallies as he was there, co-driving for John and for other top drivers of the 1970s and 1980s. This is a must read for anyone who wants to know about the history of the SCCA Pro Rally series and competing series in the U.S., and the man who is undoubtedly the finest rally driver ever produced in America.

I really enjoyed this book. Being new to SCCA PRO Rally, I found the history of PRO Rally to be very interesting. Of course, who can get enough stories about John Buffum???

A BEAUTIFUL book and great addition to a home library. This book is about Carl and Grace Moon who had a special connection to the Indians of the southwest, however it is also about the wonderful Native people who inspired them. Many beautiful photos and very in-depth text! These people are still there, I have visited with them often. I hope this book will serve as a wonderful tribute to them.

Mr. Driebe has done beautiful creative work in his compilation of In Search of the Wild Indian. It is packed full of photographs and has enough history and information to provide the reader with a great understanding of the photographer's life work while instilling the desire to want to learn more about these native peoples. The subjects in the photos are uplifting, haunting and expressive. The energy in this book is amazing. I thank Mr. Driebe for this gift -- it is ageless and will continue to take top billing on my coffee table.

Not often am I willing to spend this amount on a book; this one is worth the price. Excellent pictoral, and the details are just wonderful. Portrays Native Americans as no other work has; in detail and with respect!!

Biggers book of experiences living in a Tarahumara village capture the many nuances of life here in the Sierra. His writing has a good, readable style and is fun to boot. His tangents although sometimes distracting are always informative and frequently educational. Biggers is to be respected for not naming the village where he lived but he provides more than enough clues to figure out the location. Although not a general travel book, Biggers book is a must-read for anyone wanting a true and enjoyable insight into the Tarahumara style of living.

In the Sierra Madre is one of the best travel memoirs I've read in years. It's a real page turner. I couldn't put it down. Situated in Mexico's Copper Canyon, author Jeff Biggers traverses the legendary canyons of the native Raramuri or Tarahumara, while weaving in the history of centuries of travelers, including some unforgettable characters like writer/adventurer Frederick Schwatka, George S. Patton and Black Jack Pershing, an Irish lord and his African American mistress, etc etc. Biggers is funny, informed, and his pages move from story to story. And of course, the fabulous tale of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre always lurks in the background. This is a great book and makes me want to travel to Copper Canyon. By the way, Biggers in person is also quite a raconteur. Should he come to town, don't hesitate to see his performance.

Since I made the train journey up to Copper Canyon, I bought this book and felt like I re-lived the trip, and then another I wished I had made. This is a wonderful, moving, often poetic, memoir of an American's year-long sojourn in a Tarahumara (he uses the traditional name, Raramuri) Indian village. The writing, however, never falls into any anthropological notes. Biggers moves back and forth from his own experiences in his adopted village, where he chops wood with the local lumberjacks and plants corn and weathers the worst drought in the region's history, and the often hilarious adventures of famous travelers who have made their own foray into the canyons. The book's range is fantastic: characters like French poet Artaud, black West Point cadet Henry Flipper, a young George S. Patton, and a Russian sailor--to name only a few--pepper the stories like characters from a great drama. Jeff Biggers, who is the author of a book on Appalachia, is that chatty companion you wished you had along for the journey, someone who knows world literature and history as well as he knows the intimate details of the local canyons and people, and someone who loves to mix the two. Biggers writes about the ups and downs of tourism in Mexico's famed Copper Canyon by spinning a tale of a modern-day tragicomedy based on the Greek Antigone; he discusses the plight of logging by recalling a poem by Scottish bard Robert Burns and the Scottish debacle at Darien.

I'd recommend this to anyone planning a trip to Copper Canyon, or those armchair travelers who love their world history written through a great journey.

I have used this book to instruct boy scouts in Native American and early New England craft with great success. The broad range of projects can easily provide you with a year's worth of activities that fit perfectly within the scouting program. The sketches and instuctions are easy to follow and the required materials are not expensive.

Indian Handcrafts by C. Keith Wilbur is a great primer for people who actually want to MAKE items in the manner that native Americans. There are countless illustrations in here showing you exactly what the item looks like - in many cases drawn direction from historical artifacts located in museums (which are named). So if you really want to go see the arrowhead, or the rubbing stick, you can literally take a trip out to the named museum and see the actual artifact for yourself.

It's important to note that while this book simply claims to have "Indian Handcrafts", they are ALL from the northeast US area - primarily Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. This isn't a bad thing at all, but they should more clearly identify that on the front of the book. There are a ton of crafts NOT mentioned in here, because they weren't practiced by the tribes in this area. Also, for example when they talk about gardening like a native, and list out the foods that you should grow, the list is: corn, beans, pumpkins, squash, jerusalem artichokes, ground cherries, gourds and tobacco. This is a great list for Massachusetts, and certainly *similar* to what they grew in Florida or Arizona, but it is again important to know that this is a regional summary.

The book is good about both providing a "super 100% authentic" way of doing things - but also giving you shortcuts if you wish. As the author notes, native Americans were very quick to adapt new technologies when they encountered them. When they met up with people who had easy access to metal, they took those metals and melted them down rather than going through the labor intensive trouble of making their own metals from scratch. When they met up with people who had pretty glass beads, they didn't spend weeks and weeks hand grinding stones down into bead shapes. So in the same manner, sure, you are provided with instructions for hand making dyes from plants and flowers. But if you want, you can also use commercial dyes. This is not really "cheating" - it is efficient, and the natives were efficient where they had access to those supplies.

The book is also cautious in its environmental impact. Yes, the natives would strip birch bark off of trees to use it for various crafts. However, in modern times we do not have huge forests of birch - and stripping off birch bark would kill the trees. We can't afford to kill off trees just for "fun crafts". The author gives you ways to get your hands on the ingredients in a more environmentally friendly manner.

Keith was apparently 67 when he published this book in 1990, and you can see his lifetime of research clearly here. He talks about the different ways he practiced making stone tools, tried carving out canoes, and much more. This is a man who actually learned how to do these crafts and is now sharing his knowledge. I really appreciate that! The drawings are very detailed. I still wish, though, that they used a "regular font" for reading, instead of the calligraphy-style handwriting which is sometimes hard to read - and I wish they included some photos. Drawings are great, but sometimes it is so much more helpful to see actual images of things.

Still, these are minor complaints about a treasure trove of knowledge. Whatever your reason for wanting to learn more about how native Americans lived, I highly recommend this book as a part of your library.

This book describes many of the material goods made by Native Americans, and gives the reader an intimate understanding of their construction. Each item is described, with drawings of museum-piece examples. Wilbur then describes how Native Americans made the item (drawing from eye-witness memoirs where possible), and finally describes ways to make reproductions using modern techniques. Really gives one an appreciation for iron. Ideal for a youngster interested in Indians (and what youngster isn't?)

Dr. Houck's book, Indian Island is the tale of survival! It is a testament to the Monacan people's triumph over hardship and years of discrimination. A proud, yet gentle and kind people, the Monacans were among the many victims of the eugenics movement. Political powers wanted them to be forgotten and invisible, but Dr. Houck brings them back to the forefront of our collective conscience. As one who is privileged to know and associate with several members of this tribe and who has personally witnessed the discrimination they face still today, I applaud Dr. Houck, this book, and most of all this couragous group of people. Having finally achieved state recognition from Virginia, today they continue their struggle to gain the federal recognition which is long overdue. May America finally recognize the existence of its first residents!

Having been married to one of the Johns decendants (in Amherst County, VA), I must say that this is probably one of the most accurate depictions of life for the Monacan Indians as any I have heard. I would like to add that Dr. Houck was my daughters neo-natologist when she was born very prematurely...24 years ago!! If you enjoy this book, read MATOHE, written by Cathy Smoot Carson.

Peter Houck and Mintcy Maxham do a wonderful job of presenting a generalized history of the Monacan tribe. As with any generalized History study, consisting of one volume, covering centuries of time, and possibly thousands of individuals, the reader should not expect a complete detailed history of the tribe, but rather a jumping off point to further enhance his or her education of the Monacan past. While lots of specific details are missing, the major events are listed. This list of major Monacan occurrences, along with an ample Bibliography, gives everyone from the begining historical student to the advanced researcher many sources and avenues to approach the study of Monacan history and culture.

I've lived in Florida, and studied archeology, all my life. Mac Perry reported on many sites that I had never known about, plus added information on those that I'd already visited. An excellent book, with a clear, interesting style.

Indian Mounds You Can Visit is informative and very interesting. A must read for anyone interested in Florida's history.

The Author has a style of writing that bring the reader into the world of Florida's first people. He very eloquently puts forth his message of conservation and protection. This book is packed with information on the various cultural periods of Florida pre-history like the Weeden Island and Safety Harbor people.

This book brings tribes together in picture & story. Beautiful images & rare findings from a respectable source, World Wisdom Publishing.

Each page is a poem ten thousand years long. You can never finish the book, because one page opens one hundred more books, and when you're done reading those you will find yourself on an endless journey that will only end-or perhaps begin anew-when you enter the spirit world.

It is a native belief system that began here, as all of us born in America did-and that has meaning. It is intuitive, yet tangible. Nothing about it is forced, and no symbol or person represents it. It is everything...and it is nothing. You can find its masters here...on this continent. It's not imported from China, Israel, Iraq, or Tibet. There are no human founders, prophets or leaders living or dead who are worshiped. No symbols to rally an army or angry mob behind.

In this book, our American ancestors give you a look across many different tribes, each of which has a remarkably similar spiritual essence, born of the land we inhabit. The deserts. The mountains. The rivers, forests and meadows. While I think it is neat to study other religions and philosophies, they all have men, symbols, houses of worship and styles of dress that identify and define them. How well you memorize, display, adhere to and pay homage to these things of man determines your piousness and how well you are accepted into to their community. Indian Spirit frees you from these things.

Perhaps one could study Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Sufism, Judaism, and other philosophies and religions that one respects to nurse out all of the best bits so one can create an amalgam for some personal belief system based on "favorite hits". But why bother? It's like searching endlessly through junkyards to scavenge parts that are only perhaps cosmetically better than the parts you already have on your car. Oooh...a chrome plated ash tray. Wow, a leather covered steering wheel. Nifty, spoked rims.

All the ingredients for a spiritual belief system that is in harmony with our country are here. Open its pages and discover your American ancestors and perhaps a new dimension to your own spiritual journey.

Featuring an introduction by Thomas Yellowtail, and now in a newly revised and enlarged edition, Indian Spirit combines spiritual and religious quotations from Native American leaders, individuals, and rituals with black-and-white photography. The result is a deeply spiritual collection that reaches out to share wisdom and insight to readers of all faiths. An inspirational and memorable invigoration of the soul, Indian Spirit carries the highest possible recommendation. "Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors - the dreams of our old men, given them in the solemn hours of night by the Great Spirit; and the visions of our sacred medicine men, and is written in the hearts of our people." -Seattle, Dwamish.

Lerner Publishing Group's new release THE INDIAN WARS:Chronicle of America's Wars by Carol H. Behrman is a fast reading, comprehensive history of the plight of Native Americans in the United States from the Age of Exploration to the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. The author's accurate, well documented text is an easy read. Illustrations, page layouts, maps and sidebars inform and vividly bring to life those critical times, people, and events. Timelines, bibliography, source notes, and websites encourage further study.This is one of the best texts I've seen on this era - a must for elementary and junior high school libraries. You'll need duplicate copies of this fascinating book.

This book covers a great deal of material in a very engaging manner. It is written with a respect for the reader and makes this period come alive for any age.

I was totally absorbed as I read this beautifully written chronicle of the Indian Wars. As a teacher and author, I appreciate the talent of Carol Behrman who provides the reader with fascinating and comprehensive facts of history in a style that young people will find enjoyable as well as educational. The history is not slanted or distorted and the details of the destruction of the Native American nations are told objectively and honestly. Ms. Behrman's delightful writing, the many historical photographs and charts, and the superbly designed book is a "must have" for every library.

This mammoth volume (over 570 pages) truly is the Indians' own book. Natalie Curtis served as collector, editor, and arranger. The elegant and eloquent simplicity of the tales give testimony that these are the Native American's own words. Not only that, but since it was first published in 1905, these are the memories of chiefs, elders, and holy men that still remembered the old days and the old ways. Plus, the marvelous illustrations were all done by tribe members (except for the photographs) and really contribute to the overall magic of the whole. The songs are all authentic and are given in both English and the original tribal languages (with pronunciation guides.)

While not a comprehensive reference of all the tribes it does give a good range of peoples from the eastern coast, northern woodlands, plains, southwest, and pacific coast. The tribes included are: Wabanaki, Dakota, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Winnebago, Kwakiutl, Pima, Apache, Mohave-Apache, Yuma, Navaho, Zuni, San Juan, Acoma, Laguna, and Hopi.

This book is a great monument to all the peoples and their respective ways of life. It is proof that the social engineers and bureaucrats did not kill the spirit and culture of the rightful inhabitants of this land. As long as such a book exists the way back to the old, centered way of living can be tracked.

This is a moving book. Even Theodore Roosevelt was moved by the "depth and dignity" of Indian thought.

This is a monumental work of history. Thanks to the efforts of Natalie Curtis and other recorders in the early twentieth century, there are many songs and stories of American Indians which have not been lost. The 149 songs recorded (in their original language and in translation), the myths and legends, and the interviews are from tribes all over the United States. These groups include the Wabanaki, Dakota, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Winnebago, Kwakiutl, Pima, Apache, Mojave-Apache, Yuma, Navajo, Zuñi, San Juan, Acoma, Laguna, and Hopi. This is a reference book to be treasured.

Curtis begins this book with, "The Indians are the authors of this volume. ...... The work of the recorder (Curtis) has been but the collecting, edititng, and arranging of the Indians' contributions." The Indians' Book is a collection of "Authentic Native American Legends, Lore and Music".

At the turn of the century, this book was instrumental in a change of attitude towards Native Amaricans. Through it, we see the "depth and dignity or Indian thoughts" (Theodore Roosevelt) from a time when Indians were commonly viewed as little more than animals.

But I don't want to make this sound like a political statement. No, don't missunderstand, this book focuses on the legends and the music. Curtis has transcribed enough songs that you could almost call it a Fake Book of Indian Songs. I've already used many of the songs in this book as inspiration for some of my own compositions.