Short reviews of new/recent books by/about Native Americans

Steve Brock (brock@ucsub.Colorado.EDU)
29 Jul 1996 20:10:28 GMT

Here are several short reviews of new and recent books by and about
Native Americans. All reviews are written by Steve Brock:

WE DANCE BECAUSE WE CAN: PEOPLE OF THE POWWOW, photography by Don
Contreras, text by Diane Morris Bernstein. Longstreet Press, Inc.,
2140 Newmarket Parkway, Suite 118, Marietta, GA 30067, (800) 927-
1488, FAX: (404) 859-9894. Illustrated. 160 pp., $29.95 cloth.
1-56352-287-X

There are many reasons that Native Americans dance, but to most,
it's an expression of their tribal, as well as their individual
identity. This colorful book contains portraits and profiles of
thirty men, women, and children in full regalia: dancing,
displaying their attire and accessories, and talking about why the
dance keeps their traditions alive. An exceptional book, lacking
only a list of places to see powwows. Grade: A-.

THE PREHISTORIC PUEBLO WORLD, A.D. 1150-1350, edited by Michael A.
Adler. University of Arizona Press, 1230 N. Park, #102, Tucson, AZ
85719, (800) 426-3797, (602) 882-3065 in Arizona, FAX: (602) 621-
8899. The University of Arizona Press online catalogue and order
form may be accessed from the Internet by telneting to
INFO.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU. Login as INFO. From the Main Menu choose
5 (On-line Information Services), 3 (University of Arizona
Information), 1 (Campus Services), and 4 (University of Arizona
Press). Illustrated, index, references, appendix, maps. 289 pp.,
$45.00 cloth. 0-8165-1488-2

The period, known by anthropologists as the "Pueblo III" period,
was the topic of a conference held at the Crow Canyon
Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado in 1990. Seventeen
articles (grouped by region) examine Pueblo settlement patterns,
population trends, and the architecture and artifacts of more than
800 sites, and present much new data. A remarkable synthesis.
Grade: A.

WHEN THE LAND WAS YOUNG: REFLECTIONS ON AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY by
Sharman Apt Russell. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, One Jacob
Way, Reading, MA 01867-3999, (800) 447-2226, FAX: (617) 944-7273,
e-mail: bexpress@aw.com. The Addison Wesley WWW home page is
located at http://www.aw.com/devpress/. Index, notes, chronology.
248 pp., $23.00 cloth. 0-201-40698-5

A reassessment of archaeological methodology in light of the 1990
passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation
Act. Sharman asks tough questions: When did the first migration
take place? Are some archaeological conclusions sexist? When an
artifact is discovered, who does it belong to? Her answers are
thoughtful and fascinating, as well as her discussion of site
preservation. Grade: A.

LIKE A HURRICANE: THE INDIAN MOVEMENT FROM ALCATRAZ TO WOUNDED KNEE
by Paul Chaat Smith and Robert Allen Warrior. New Press, 450 W.
41st St, N.Y., NY 10036, (800) 233-4830. Illustrated, index,
notes. 359 pp., $25.00 cloth. 1-56584-316-9

Smith and Warrior dramatically document the period 1969-1973, when
Native Americans captured Alcatraz Island (the Fancydance
Revolution), took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in
Washington, D.C. (re-naming it the Native American Embassy), and
occupied the Wounded Knee monument (the Independent Oglala Nation),
giving birth to the American Indian Movement. Compelling,
exciting, and mandatory for all classes in Native American history.
Grade: A.

REMEMBER YOUR RELATIONS: THE ELSIE ALLEN BASKETS, FAMILY & FRIENDS
by Suzanne Abel-Vidor, Dot Brovarney, and Susan Billy. Heyday
Books, P.O. Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709, (510) 549-3564, FAX:
(510) 549-1889. Illustrated, bibliography, notes, maps. 128 pp.,
$20.00 paper. 0-930588-80-0

Elsie Allen, along with her mother Annie Burke, broke with a Pomo
Indian tradition that when a weaver died, all their baskets were
destroyed. Instead, she preserved her baskets for educational
purposes. Billy, Allen's niece and a weaver in her own right,
remembers her great-aunt, along with twenty-six other family
members, with photographs of the weavers and their works. A
celebration of master weavers and Pomo culture. Also included is
a checklist of the collection. Grade: B.

THE MANITOUS: THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD OF THE OJIBWAY by Basil
Johnston. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. (HarperPerennial), 10 E.
53rd St., N.Y., NY 10022-5299, (800) 242-7737, (800) 822-4090 FAX.
Glossary. 271 pp., $12.00 paper. 0-06-092735-6

Johnston, a Canadian ethnologist and one of the few non-Indians
fluent in the Ojibway language, explores the myths associated with
the Manitous: mythological creatures (both good and bad) who
inhabit all living things and are used to instruct the young about
the natural world. Don't miss the story of the Weedingoes: giants
who eat the flesh of the foolish. Grade: A-.

TO CHANGE THEM FOREVER: INDIAN EDUCATION AT THE RAINY MOUNTAIN
BOARDING SCHOOL, 1893-1920 by Clyde Ellis. University of Oklahoma
Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, FAX: (800)
735-0476. Illustrated, index, bibliography, notes, maps. 270 pp.,
$28.95 cloth. 0-8061-2825-9

During the forced assimilation period, the U.S. government sought
to absorb Indians into the white culture by placing their children
in reservation boarding schools. In western Oklahoma, Kiowa
children were sent to the Rainy Mountain school, where they were
coerced into attending, to be "saved from their blighted
existence." Ellis presents an informative and readable example of
a flawed policy whose failure ultimately enabled Indian culture to
endure. An excellent companion to Momaday's "The Way to Rainy
Mountain." Grade: A-.

THE WORLDS OF P'OTSUNU: GERONIMA CRUZ MONTOYA OF THE SAN JUAN
PUEBLO by Jeanne Shutes and Jill Mellick. University of New Mexico
Press, 1720 Lomas Blvd. N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87131-1591, (505)
277-2346, FAX: (505) 277-9270. Illustrated, index, references.
264 pp., $37.50 cloth. 0-8263-1643-3

The authors provide an elegant biography of Jerry Montoya
(P'otsunu), a highly respected artist, composer, educator, and
cultural leader. From her attendance at the Santa Fe Indian School
(where she studied under Dorothy Dunn) through winning the
Smithsonian Cultural Achievement Award in 1994, this is an
encouraging portrait of a woman sustained by tradition and service.
Grade: A.

PATHS OF LIFE: AMERICAN INDIANS OF THE SOUTHWEST AND NORTHERN
MEXICO, edited by Thomas E. Sheridan and Nancy J. Parezo.
University of Arizona Press, 1230 N. Park, #102, Tucson, AZ 85719,
(800) 426-3797, (602) 882-3065 in Arizona, FAX: (602) 621-8899.
The University of Arizona Press online catalogue and order form may
be accessed from the Internet by telneting to
INFO.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU. Login as INFO. From the Main Menu choose
5 (On-line Information Services), 3 (University of Arizona
Information), 1 (Campus Services), and 4 (University of Arizona
Press). Illustrated, index, references, maps. 334 pp., $45.00
cloth (0-8165-1549-2) $17.95 paper (0-8165-1466-6).

"Paths of Life" is a marvelous introduction to the indigenous
peoples of the Southwest. Covering fifteen groups, the authors
provide a history of each and bring readers up to date with
sidebars on current issues and cultural development. Highly
recommended for public and high school libraries. Grade: A-.

NORTHERN HAIDA SONGS: STUDIES IN THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF NORTH AMERICAN
INDIANS by John Enrico and Wendy Bross Stuart. University of
Nebraska Press/Bison Books, 901 N. 17th St., Lincoln, NE 68588-
0520, (800) 755-1105, FAX: (402) 472-6214. The University of
Nebraska Press WWW home page is at http://www.unl.edu/up/home.htm,
and their email address is press@unlinfo.unl.edu. Index,
references, notes, orthography, musical scores. 533 pp., $40.00
cloth. 0-8032-1816-8

Divided into roughly two parts, the book contains an comprehensive
ethnographic background of the Haida (who live on Graham Island,
British Columbia, and on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska), as well
as 128 transcribed songs with accompanying analysis. The authors
have masterfully interpreted the intimate relationship between
Haida music and language. Grade: A.

WILD WEST SHOWS AND THE IMAGES OF AMERICAN INDIANS by L.G. Moses.
University of New Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Blvd. N.E., Albuquerque,
NM 87131-1591, (505) 277-2346, FAX: (505) 277-9270. Illustrated,
index, bibliography, notes. 382 pp., $39.95 cloth. 0-8263-1685-9

An in-depth look at the lives of American Indians who elected to
join Wild West Shows. Contrary to the myth that all show actors
were victims, many Indians helped sustain their tribes by
personifying their cultures as they travelled around the world. A
prominent contribution to the literature and history of the
American Indian.

NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN ANTHROPOLOGY: ESSAYS ON SOCIETY AND CULTURE,
edited by Raymond J. DeMallie and Alfonso Ortiz. University of
Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377,
FAX: (800) 735-0476. Illustrated, index, references. 442 pp.,
$18.95 paper. 0-8061-2808-9. Now available in a paperback
edition, here is my review of the hardcover from 1994:

The fifteen essays on kinship, social organization, and culture
history in this new text provide current interpretations while
combining structural and historical approaches. The volume is
dedicated to anthropologist Fred Eggen (1906-1991), and all of the
contributors are former students. Highly recommended as a textbook
in introductory classes on American Indian Anthropology.
Grade: A-.

SHORT MENTIONS:

POW WOW COUNTRY, text and photography by Chris Roberts. American
& World Geographic Publishing, P.O. Box 5630, 3020 Bozeman Street,
Helena, MT 59604, (406) 443-2842, FAX: (406) 443-5480. Illustrated
(over 100 in color), glossary, list of events. 128 pp., $19.95
paper. 1-56037-025-4. In this reprint of the 1992 original,
Roberts, a dancer himself, has produced a swirling documentary of
the pow wow circuit, with commentary on costumes and accessories.
Grade: B.

THE NORTHERN COPPER INUIT: A HISTORY by Richard G. Condon with
Julia Ogina and the Holman Elders. University of Oklahoma Press,
1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, FAX: (800) 735-
0476. Illustrated, index, references, maps. 238 pp., $30.00
cloth. 0-8061-2811-9. A comprehensive and invaluable profile of
the tribe, which currently occupies the western coast of Victoria
Island in northern Canada, from 2000 B.C. to the present. Contains
many oral history interviews with Ulkhaktokmiut elders. Grade: A.

A CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS, VOLUME TWO by Joyce Sequichie Hifler.
Council Oaks Books, 1350 E. 15th St., Tulsa, OK 74120, (800) 247-
8850, FAX: (918) 583-4995. Index of names. 412 pp., $16.95 cloth.
1-57178-025-4. Daily messages of inspiration, affirmation, and
regard for natures beauty, each with a quote from a famous Native
American. Grade: B+.

THE ALLURE OF TURQUOISE by the editors of New Mexico Magazine. New
Mexico Magazine, 495 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87503,
distributed by the University of New Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Blvd.
N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87131-1591, (505) 277-2346, FAX: (505)
277-9270. Illustrated, map. 80 pp., $22.95 paper. 0-937206-40-7.
Ten richly-illustrated articles explore our special relationship
with turquoise (the state gem of New Mexico): from its occurrence
and geology to its use in jewelry by Native Americans. Grade: B+.

SPIRIT MOVES: THE STORY OF SIX GENERATIONS OF NATIVE WOMEN by Loree
Boyd. New World Library, 58 Paul Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903,
(800) 227-3900, (800) 632-2122 in California, (415) 472-6131 FAX.
Illustrated. 448 pp., $16.95 paper. 1-880032-59-7. A moving
autobiographical family history, filled with epidemics, abuse, vows
of silence, and tenacious endurance. Grade: B.

HOTEVILLA: HOPI SHRINE OF THE COVENANT, MICROCOSM OF THE WORLD by
Thomas E. Mails and Dan Evehema. Marlowe and Company, in
association with the Touch the Earth Foundation, 632 Broadway,
Seventh Floor, N.Y., NY 10012, (212) 460-5742, FAX: (212) 460-5796.
Illustrated, bibliography, appendix, maps. An important
contribution to the history and prophecies of the Hopi
Traditionals, warning that events at Hotevilla will be repeated
worldwide. Astounding, extraordinary, but confusing in places.
Grade: A.

HAWK WOMAN DANCING WITH THE MOON by Tela Star Hawk Lake. M. Evans
and Company, Inc., 216 E. 49th Street, N.Y., NY 10017, (212) 688-
2810, FAX: (212) 486-4544. Illustrated. 232 pp., $19.95 cloth.
0-87131-802-4. "The Last Female Shaman" dispenses sacred medicine
for today's woman, including prayers, ceremonies (especially the
"Moontime Ceremony"), and rituals, for a wide-range of needs, from
getting ready for a trip to combating cancer. Grade: B.

INDIAN DEPREDATION CLAIMS, 1796-1920 by Larry C. Skogen.
University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019,
(800) 627-7377, FAX: (800) 735-0476. Illustrated, index,
bibliography, notes, map. 310 pp., $34.95 cloth. 0-8061-2789-9.
A discussion of the U.S. government's attempts to compensate both
settlers and Indians for loss of property (and keep the treasury
from going broke). Grade: B+.

O BRAVE NEW PEOPLE: THE EUROPEAN INVENTION OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
by John F. Moffitt and Santiago Sebastian. University of New
Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Blvd. N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87131-1591,
(505) 277-2346, FAX: (505) 277-9270. Illustrated, index,
bibliography, notes, map. 413 pp., $55.00 cloth. 0-8263-1639-5.
An examination of how Columbus's mistaken identification of New
World residents has influenced European perceptions, such as that
of a subculture living in paradise. Grade: A.

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