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Native Americans
An exciting illustrated reference library for children age 8 and up. Integrated, highly visual approach sure to engage "video-age" kids. Authoritative, up-to-date information plus games, quizzes, puzzles, and activities.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published May 24, 1999
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January 5, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book, mostly because of the pictures. This is by far the best Native American book as far as the pictures go, because they were so vibrant and colorful and interesting. All of the pictures and paintings capture your attention and your eyes want to follow them all. There's so much to look at that you could spend a while just staring at the pictures. The Artwork was superb. No space was wasted and it was filled in a pleasing way to the eye with pictures, information and paintings.
The one major problem I had with it was that it was about such a broad topic you couldn't hope to fully understand any one tribe because they all couldn't be mentioned, and the ones that were were only briefly described. It started with illustrating their journey from the Bering Strait from Sibera to Alaska. It showed on a map the different sections of their homelands, where they all branched off to live. It had pictures of individuals from some tribes, giving us a glimpse of their style and clothing and where they lived. There was the subarctic, Northwest Coast, Great Basin, Great Plains, California, Plateau, Arctic, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest. Since the Indians branched off, their languages changed until many different forms appeared. The Great Plains invented sign language. A few signs were shown and that was really interesting.
As a result of only being able to mention a few tribes for each topic, it came off as really random and nothing was described as in-depth as I would've liked. I did like the chart that shaded in regions of North American showing that types of materials were used for clothing. Animal fur was used in the north, cotton in the mid regions and in the south animal and plant materials were used. There was some information that was mostly general and consistent among all tribes, like girls becoming members of the tribe when they reached puberty, and had special ceremonies celebrating them. Boys had to perform some show of bravery and courage, such as killing or wounding an enemy, before they became warriors.
Choosing a partner and the wedding traditions were really interesting, and the painting of the Hopi girl and boy were beautiful. Hopi girls wore elaborate hairstyles to let boys know they were ready for marriage, and boys wore several fine bead necklaces on their wedding day. Zuni men made silver and turquoise necklaces for their daughters; the squash blossom is a traditional symbol representing a mother surrounded by her many children. Wishram brides wore wedding finery from dentalium shells edged with coins and beads. Menominee newlyweds were given a pair of dolls that was a good medicine for a long and happy marriage. The Tlingits had big wedding feasts and valuable presents. A Plains boy courted his sweetheart with love tunes on his flute. In the evening they would hide under a blanket over their heads and talk to see if they liked each other. Later times had bridegrooms giving horses to the bride's family in the Plains. Hopis sealed the marriage when the mothers washed their hair in one bowl together. Navajo brides owned marriage baskets and claimed ownership of their items that their husbands watched over but did not own. Kwakiutl brides went to her husband's village and arrived in a family canoe.
I liked the information on the games like they played like stickball and betting on cards. I also liked the information on their horses and ponies, that men usually rode bareback and women rode with saddles and stirrups, and decorated everything. Plains warriors depended greatly on their war horses; horses had to endure the noise, move quickly, turn sharply and respond instantly to the rider's command. Warriors shared the battle honors with their mounts and painted symbols on them. They wore eagle feathers and scalp locks, and their manes and tales were trimmed and dyed. Some symbols were shown, of a way part leader, that an enemy had been killed in hand combat, hail and mourning marks. I loved the feathers showing different mark and cuttings that meant different things. A red spot meant the wearer had killed his foe. A feather dyed red meant the wearer had been wounded in battle. A jagged edge all around meant that the wearer had killed several enemies. A feather split down the middle meant the wearer had been wounded many times. A feather with a notch in it meant the wearer cut his enemy's throat and took his scalp. A feather with the top cut off meant the wearer had cut his foe's throat without scalping him.
It covered most topics that you would want to know about them, their ways of life and the things they used, customs, ceremonies, practices and beliefs. Every page was enjoyable to look at and all of the information was interesting and useful. I just wish more tribes had been mentioned, and more information could have been given about each one.
The one major problem I had with it was that it was about such a broad topic you couldn't hope to fully understand any one tribe because they all couldn't be mentioned, and the ones that were were only briefly described. It started with illustrating their journey from the Bering Strait from Sibera to Alaska. It showed on a map the different sections of their homelands, where they all branched off to live. It had pictures of individuals from some tribes, giving us a glimpse of their style and clothing and where they lived. There was the subarctic, Northwest Coast, Great Basin, Great Plains, California, Plateau, Arctic, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest. Since the Indians branched off, their languages changed until many different forms appeared. The Great Plains invented sign language. A few signs were shown and that was really interesting.
As a result of only being able to mention a few tribes for each topic, it came off as really random and nothing was described as in-depth as I would've liked. I did like the chart that shaded in regions of North American showing that types of materials were used for clothing. Animal fur was used in the north, cotton in the mid regions and in the south animal and plant materials were used. There was some information that was mostly general and consistent among all tribes, like girls becoming members of the tribe when they reached puberty, and had special ceremonies celebrating them. Boys had to perform some show of bravery and courage, such as killing or wounding an enemy, before they became warriors.
Choosing a partner and the wedding traditions were really interesting, and the painting of the Hopi girl and boy were beautiful. Hopi girls wore elaborate hairstyles to let boys know they were ready for marriage, and boys wore several fine bead necklaces on their wedding day. Zuni men made silver and turquoise necklaces for their daughters; the squash blossom is a traditional symbol representing a mother surrounded by her many children. Wishram brides wore wedding finery from dentalium shells edged with coins and beads. Menominee newlyweds were given a pair of dolls that was a good medicine for a long and happy marriage. The Tlingits had big wedding feasts and valuable presents. A Plains boy courted his sweetheart with love tunes on his flute. In the evening they would hide under a blanket over their heads and talk to see if they liked each other. Later times had bridegrooms giving horses to the bride's family in the Plains. Hopis sealed the marriage when the mothers washed their hair in one bowl together. Navajo brides owned marriage baskets and claimed ownership of their items that their husbands watched over but did not own. Kwakiutl brides went to her husband's village and arrived in a family canoe.
I liked the information on the games like they played like stickball and betting on cards. I also liked the information on their horses and ponies, that men usually rode bareback and women rode with saddles and stirrups, and decorated everything. Plains warriors depended greatly on their war horses; horses had to endure the noise, move quickly, turn sharply and respond instantly to the rider's command. Warriors shared the battle honors with their mounts and painted symbols on them. They wore eagle feathers and scalp locks, and their manes and tales were trimmed and dyed. Some symbols were shown, of a way part leader, that an enemy had been killed in hand combat, hail and mourning marks. I loved the feathers showing different mark and cuttings that meant different things. A red spot meant the wearer had killed his foe. A feather dyed red meant the wearer had been wounded in battle. A jagged edge all around meant that the wearer had killed several enemies. A feather split down the middle meant the wearer had been wounded many times. A feather with a notch in it meant the wearer cut his enemy's throat and took his scalp. A feather with the top cut off meant the wearer had cut his foe's throat without scalping him.
It covered most topics that you would want to know about them, their ways of life and the things they used, customs, ceremonies, practices and beliefs. Every page was enjoyable to look at and all of the information was interesting and useful. I just wish more tribes had been mentioned, and more information could have been given about each one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review