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America's Fascinating Indian Heritage: The First Americans: Their Customs, Art, History and How They Lived
History of North American Indians and Eskimos from pre-historic times. Amply illustrated; 13 1, The First Finding a New World; 2, Lost Indian Kingdoms of the Sun; 3, North America in 1500; 4, The The Five Civilized Tribes; 5, The Northeast & Great Woodland Warriors; 6, The Great Nomadic Horsemen; 7, The Planters & Herdsmen; 8, Great Basin, California, Foragers & Gatherers; 9, The Northwest Traders & Fishermen; 10, The People of the Caribou; 11, The Dwellers in an Icy World; 12, Contemporary Renaissance of an Ancient People; and, 13, Seeing Indian History.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 19, 2018
I feel like I carried this book around a lot as a kid, but re-skimming it for Reasons was not quite as fun.
February 16, 2021
This thick Reader’s Digest chronicle reads very much like a textbook you should have been assigned at some point in your elementary American education, curated by some leading scholars on native heritage.
Unfortunately, the book is quite dated (originally published in 1978)—owing to that, it misses out on some key archaeological discoveries and cultural revelations that have been unearthed in the last few decades. Nevertheless, it is a very thorough jaunt through every region of the USA and Canada’s native cultures, tackling each area richly and covering beliefs, diets, familial and village roles, tribe etiquettes, war tactics, relationships with plants and animals, handicrafts, and artwork. Special attention is paid to major tribes of each region, such as the Iroquois, Sioux, Natchez, Mississippi, Hopi, Nez Perce, Tlingit, and the multiple Inuit tribes.
The first two chapters span several thousand years, beginning with the first pilgrimages across the Bering Land Bridge, subsequent settlement throughout the expansive Americas, and ending with the influential civilization of present day Mexico, the Aztecs. Excerpts of importance fill each chapter with special attention to key cultural figures, such as Chief Joseph (Nez Perce), Geronimo (Apache), Sacagawea (Shoshone), and Sitting Bull (Sioux). Each chapter ends with the arrival of the “white man” and subsequent tribal interactions with them, which more often than not ends poorly and sadly for the people of these varying backgrounds.
Some of my favorite parts of this text include the highlighting of the long-range and complex intertribal trading systems employed throughout North America and the semi-fictional stories of everyday life presented in italics in some chapters. The compendium ends with a look at the modern resurgence of Native Pride and the reclaiming of indigenous agency, with a focus on the American Indian Movement that began in 1968. I would love to see a new version of this book released because it opened a new view into the vast and differing cultures of the first Americans, and left me with a deeper understanding and respect for these great peoples.
Unfortunately, the book is quite dated (originally published in 1978)—owing to that, it misses out on some key archaeological discoveries and cultural revelations that have been unearthed in the last few decades. Nevertheless, it is a very thorough jaunt through every region of the USA and Canada’s native cultures, tackling each area richly and covering beliefs, diets, familial and village roles, tribe etiquettes, war tactics, relationships with plants and animals, handicrafts, and artwork. Special attention is paid to major tribes of each region, such as the Iroquois, Sioux, Natchez, Mississippi, Hopi, Nez Perce, Tlingit, and the multiple Inuit tribes.
The first two chapters span several thousand years, beginning with the first pilgrimages across the Bering Land Bridge, subsequent settlement throughout the expansive Americas, and ending with the influential civilization of present day Mexico, the Aztecs. Excerpts of importance fill each chapter with special attention to key cultural figures, such as Chief Joseph (Nez Perce), Geronimo (Apache), Sacagawea (Shoshone), and Sitting Bull (Sioux). Each chapter ends with the arrival of the “white man” and subsequent tribal interactions with them, which more often than not ends poorly and sadly for the people of these varying backgrounds.
Some of my favorite parts of this text include the highlighting of the long-range and complex intertribal trading systems employed throughout North America and the semi-fictional stories of everyday life presented in italics in some chapters. The compendium ends with a look at the modern resurgence of Native Pride and the reclaiming of indigenous agency, with a focus on the American Indian Movement that began in 1968. I would love to see a new version of this book released because it opened a new view into the vast and differing cultures of the first Americans, and left me with a deeper understanding and respect for these great peoples.
Read
June 25, 2009AI Max Great resource book
March 29, 2013
Dated
August 23, 2014
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12490562
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12490562
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews