The Wampanoags (True Books, American Indians)

The Wampanoags (True Books, American Indians) Review

If you are studying the New England Pilgrims and Native Americans, this is a great teaching tool for older Pre-K on up. I teach 4 and 5 year olds, and they really enjoy this book. I read a chapter a day of the fairly simple text, making modifications when necessary. The colorful photos are some of the best you can find on this tribe, giving the children a greater understanding of the Woodland Indians. Ideal for today's young investigative reader, each A True Book includes lively sidebars, a glossary and index, plus a comprehensive "To Find Out More" section listing books, organizations, and Internet sites. A staple of library collections since the 1950s, the new A True Book series is the definitive nonfiction series for elementary school readers.

Indian Chiefs

Indian Chiefs Review

Russell Freeman is a great children's writer about historical topics. He brings many topics to life and makes them accessible for older kids. This is a very moving book about several great Indian Chiefs during the Indian Wars in the 1800s. I highly recommend it. Biographies of six Western Indian chiefs who led their people in a historic moment of crisis, when a decision had to be made about fighting or cooperating with the white pioneers encroaching on their hunting grounds.

Indian Art: An Overview

Indian Art: An Overview Review

The Book is a seminal study on Indian Art's entry through Modernism into Post-Modernism. Through fifteen essays, leading tendencies in Indian art traced from the period of the 1850s onwards, leading critics and art historians analyse the contributions of Kalighat Paintings, the Bengal School, Santiniketan, and the Madras aesthetic. Through essays on the influence of Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita Sher-Gil and the Progressive Artist's Group, the volume comes uptodate with Indian Art in contemporary period. The volume also provides substantial essays on the History of Print Making and Sculpture in India and contains some thematic essays that analyse ten trends in contemporary social context.

Edited by Art Critic Gayatri Sinha, the Book contains essays by Jyotindra Jain, Geeti Sen, Shivaji Panikkar, Ranjit Hoskote and other leading writers on Indian Art.

Ports and Political Power in the Periplus: Complex societies and maritime trade on the Indian Ocean in the first century AD (bar s)

Ports and Political Power in the Periplus: Complex societies and maritime trade on the Indian Ocean in the first century AD (bar s) Review

In the centuries around the turn of our era, long distance trade based on the monsoon winds connected all coasts of the western Indian Ocean. Ships from India, Arabia, Egypt, East Africa and Mesopotamia conveyed luxuries such as silk, spices and slaves, but also subsistence goods including grain and inexpensive textiles between coasts separated by thousands of kilometres of water. In the same period the first complex societies emerged in parts of Africa and Southern India. In other regions existing states reorganised or were replaced or marginalised by new polities. This study aims at exploring the significance of maritime commerce to societies on the Indian Ocean rim, by examining how rulers adjusted their policy in order to control and profit from trade. The point of departure is the anonymous Greek first century AD Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. This is a guide to navigation and trade on the Indian Ocean, covering the coasts of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, East Africa and India. The unknown author, who to a large extent relied on personal experience, included not only sailing directions, but also a wealth of information on local products, markets and political conditions. Chapter 1 introduces the subject and the setting. Chapter 2 discusses how to measure the impact of trade on complex societies. Chapter 3 deals with the content and reliability of the Periplus. Other chapters survey the situation along the coasts of Arabia, Africa and western / southern India in detail, and argue that rulers and states utilised a range of policies in order to profit from the monsoon trade.

BETWEEN TWO FIRES: American Indians in the Civil War

BETWEEN TWO FIRES: American Indians in the Civil War Review

As the title clearly tells us, this is a book (primarily) about the contributions of the American Indian to the American Civil War. It starts the reader with some of the early atrocities and misunderstandings that have characterized Indian and White interactions throughout American history. Some are the same things you will read about in any decent high school history text, and some are new for those that are not Indian history "buffs", such as myself. For example, I was not aware of the cruel and deliberate destruction of the Indian populations in California during the Gold Rush of 1849 until I read about it here.

The book discusses Indian participation on both sides of the war and their various motivations for joining in the fight. These motivations range from genuine patriotism to wanting to suck up to the government (be it Union or Confederate) for favors to wanting a steady, if small income to just wanting to get involved in the biggest thing that was going to happen to this generation of Americans.

Among the more interesting vignettes are the story of how the Eastern Band of the Cherokees (if you have been to the Smoky Mountain Nat'l Park you've heard of them) earned their land through service to the CSA, the biography of Colonel Ely Parker, the Indian who drafted Lee's surrender for his friend U.S. Grant and the Battle of the Crater. This Battle in the Petersburg siege had 3 different groups of Indians fighting (one on the side of the CSA, two on the USA) along with Blacks and Whites. It was probably the most integrated battle the U.S. fought until the Korean War, when Truman desegegrated the armed forces.

This is one of the most heavily referenced books I've ever read. There are 53 pages of end notes and 42 pages of bibliography for a 192 page book! If you are ever looking for a great source of information for a paper or research project on the Civil War, I'd recommend starting with this list.

Final Grade: B+ (good writing style, ocassionally too in-depth and bordering on trivia)
The story of Indian participation on both sides during the American Civil War. Nine different tribal groups are featured and the author aims to show how and why the Indians, who were seeking legitimacy, autonomy and land, were decimated and dislocated in what was their last chance for co-existance.

Real Indians: Identity and the Survival of Native America

Real Indians: Identity and the Survival of Native America Review

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, America finds itself on the brink of a new racial consciousness. The old, unquestioned confidence with which individuals can be classified (as embodied, for instance, in previous U.S. census categories) has been eroded. In its place are shifting paradigms and new norms for racial identity. Eva Marie Garroutte examines the changing processes of racial identification and their implications by looking specifically at the case of American Indians.

Girl Most Likely To (Red Dress Ink Novels)

Girl Most Likely To (Red Dress Ink Novels) Review

Girl Most Likely To is a fun and thought-provoking novel that has a bit more substance than your average chick lit book. It is a book about self-discovery, rather than about finding true love. While men are certainly an element of the novel (would it be chick lit if they weren't?), the main storyline is Vina's quest to discover what she wants from life, and why she wants these things.

Vina herself was a very interesting character. I thought that Vina's Indian heritage incorporated something different into the novel - cultural tensions. These are an every day part of life for many people, yet they are woefully underutilized in novels. (Another excellent example of cultural issues in a solid chick lit novel is Off the Menu [review] by Christine Son). Being an Indian raised in the United States, I could especially sympathize with Vina's struggles with her parents, as well as her desire to please them. However, I believe that whatever background you come from, virtually any reader can see a bit of themselves in the challenges that Vina faces. It has a universal appeal.

The book itself is a bit stilted and does not seem to flow as smoothly as it could. There were times I found myself confused about the sequence of events. That being said, this really is a solid novel that is easy to read and thoroughly entertaining. I found it difficult to put down and never got bored with the story.

I'd recommend Girl Most Likely To to any fan of chick lit, especially if you have been looking for a storyline that delves a little bit deeper than traditional fare. I'd also recommend it to anyone who enjoys storylines that deal with conflicting cultures. I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Sharma's next novel, All Eyes on Her, which I have waiting for me on my shelves. With meticulous career planning and a couple of dirty martinis, there is very little that New York City investment banker Vina Chopra can't do. And now that sh's decided to get serious about if nding her mate, there is very little that Vina won't try—even if it means letting her parents get involved. After all, what does she have to lose? Her longest-term relationship thus far has been with the ulcer she ultimately named Fred (unless you count the ex-boyfriend who won't go away).

Amid a series of dates with 'the nice Indian doctor' and an office scandal that could permanently end her career, Vina starts to question everything sh's been working for. Who has she been trying to please all these years? Is this the life that she really wants? Can she if nally learn to put aside her family's expectations long enough and become the girl most likely to if nd a happiness all her own?

Atlas of the North American Indian

Atlas of the North American Indian Review

I agree with the majority of reviewers that this book is extremely well done. It is loaded with information dating from the very beginnings of Indian culture in North America down to the present. Carl Waldman not only writes an informative text, he also produces the majority of the mapsincluded in this book.

Waldman covers the first migrants to the continent, then follows their expansion across North America. He includes the first contact with Europeans ranging from the Spanish to the Russians, then covers the various Indian wars and land cessions. He wraps up with informative text on modern Indians including a state-by-state, and Canadian province-by-province of current recognized tribal governments.

His atlas is more than just maps, though. He writes a detailed text explaining how the Indians lived and traded and how the various European nations formulated Indian policy totheir own interests.

This book is not to be missed if you have any interest in native American cultures. It should remain at the head of its class for years to come. Normally something this comprehensive is published by Oxford University or some other established publisher with a history of rock-solid projects. But this book stands on its own merits, Oxford would be hard pressed to improve on this gem. "Atlas of the North American Indian, Third Edition" chronicles the travel and experiences of Native Americans from the first voyage to North America to the present day. This new edition now features a bold full-color format and is bolstered by more than 120 full-color, detailed maps that cover important locations for American Indians, as well as highlighting their interactions with European colonists and other non-Native people. In addition, the updated text details the history, traditions, conflicts, land cessions, and contemporary ways of life for American Indians.This informative book is enhanced by more than 130 full-color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations of the people, places, and artifacts important in the history of Native America. Invaluable appendixes include a chronology of North American Native prehistory and history, a list of contemporary Indian nations in the United States, a list of contemporary Canadian First Nations, and a list of major Native place-names in the United States and Canada. A glossary, a bibliography, and an index are also included.

The Cheyenne Indians, Vol. 2: War, Ceremonies, and Religion

The Cheyenne Indians, Vol. 2: War, Ceremonies, and Religion Review

The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Their Ways of Life is a classic ethnography, originally published in 1928, that grew out of George Bird Grinnell's long acquaintance with the Cheyennes. In Volume I he wrote about the tribe's early history and migrations, customs, domestic life, social organization, hunting, amusements, and government. Volume II looks at its warmaking and warrior societies, healing practices and responses to European diseases, religious beliefs and rituals, and legends and prophecies surrounding the culture hero Sweet Medicine. Included are appendixes on early Cheyenne village sites, the formation of the Quilling Society, and notes on Cheyenne songs.

The Taos Indians and the Battle for Blue Lake

The Taos Indians and the Battle for Blue Lake Review

When Frank Waters published his novel *The Man Who Killed the Deer* in 1942, he brought the plight of the Taos Indians to the attention of the American public. A recurring theme of the novel, like a drumbeat through all of its pages, is Taos Pueblo's concern with the return of their sacred Blue Lake, which was taken away from them, without recompense, by the U.S. government in 1906.

Taos Pueblo, nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Northern New Mexico, is the oldest continually occupied pueblo in North America, reputed to have been the refuge of the ancient Anasazi who fled a drought in the 13th Century. This lake is the site of emergence in the Taos religion.

In 1906, Teddy Roosevelt established the Carson National Forest, taking the 50,000 acres of Taos land, the watershed of the Rio Lucero and Rio Pueblo that runs through Taos Pueblo as government land. The Taos Indians waived their right to the town of Taos and surrounding areas, asking only for the return of their sacred lake. They refused money for it. Instead, the U.S. Forest Service cut roads into the area, made it available to campers and tourists, built cabins and corrals, allowed fishing in the sacred lake itself, allowed grazing of herd animals into the area, allowed illegal clear cutting of some 2,000 acres of timber, and threatened to mine the area immediately adjoining Blue Lake. To the Indians, this was comparable to developers taking over the Washington Cathedral and turning it into a strip mall or a camping site.

The Pueblo had formidable opponents - the Forest Service, the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Budget Committee, the BIA, and New Mexico Senator Clinton P. Anderson, who at first persuaded the Indians that he was on their side. But white man spoke with forked tongue and viciously opposed the bill to give back the land that Taos Indians had held since time immemorial. He refused to believe that these Native Americans didn't want to exploit their own land (as all true-blooded Americans do), with timbering grazing and mining. He had an underground deal with a mill owner who had already illegally clear cut a huge chunk of it.

In 1921, using the Religious Crimes Act as its chief weapon, the U.S. government made the practice of Indian religious ceremonies a punishable offense. Government officials invaded the Tribal Council, stole and destroyed religious objects in their kivas and had the old Indian elders arrested and put in jail in Santa Fe. In other words, everyone in America had religious freedom except for its oldest inhabitants - the Indians.

But the Pueblo people also had formidable friends throughout the 64 years of their struggle - writers and artists of Taos such as Mabel Dodge Luhan, Olivar La Farge, Frank Waters - and into the '50s and '60s when politicos got into the fray - Interior Secretary of the Interior under Johnson, Stuart Udall, his brother, Morris Udall, Senator from Arizona, Senators Edward and Robert Kennedy, Barry Goldwater, Corrine Locker (secretary to Oliver La Farge) and many others including hippies all over the country who took up the cause of Native Americans as their own. The struggle for Blue Lake made strange bedfellows indeed.

Taos Pueblo Indians flew on an airplane for the first itme in their lives to Washington to attend hearings before the Senate Subcommittee. Several times. But the culmination of the hearings happened when Nixon was President and the venerated 93-year-old Cacique, the spiritual leader of Taos Pueblo, Juan de Jesus Romero, spoke to Congress so movingly and with such spiritual presence (bringing his three canes of office from the King of Spain, President Abraham Lincoln and President Nixon with him) that Washington was stunned, and on December 15, 1970, Bill HR 471 was signed by Nixon into Law and Taos Pueblo got back 48,000 acres of their sacred space including their beloved Blue Lake.

This book is tedious at times, only because the whole process of American justice is tedious, agonizing and incredibly difficult. The Pueblo went into great debt to pay legal fees. But it is a story of victory. I don't know whether Nixon did other good services for the American people, but this is certainly the best thing he ever did. And he had both bipartisan opposition and bipartisan support for this amazing action. It has set a precedent for self-determination (not assimilation) for Native American peoples throughout the country.

This is not a coffee table book with glossy pictorials but a chronicle of the complete story of Blue Lake, replete with historical photographs of the area and the people who were involved in the struggle. If you're not at all interested in this period of our history as a nation, this work will bore you and you won't bother to read it. But if you are interested in the whole scoop about the return of Blue Lake, the last chapters, especially, will leave you mesmerized - and hopeful. Hopeful about American justice and the future of our society. This book, a tribute to the stubborn courage of a people, shows how this battle became the focus of national debate and the centrepiece for an entirely new governmental approach to Indian affairs.

Complete Indian Cooking: 325 Deliciously Authentic Recipes for the Adventurous Cook

Complete Indian Cooking: 325 Deliciously Authentic Recipes for the Adventurous Cook Review

This really is the best ever Indian Cookbook. Easy to use when following instructions with pictures at crucial steps to make sure you are doing everything right and gives you a feel to what the dish is supposed to look like. The recipes are delicious and if you invest in all the ingredients you'll find yourself cooking full on Indian meals with your friends in no time.
This book contains a wide variety of dishes that everyone can cook and so everyone can find a dish they will enjoy. There is so much to choose from with plenty of fish and vegetarian to suit all tastes. For the more advanced Indian cooks there are plenty of dishes to experiment with and all the classic dishes for beginners.
This really is a great book for any one who has wanted to try cooking authentic Indian but were to afraid to try and for more advanced cooks who want to try something new. This is the ultimate guide to successful Indian cooking, with a superb range of classic, modern and regional dishes for every occasion.

Solkattu Manual: An Introduction to the Rhythmic Language of South Indian Music

Solkattu Manual: An Introduction to the Rhythmic Language of South Indian Music Review

If you have ever heard Carnatic rhythm, you recognize an intricate and profound music. (If you have not yet heard, I recommend Vidwan by Ramnad Krishnan featuring the rhythmic accompaniment of T. Ranganathan, the author's teacher). If your curiosity is piqued and you decide you want to learn in the resplendent, centuries-old oral tradition of South Indian Classical Percussion, where do you begin? Say you are fortunate enough to find a teacher, you will likely need to travel to India and devote yourself to learning the manual technique of Mrdangam, Kanjira, Ghatam, or Thavil. Don't let me discourage you: I did it, and can testify it's a very fulfilling pursuit. It also requires years of dedication. If that's what you are looking for: GO! But let me suggest you maximize your potential and master the principles David Nelson sets forth here first.

And if travel is not in your cards and you are a musician, or aspiring musician, who wants to awaken and further rhythmic sensibility, I urge you to digest this book/video. Solkattu Manual will challenge and reward you with perhaps the most complex, intricate and colorful rhythmic tradition alive. All you need here is your hands to count, your mouth to speak, and you are ready to embark on a rhythmic odyssey that will sharpen your timing; integrate pulse, cycle and phrasing; and lead you to states of sublime beauty.

Though it can be applied to any instrument, Solkattu does not require one. So with Solkattu in your repertoire, your music is portable. You'll never again get bored if you find yourself waiting somewhere in line. Your mind will be singing...

"Ta - Ta Jem - Jem - Ta Ri Ta Ku Ku Na Ku Ku Ta - Di - -"

David Nelson has succeeded in offering an accessible manual that is not only true to the vast tradition of Carnatic percussion, but also relevant to music making of many kinds. Though more succinct than his 1,000 page Ph.D thesis, Mrdangam Mind, it is not a smaller feat. With finesse that only comes through years of teaching, Nelson has distilled essential principles and emphasized useful practices from a deep oral tradition. The lessons progress musically, and the participant develops a web of various skills, knit together through practical application.

I can speak confidently of Nelson's excellent playing and teaching because I learned from him, and his teacher, T. Ranganathan. From nine musical generations dating back to the Tanjore Court, Ranganathan first came to Wesleyan University in 1962 and focused much of his career on teaching Americans, until his passing in 1987. David Nelson is one of a very few professional level mrdangam players who carries Ranganathan's legacy onward. The unique, cross-cultural pedagogy David learned within, and helped create, is characterized by its uncompromising beauty, but also its flexibility in teaching musicians of diverse backgrounds. There are other excellent schools of Carnatic percussion, but none that have developed the same expertise in teaching westerners. And there is something rare and exquisite about the colorful syllables of this family tradition, steeped in the lively sounds of both dance accompaniment and concert repertoire.

David Nelson has not diluted Ranga's methods, but has furthered them by his tasteful choice of materials and brilliant presentation. As the emphasis in some of today's Carnatic percussion has turned to speed, I find it especially refreshing that, in this volume, nuance and subtlety are alive and musical. This is the real deal. And David's example begs the question, if he can play authentic South Indian music, why can't you? Those of us who knew Ranga are proud that Nelson now holds his position as Artist-in-Residence at Wesleyan, and doubly gratified that Solkattu Manual carries treasures we love to the wider world. It's the greatest pleasure to share in the awesome beauty of this music. Thank you David for leading with mastery, strength and dedication. Solkattu, the spoken rhythms and patterns of hand-clapping used by all musicians and dancers in the classical traditions of South India, is a subject of worldwide interest--but until now there has not been a textbook for students new to the practice. Designed especially for classroom use in a Western setting, the manual begins with rudimentary lessons in the simplest South Indian tala, or metric cycle, and proceeds step-by-step into more challenging material. The book then provides lessons in the eight-beat adi tala, arranged so that by the end, students will have learned a full percussion piece they can perform as an ensemble. Solkattu Manual includes two DVDs featuring performances of all 150 lessons, and full performances of all three of the outlined small-ensemble pieces. Ideal for courses in world music and general musicianship, as well as independent study. Book lies flat for easy use.

William Bartram on the Southeastern Indians (Indians of the Southeast)

William Bartram on the Southeastern Indians (Indians of the Southeast) Review

Collaboratively compiled, edited, and notated by Gregory A. Waselkov (Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Archaeological Studies, University of South Alabama) and Kathryn E. Holland Brand (Associate Professor of History, Auburn University), William Bartram On The Southeastern Indians is comprised of the writings and observations first published in 1791 by William Bartram regarding flora, fauna, and the Native American Creeks, Seminoles, and Cherokee that he encountered while touring the American Southeast. This scholarly edition is enhanced for contemporary readers with illustrations, notes, a bibliography, an index, and an informative chapter devoted to the significance of William Bartram's writings in anthropological studies of 18th century southeastern Native American cultures. William Bartram On The Southeastern Indians is a core addition to personal, professional, and academic Native American Studies collections and supplemental reading lists. "In this splendid volume, editors Gregory A. Waselkov and Kathryn E. Holland Braund pull together from a variety of published and archival sources Bartram's observations on Southeastern Indians, particularly the Creeks, Seminoles, and Cherokees...With this comprehensive compendium, the scope of Bartram's contributions to the fields of ethnohistory, anthropology, and historical archaeology can finally be understood."-Mississippi Quarterly "An exemplary work...Waselkov and Braund have given scholars and fans of Bartram an invaluable source of his writing on the southeastern Indians and the tools and information with which to interpret and use his work."-American Indian Culture and Research Journal William Bartram on the Southeastern Indians is essential reading for anyone interested in the Native American Southeast...As a primary source, the book is an invaluable collection of information; as a scholarly work, it is unparalleled in its informed presentation and critical review of Bartram's writings."-North Carolina Historical Review Gregory A. Waselkov is a professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Archaeological Studies at the University of South Alabama.He is the author of Old Mobile Archaeology and the coeditor (with Bonnie L. Gums) of Plantation Archaeology at Riviere aux Chiens, Ca. 1725-1848. Kathryn E. Holland Braund is an associate professor of history at Auburn University and the author of Deerskins and Duffels: The Creek Indian Trade with Anglo-America, 1685-1815 (Nebraska 1993).

Paleo-Indian Artifacts

Paleo-Indian Artifacts Review

Finding lots of scrapers and an arrowhead on our property got my wife and I curious about who made these artifacts and when. This book is a fantastic resource for learning about how to classify Paleo-Indian artifacts and should definitely be in the library of anyone who wants to know more about them. It's slightly off-putting that the prices of many pieces are included, obviously catering to the proliferation of commercial interests. But that's a purely personal opinion.
Excellent book!
Buy it! Lar Hothem, author of the bestselling series, Indian Artifacts of the Midwest, and several other books on arrowheads, pipes, and trade relics, is widely known for his research in the field of Indian artifacts. His latest book, complete with more than 2,200 color photographs, features the highly valuable chipped points and blades, plus many of the sometimes overlooked minor tool types. All of the basic Paleo artifacts and classes are shown and described, and interesting facts about ancient Paleo lifeways, supported by archaeology, are provided. Sections on discoveries and auction results will be of interest to the reader. Current values for Paleo artifacts of all types are given, and a large number of top-grade Paleo points, some never before published, are pictured. There are chapters of Paleo knives and non-point tools of all kinds, and tips on collecting these artifacts. This book contains the most Paleo artifacts pictured in any publication to date, including some of the more valuable fluted and lanceolate points in North America from some of the finest private collections. Paleo-Indian Artifacts offers a glimpse into an ancient world as revealed by the tools and weapons. 2008 values.

The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative

The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative Review

First published in England in 1831, "The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave Narrative" is one of the most important narratives of the slave experience in the Americas. This book describes in detail the reality of the slave experience: the dehumanization of Black people, the moral degradation of their masters, and the ever-present violence. Prince's story is also an important early defense of the humanity of people of African descent. She notes that slave masters "think that black people are like cattle, without natural affection. But my heart tells me it is far otherwise." Prince tells of her labor in the salt ponds of Turk's Island, her conflict with a hired mulatto woman, her spiritual life in the Moravian Church, and many other topics. Ultimately, she celebrates the desire and hope for freedom: "All slaves want to be free." After enduring years of cruelty and abuse at the hands of several families who successively owned her in Bermuda and the West Indies, Mary Prince traveled to London in 1828, in the service of the Woods family. There she was granted her freedom in accordance with English law. But England's anti-slavery ruling did not extend to Antigua, and, in order to remain free, Prince had to abandon hopes of rejoining her husband, who had been left behind.

Temple to Love: Architecture and Devotion in Seventeenth-Century Bengal (Contemporary Indian Studies)

Temple to Love: Architecture and Devotion in Seventeenth-Century Bengal (Contemporary Indian Studies) Review

In the flux created by the Mughal conquest, Hindu landholders of eastern India began to build a spectacularly beautiful new style of brick temple, known as Ratna. This "bejeweled" style combined features of Sultanate mosques and thatched houses, and included second-story rooms conceived as the pleasure grounds of the gods, where Krishna and his beloved Radha could rekindle their passion. Pika Ghosh uses art historical, archaeological, textual, and ethnographic approaches to explore this innovation in the context of its times. Includes 82 stunning black-and-white images of rarely photographed structures.

The Captivity of the Oatman Girls Among the Apache and Mohave Indians (Dover Books on the American Indians)

The Captivity of the Oatman Girls Among the Apache and Mohave Indians (Dover Books on the American Indians) Review

I found this book in a Souix Indian Tribe Bookstore in the Dakotas a long time ago. (For the reviewers who think it is racist, why do Indian bookstores feature this book then?)

After reading the amazing story of the Oatman family and what happened to them, I understood the reason why Americans rose up and insisted that the government squelch Indian uprisings in the West and Southwest. This book destroyed many popular myths in my mind about Indian culture and American English culture in the 19th century. It also reveals a lot of detail about the way these two sub tribes of the Apache & Mohave Nations lived. The good and the bad are depicted side by side. For example, the Oatman girls were apparently never molested by the Apache or the Mohave, but they were treated pretty harshly at times (not to mention the unprovoked murder of their parents).
The account of the difference in lifestyle between the two tribes that held the Oatman girls is also very interesting (at least for me it was fascinating). It was like looking back into history and seeing things from a perspective you would NEVER see in the movies.

It shows that the tribes varied quite a bit, and that America was reluctant to send out the Cavalry-at least in this case. But this book may have been the trigger that changed the reluctance into a "righteous" indignation.

I think it also reveals something about one Mormon family who travelled (or tried to travel) to California...and what happened to them on the way. The spirituality of the family (if the account is accurate) is remarkable and the customs of other religious people around them are as well. (I'm not a Mormon). The book is not about spreading religion, be does exhibit the religious practice and character of many of the people in the story in detail.

This book shows how the US government was slow to rescue people who were captives...and how the power of the free press turned that around. For when this book was first published, it was a best seller in the USA. The newspapers in the west coast apparently splashed this story throughout LA. Apparently it created a groundswell public outcry that the military provide safer passageways across this vast land.

I think every American should be required to read this as part of a US History class. I'm sure some of the accounts are hyped a bit...but one cannot help but feel they are looking into history from the authentic eyes of a 19th century history shaping author. And that it brings one far closer to something that happened, that may have been very important to changing the way the US Government dealt with Indian tribes out west, even though it is clear not all tribes acted as the ones in this book did.

I highly recommend this book!

Riveting true-life story of two sisters taken by Indians, their life in captivity, and their brother's search for them.