by Paula Gunn Allen (1992)
In this collection of goddess stories gleaned from the vast oral tradition of Native America, the author evokes a world of personal freedom and communal harmony, of free communication among people, animals, and spirits, of magic and its discipline, of balance between the sacred and the mundane.--From publisher description.
Maurice Boyd
Presents Kiowa stories against the historical background of the tribe's life in the Yellowstone, their migration onto the northern Plains with its horse-buffalo culture, and their entry into the southern Plains where they and their Comanche allies dominated Indian life.
Howard L. Harrod
The power of religion to preserve individual and group identity is perhaps nowhere more evident than among Native American peoples. In the Becoming and Remaining a People the author shows how the oral traditions and ritual practices of Northern Plains Indians developed, how they were transformed at critical points in their history, and how they provided them with crucial means of establishing and maintaining their respective identities.
Joseph Epes Brown with Emily Cousins
Publisher description: Teaching Spirits offers a thematic approach to Native American religious traditions. Within the great multiplicity of Native American cultures, Joseph Epes Brown has perceived certain common themes that resonate within many Native traditions. He demonstrates how themes within native traditions connect with each other, at the same time upholding the integrity of individual traditions. Brown illustrates each of these themes with in-depth explorations of specific native cultures including Lakota, Navajo, Apache, Koyukon, and Ojibwe. Brown demonstrates how Native American values provide an alternative metaphysics that stand opposed to modern materialism. He shows how these spiritual values provide material for a serious rethinking of modern attitudes - especially toward the environment - as well as how they may help non-native peoples develop a more sensitive response to native concerns. Throughout, he draws on his extensive personal experience with Black Elk, who came to symbolize for many the greatness of the imperiled native cultures.
Janet Riehecky
An overview of the past and present lives of the Cree, including a description of their homes, clothing, family life, religion, and government.