Books with title North American Indians

Indian Arts is a fascinating introduction to the arts and crafts reflected in the material culture of North American Indians. Knowledge of the skills and techniques developed by the various tribes, and the fine materials produced provides a key to understanding the rich diversity of native cultures. Packed with information and authentic full-color illustrations, this handsome guide will be welcomed by everyone interested in American cultural history.

We all know how the native Americans found here by the whites at their first arrival, came to be called Indians. Columbus did not realize the greatness of his discovery. He was seeking a route to Asia and supposed that he had found it. Believing that he had really reached the Indies, for which he was looking, it was natural that the people here should be called Indians...

The myths and legends of the Algonquins, Iroquois, Pawnees, Sioux, and northern and northwestern Indians offer rich insights into the character and beliefs of the tribes that once dominated extensive territories of North America. The distinguished British anthropologist and folklorist Lewis Spence has collected many of the most interesting and compelling of these myths and presented them here according to ethnic grouping, prefacing the collection with important historical and ethnological information that will give the reader an accurate view of the conditions under which these fascinating tribal cultures once flourished.The myths range in theme from steadfast love to rivalry between warriors to victory over powerful forces, and in their unfolding lie powerful images of the innermost fears and aspirations that motivated the behavior of Algonquin, Iroquois, Pawnees, Sioux, and northwestern Indians alike. Lewis Spence relates each tale in a simple, direct way that will appeal to children as well as to adults. The book includes photographs and drawings that depict various tribes in their typical costumes and dwellings. It contains as well a map of the geographical areas where primary language families were spoken.This fascinating book, a major forerunner of modern studies of myth, combines an appealing presentation of Indian legend with factual and illustrative material that gives each myth meaningful perspective. Students of anthropology and ethnology will enjoy the especially rich variety of mythical imagery in this generous collection, and general readers in search of a good story for themselves and for their children will find in these pages a treasury of suspenseful tales that reveal much of the spirit of North America’s original cultures.

Discover the rich cultures of Native Americans -- from the Pueblo-dwellers of the Southwest to the Intuit hunters of the frozen North. Here is an original and exciting new guide to the fascinating civilizations of North American Indians. Superb, full-color photographs offer a unique and revealing "eyewitness" view of this rich culture. See a necklace made of bear claws, a model of a Blackfeet teepee, a false face made from cornhusks, how fish were trapped in a basket, and a Cheyenne feathered war bonnet. Learn about the kachina ceremony, why love dolls were important, how turtle shells made music, what's stored inside a parfleche, and how pemmican was made. Discover the meanings of carvings on a Haida totem pole, what's inside an Iroquois longhouse, what medicine men carried in their medical kits, how a bowdrill works, and much, much more.