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Post by Campfires&Concierges on Dec 21, 2017 20:15:39 GMT -8
I feel like i've asked this before, but search didn't turn anything up.
I'm interested in learning more about Native American culture and history - particularly tribes of the Midwest, West and Southwest. Sioux, Pueblo, Anasazi, Hopi, etc.
Any book recommendations out there?
Thanks!
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rangewalker
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Post by rangewalker on Dec 21, 2017 21:55:05 GMT -8
I have lived all around the west, but I could not point you to a real single volume that captures Native American history. And that is sad. When I grew up outside Tucson and went to school in Marana, I had classmates from the Tohono O'odham (Papago), Pima and Yacqui tribes. There were Hohokam sites that we discovered as kids near Cortaro and what became Saguaro NM. Now I live within minutes of the Little Bighorn Battle site and found pectographs two summer ago they tell now were from the folks we call Navajo 800-1200 years ago. Sad to know so little. Maybe in Tucson you should visit the www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/ and start your search there.
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Post by Campfires&Concierges on Dec 22, 2017 9:34:20 GMT -8
I have lived all around the west, but I could not point you to a real single volume that captures Native American history. And that is sad. When I grew up outside Tucson and went to school in Marana, I had classmates from the Tohono O'odham (Papago), Pima and Yacqui tribes. There were Hohokam sites that we discovered as kids near Cortaro and what became Saguaro NM. Now I live within minutes of the Little Bighorn Battle site and found pectographs two summer ago they tell now were from the folks we call Navajo 800-1200 years ago. Sad to know so little. Maybe in Tucson you should visit the www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/ and start your search there. Good idea, thanks! I just moved to Tucson - last week, I took a gastronomy tour with the city of Marana that was led by an archaeologist - we visited some Hohokam sites and talked a lot about the kinds of food they ate, then of course sampled local foods made with the same grains that were around in Hohokam times. It was super interesting. Even the Ritz-Carlton had a special tasting menu for us with white sonoran wheat, saguaro syrup, etc. tucsonfoodie.com/2017/11/09/marana-gastronomy-tour/
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Post by Campfires&Concierges on Dec 22, 2017 13:09:28 GMT -8
Looks like lots of good options there, thanks for the tip!
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Post by hikerjer on Dec 22, 2017 18:40:12 GMT -8
It's such a broad subject, its hard to narrow it down. I can list a few of my favorites. If your looking for fiction I'd suggest Winter in the Blood by James Welch. Terribly depressing tale about life on the Blackfeet reservation but terribly accurate as well. Welch is Blackfoot himself and a former literature professor at tue University of Montana. A somewhat controversial but still acclaimed novel of the Sioux, is Hanta Yo by Ruth Beebe. Among favorite novels preferred by Native Americans, - at least that's what my Native American friends tell me - is Stay Away, Joe by Dan Cushman. It deals with life on the reservation and portrays Natives sense of humor pretty well.. House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday is a difficult but good read. And there's always The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Proud to say the local conservatives tried, and failed, to ban this from our school district's curriculum until the students rose up in protest. Good for them. For non-fiction I'd suggest American Carnage by Jerome Greene. and The Earth is Weeping by Peter Cozzens. Another great read is The Dull Knifes of Pine Ridge - A Lakota Odessy by Joe Starita, a historical multi-generational story of a family on the Sioux reservation in SD. One of my favorites. As was mentioned George Bird Grinnell is good as well.
As an aside, if you want a great picture of Native American humor and a bit of pathos as well, watch the movie Smoke Signals. Written and directed by native Americans, it's great.
If you want to learn about specific tribes then I'd suggest you search for volumes specific to that tribe. There are so many. The Native American culture is so diverse and so rich, it's hard to know where to start.
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Post by Campfires&Concierges on Dec 22, 2017 21:20:54 GMT -8
The Native American culture is so diverse and so rich, it's hard to know where to start. Exactly! Thanks for the suggestions, though. I have read one or two from Sherman Alexie after hearing him on a podcast. Will check these out and I suspect Amazon's algorithms will take it from there for additional suggestions!
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Dec 25, 2017 7:17:10 GMT -8
I saw that you were in Grand Canyon country relatively recently -- did you get a chance to explore the Hopi Mesas at all? There's a store in Second Mesa called Tsakurshovi that's owned by the Days and and Joe Day is one of the most open and sharing tribal members I've ever met. When I expressed an interest in the Hopi culture, he pulled out half dozen books -- but told me to start with 'In Search of the Old Ones' by David Roberts. I don't really know why but the Hopis captured my attention so much, but they did.
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Post by Campfires&Concierges on Dec 25, 2017 16:37:57 GMT -8
I saw that you were in Grand Canyon country relatively recently -- did you get a chance to explore the Hopi Mesas at all? There's a store in Second Mesa called Tsakurshovi that's owned by the Days and and Joe Day is one of the most open and sharing tribal members I've ever met. When I expressed an interest in the Hopi culture, he pulled out half dozen books -- but told me to start with 'In Search of the Old Ones' by David Roberts. I don't really know why but the Hopis captured my attention so much, but they did. No, but I live in Arizona now, so I'm sure I'll get back up that way sooner than later. I also find the Hopi culture fascinating and have already read Book of the Hopi. Thanks for the recommendations!
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Post by dayhiker on Jan 14, 2018 9:38:41 GMT -8
The Long Death: The Last Days of the Plains Indians by Ralph K. Andrist
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Post by catonsvillebill on Jan 14, 2018 19:43:17 GMT -8
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Post by catonsvillebill on Jan 14, 2018 19:48:12 GMT -8
Maybe contact those tribes directly? At least the ones that are not extinct. Visiting some of those tribes on their reservations would be awesome. I bet they would love to have visitors that are interested in their story. Let us know if you do!!
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Jan 14, 2018 20:14:45 GMT -8
Maybe contact those tribes directly? At least the ones that are not extinct. Visiting some of those tribes on their reservations would be awesome. I bet they would love to have visitors that are interested in their story. Let us know if you do!! It's a very contentious topic, so responses will vary widely. Your thesis is true in some cases, but there's understandably enormous mistrust and concern over ownership and distortion of the narrative or how the various types of records should be interpreted. Certain aspects of history and culture are less problematic, but sometimes it's hard to guess in advance regarding a particular interaction. For example, I wouldn't suggest asking for an official Navajo position on their history before about mid 1700s. Quite a bit of Hopi history and religion (almost inseparable topics) is strictly off-limits to outsiders, in part because of what they saw happen to others who were more forthcoming.
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Post by Campfires&Concierges on Jan 15, 2018 7:21:28 GMT -8
Thanks, Bill - I'm very competent at Google searching, but come here for personal recommendations, so if you have any, I welcome them. Thanks!
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Post by brownmouse on Nov 10, 2018 16:41:37 GMT -8
I liked Black Elk Speaks by John G Neihardt. Dunno how accurate it is. Love the work of Sherman Alexie.
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whistlepunk
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Post by whistlepunk on Nov 12, 2018 18:07:51 GMT -8
Kathleen O'Neal Gear has written a series of fictional historic novels set in pre-Columbian America.
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