Welcome
to the Ancient Wisdom Bookstore 4
Native
America's Wisdom
The voices
of the original' human beings' still echo through the planet--into
our hearts and minds. Here we will explore, the civilizations
of the Inca, Mayan, Aztec, Toltec, and Northern Native American.
They each have their own story, however, if we dig deep enough
we see that is all truly ONE--voice.
-LionHeart-
The
Sunset
Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round
about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I
stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than
I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things
in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together
like one being.
And
I say the sacred hoop of my people was one of the many hoops that
made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the
center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children
of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy...
But anywhere is the center of the world.
"A long time ago my father told me what his father had told
him, that there was once a Lakota holy man, called "Drinks
Water", who dreamed what was to be... He dreamed that the
four-leggeds were going back to the Earth, and that a strange
race would weave a web all around the Lakotas. He said, "You
shall live in square gray houses, in a barren land..." Sometimes
dreams are wiser than waking. (1932)
-Black
Elk-
Edgar
Cayce on the Akashic Records: The Book of Life
by Kevin J. Todeschi
This book describes the Akashic Records, the source from which
Edgar Cayce received many of his remarkable insights. Also known
as the Book of Life, the Akashic Records is the storehouse of
all information -- every word, deed, feeling, thought, and intent
-- for every individual who has ever lived upon the earth. Todeschi
explains how each of us can access our own Book of Life to learn
about our past, present, and future.
I loved this book! It presents a fascinating account of how we
constantly draw upon our soul's past in the present and how our
actions in the present help pull together the substance of our
futures. It should be must reading for anyone who wants to read
about how life and reincarnation work together.
Forbidden
History : Prehistoric Technologies, Extraterrestrial Intervention,
and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization
by J. Douglas Kenyon
Forty-two essays chosen from the bimonthly journal Atlantis Rising
offer positions from key philosophers, spiritualists, scientists
and more on alternative history and ancient mysteries. Material
gathered for the presentations support challenges to both Darwinism
and Creationism, building on the works of various authors to present
the latest theories about Atlantis, the pyramids, extraterrestrial
influences, and more. The best articles contrast theories of others
in their fields and provide thought-provoking discussions of new
age ideas. An intriguing survey.
Earth
Prayers From Around the World: 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations
for Honoring the Earth
by Elizabeth Roberts
This book brings together poems and prayers from all sorts of
cultures honoring nature. There's a Navajo chant, zuni chant,
hidu prayer, songs by eskimos, poetry by robert frost and emily
dickenson and more and more. Four hundred pages of wonderful words
for the earth. I love it! Here are the different "chapters":The
Ecological Self, A Sacred Place, The Passion of the Earth, Healing
the Whole, The Elements, Blessings & Invocations, Praise and
Thanksgiving, Benediction for the Animals, Cycles of Life, The
Daily Round, and Meditations.
Peace
Prayers: Meditations, Affirmations, Invocations, Poems, and Prayers
for Peace
by Harper San Francisco Staff, Carrie Leadingham (Editor), Joann
E. Moschella (Editor), Hilary M. Vartanian (Editor)
Peace Prayers is a compilation of prayers, reflections, affirmations,
poems, and quotes on peace. From ancient Rome to modern Vietnam,
from Africa to Australia, the writers, thinkers, poets, politicians,
religious figures, and even warriors collected here all express
the urgent need for a true and lasting peace that only can come
from a just and cooperative world community.
This collection focuses primarily on the coming millennium. The
editors actually sent out a call to others to contribute their
thoughts to this volume. So, unlike previous works, this collection
is focused mainly on the words of people living today, whereas
the other volumes, contained wisdom from the past as well as the
present.
What makes this book even more precious, is that world leaders
such as Desmond TuTu and Vaclav Havel, stand here side by side
with other great thinkers, poets, religious leaders and visionaries.
But also tapped, are relative unknowns, nuns, alternative communities,
community leaders, singers/songwriters, poets, teachers, etc.
providing a huge melting-pot of profound thoughts and wisdom.
These reflections are subdivided in categories such as: hope for
the future, opening hearts, this moment in time, creating peaceful
communities, one about children, the earth, solidarity and justice,
politics, economics and morality, parables of our time, and we
the people.
The Mayan
Civilization
The
Mayan Factor : Path Beyond Technology
by Jose Arguelles
The Mayan Factor teaches us how to connect directly, sensuously,
and electromagnetically with the Galactic Synchronization Beam,
a time wave that is now triggering a new phase of galactic evolution.
Since 1987, we have been exploring the galaxy with our minds,
and The Mayan Factor is an essential guide."
"The Mayan Factor opened up a new audience for the understanding
of cyclical time, as opposed to linear time. This is a perspective
that we desperately need today. This book serves as a point
of entry into a new cosmic consciousness."
Visionary historian Argüelles unravels the harmonic code
of the ancient Maya providing valuable keys to understanding human
evolution.
Surfers
of the Zuvuya : Tales of Interdimensional Travel
by José Argüelles
In Surfers of the Zuvuya, Jose Arguelles casts an experiential
dialogue between himself and his higher self (his "dimensional
double") Uncle Joe Zuvuya. Joe is a "jive talking cosmic
trickster, a tongue-in-cheek dimensional surfer" who instructs
Arguelles in galactic beams, Mayan etheric engineering, Arcturian
space stations, Atlantian family histories, and the Zen of the
clean wave form! Readers can join Arguelles and Uncle Joe as they
journey from the center of the Earth to the outermost reaches
of the galaxy, and in the process awaken their own fourth-dimensional
double, whom they may have forgotten for a long, long time. Provocative
reading!
Time
and the Technosphere: The Law of Time in Human Affairs
by José Argüelles
"José Argüelles' timely work Time and the Technosphere
makes a vital contribution to the great paradigm shift in human
cultures that is now accelerating. There is a higher dimension
of natural time inscribed in the cosmos and a natural calendar
that would help humanity mature into the awakening global consciousness
that is now essential for future sustainability and well being.
This book is an important contribution to the awakening event
that is now emerging on a planetary scale."
"Presents extremely relevant and thought provoking concepts."
The
Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness
by Carl Johan Calleman, Jose Arguelles
"The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness"
is an extremely well-researched and constructed in-depth explanation
of the "true Mayan Sacred Calendar" and count and details
the cosmic plan that governs the evolution of consciousness and
propels us on a path toward a common destiny. Calleman's implications
for how the Mayan calendar coincide with major historical events
and how we all should be preparing for the final Universal level
of conscious enlightment are profound.
The secret Divine Plan is now revealed here. I strongly recommend
this outstanding masterwork for those looking to align their intuition
with their individual, human and cosmic purpose.
The
CODE OF KINGS: The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs
by Linda Schele, Peter Mathews, Macduff Everton, Justin Kerr (Photographer)
Mayan civilization, with its hieroglyphic writing and dazzling
city ruins, is among the most spectacular in the world. Mayanists
Schele and Mathews explain the recently deciphered script and
give a vivid guided tour through the cities. Focusing on seven
of the most famous buildings in Mayan archaeology, these experts
show how the Maya used glyphs to literally inscribe their architecture
with accounts of their history and sacred myths. The buildings
described include the palace at Tikal, a shrine to the celebrated
"Great-Jaguar-Claw," who, like George Washington to
Americans, symbolized his city for centuries; and King Pakal's
tomb, whose construction and inscriptions this patron of the arts,
obsessed with preserving his memory for posterity and his soul
for the afterlife, spent his last years overseeing. Stories of
the text-covered monuments of Mayan kings will intrigue serious
readers who seek depth of coverage on this civilization but will
also appeal to those who simply want to dip into archaeology's
mysteries. Philip Herbst
A
Forest of Kings : The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya
by David Freidel, Linda Schele
The mystique of the pre-Columbian Maya has prompted much speculation
about the nature of this sophisticated people. With the recent
breaking of their elaborate hieroglyphic code, Schele and Freidel,
Mayan scholars of note, provide a new look at the Maya. Structured
on sound scholarly principles, their presentation abounds in notes,
references, indexes, and chronologies with profuse line-drawings
of temple and other inscriptions. They devote a chapter to each
of the major Mayan city-states. What makes this volume more accessible
and of greater impact than the average scholarly study are the
frequent vignettes of great events, kingly acts, etc., told dramatically,
in a fictive but plausible style that allows the ancient Maya
at last to speak for themselves.
Maya
Cosmos
by David Freidel, Linda Schele, Joy Parker
In this highly original and politically provocative synthesis,
archaeologist Freidel and epigrapher Linda Schele team up with
Joy Parker, a popular writer, in an attempt to bridge history
and prehistory in the Yucatan peninsula of Guatemala and Mexico.
Their device is to apply shamanistic belief and practice among
modern Maya to interpretations of hieroglyphics and other archaeological
remains. In this captivating thesis, foreshadowed in Dennis Tedlock's
Popol Vuh ( LJ 1/85) and their own A Forest of Kings (Morrow,
1990), they argue that the world view of the prehistoric Maya
lives on in the language and beliefs of the survivors of the Spanish
conquest.
Popol
Vuh : The Definitive Edition Of The Mayan Book Of The Dawn Of
Life And The Glories Of Gods & Kings
by Dennis Tedlock
Tedlock's translation is sensitive, precise, and illuminating.
It will greatly help the Popol Vuh achieve its rightful place
as a masterpiece of religious writing, familiar to all those who
seek a message that transcends ordinary concerns.
This Mayan genesis presents a new world, a new reality, peopled
by heros, monkeys, and macaws, triumph and treachery. The translation
will hold your attention, and the translator's notes on how the
story happened to survive contribute to our understanding of this
exotic and intriguing material.
The Aztec
Empire
The
Aztecs
by Michael Ernest Smith
Smith provides a compelling reinterpretation of the standard history
of the Aztec empire. Based upon archaeological research conducted
during the past 15 years, rather than on subjective chronicles
recorded by conquering Spaniards, this revisionist analysis offers
a fresh perspective on the political, cultural, and social institutions
and mores of the Aztecs. Detailed accounts of the Aztec approach
to government, design, urban planning, economics, science, religion,
the arts, and literature are also included. In addition, the author
offers both an examination of the inevitable destruction and demise
of the Aztec empire and a dynamic overview of the modern impact
of the Aztec legacy. A significant contribution to the history
of an impressive society of Native Americans. Margaret Flanagan
Aztec
Thought and Culture: A Study of the Ancient Nahuatl Mind
by Miguel Leon-Portilla
I recommend this book to be read among the first if anyone is
trying to learn the true Anahuaca (Mexican and "Central American")
history. The most important part in my opinion of this book is
the theological aspects which Portilla explains, in which he at
one point says that what Europeans interpreted as "Gods"
are actually manifestations of one creator, Ometeotl.
Just like India's Upanishadic teaching tradition unfolded the
Knowledge of the true identity of the individual, the universe
and God, the Náhuatl Tlamatinime (spiritual teachers) were
the "phylosphers", as Sahagun called them, who, abiding
in Spiritual wisdom, were able to guide their students to discover
the nature of their True Self. Don Miguel Leoón-Portilla
is the ideal commentator because, after introducing his readers
to the Tlamatinime's recorded words, showing a deep personal insight
of the Náhuatl language, he accurately and methodically
expounds, word by word and verse by verse, in the content of their
spiritual wisdom.
The Incan
Empire
The
Incas
by Terence N. Daltroy
The great empire of the Incas at its height encompassed an area
of western South America comparable in size to the Roman Empire
in Europe. This book describes and explains its extraordinary
progress from a small Andean society in southern Peru to its rapid
demise little more than a century later at the hands of the Spanish
conquerors.
The Incas provides the first book to fully synthesize history
and archeology in an exploration of the entire empire from Chile
to Ecuador. Drawing from commentaries and research by hundreds
of chroniclers, explorers, and scholars, the author explains how
the Incas drew from millennia of cultural developments to mould
a diverse land into a dynamic, powerful, and yet fragile polity.
From this integrated perspective, The Incas profoundly rethinks
the nature of imperial formation, ideology, and social, economic,
and political relations in Inca society.
Return
of the Children of Light: Incan and Mayan Prophecies for a New
World
by Judith Bluestone Polich
The Incan and Mayan cultures saw themselves as "Children
of Light" and their prophecies foretell of a time of great
spiritual awakening. In Return Of The Children Of Light, Judith
Polich draws upon research emerging in such diverse fields as
quantum physics, archeoastronomy, holography, cosmology, the pioneering
studies of human consciousness and mythology, as well as her own
extensive personal experiences, to illuminate powerful ancient
prophecies and the transformative purpose of the new world age
are now entering. Return Of The Children Of Light invites readers
to re-envision themselves and awaken to the human potential embodied
in these ancient teachings and the sacred sites these cultures
left behind.
Machu
Picchu
by Barry Brukoff, Pablo Neruda, Isabel Allende
Machu Picchu, one of those talismanic places that everyone dreams
of visiting, is celebrated here in the visually stunning photography
of Barry Brukoff that evokes the mystery and spiritual atmosphere
of this sacred lost city. Interwoven with the images is Pablo
Neruda's epic poem "Heights of Machu Picchu" that has
been described as "one of Neruda's greatest poetic works."
The book is a bilingual edition: a sparkling new English translation
of Neruda's poem by noted translator Stephen Kessler runs side
by side with the original Spanish.
Machu
Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas
by Richard L. Burger (Editor), Lucy C. Salazar (Editor)
Yale anthropology professor Burger and Salazar, curator of the
Machu Picchu collection at Yale's Peabody Museum, present not
only an outstanding catalog, but also a welcome, in-depth resource
for anyone interested in pre-Columbian archaeology and the anthropology
of sacred sites. The fifteenth-century Inca palace complex in
the Peruvian Andes is one of the world's most splendid and culturally
important archaeological sites, explored by archaeologist Hiram
Bingham III, whose accounts, photographs, and illustrations detail
the significance of his 1911 discovery of wonders long shrouded
in dense vegetation. Still shrouded in mystery are explanations
of the site's construction and abandonment. This amply illustrated
volume includes essays reflecting a broad understanding of the
Bingham collection that has emerged only in the last 20 years,
including Susan Niles' overview of Inca royal estates (Machu Picchu
is considered a palatial country estate) and Burger's piece on
everyday lives in this center of elite activity and ritual. -Whitney
Scott-
The Toltec's
The
Four Agreements: A Practical
Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book
by Don Miguel Ruiz
Sit at the foot of a native elder and listen as great wisdom of
days long past is passed down. In The Four Agreements shamanic
teacher and healer Don Miguel Ruiz exposes self-limiting beliefs
and presents a simple yet effective code of personal conduct learned
from his Toltec ancestors. Full of grace and simple truth, this
handsomely designed book makes a lovely gift for anyone making
an elementary change in life, and it reads in a voice that you
would expect from an indigenous shaman. The four agreements are
these: Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personally.
Don't make assumptions. Always do your best. It's the how and
why one should do these things that make The Four Agreements worth
reading and remembering. --P. Randall Cohan--
The
Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship:
A Toltec Wisdom Book
by Miguel Ruiz
In a refreshingly honest investigation of the true nature of love,
don Miguel Ruiz brings to light the commonly held fallacies and
misplaced expectations about love that permeate most relationships.
In the tradition of Carlos Castaneda, he uses inspirational stories
to impart the wisdom of three fundamental Toltec masteries (Awareness,
Transformation, and Love). The themes explored include the Toltec
wisdom of the heart, the track of love, and the war of control.
The
Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace
by Don Miguel Ruiz, Janet Mills
As little children we know how to live in the moment and be completely
authentic. But then something damaging happens to us, according
to author Don Miguel Ruiz: we are given "knowledge"
about how to live in the world. Parents tell us how to behave
in order to be a "good" boy or girl. Teachers tell us
what it takes to be a "winner" or a "successful"
adult. This collective "voice of knowledge" is not only
false--it is often poisonous, explains Ruiz, bestselling author
of The Four Agreements. It makes us believe that "I am not
the way I should be; it is not okay to be me." Drawing upon
the story of Adam and Eve, Ruiz refers to the forbidden tree of
knowledge and likens the abandonment of the true self to the fall
from heaven. What Ruiz calls "the voice of knowledge"
others spiritual teachers might call ego--the hidden and carefully
defended belief system that prevents us from living and expressing
who we really are. "The structure of our knowledge makes
us feel safe….When we discover that we are not what we believe
we are, the foundation of our entire reality begins to collapse."
In the Toltec tradition, Ruiz says every human is an artist, "and
the supreme art is the expression of the beauty of our spirit."
He explains that there are two kinds of artists: "the ones
who create their story without awareness, and the ones who recover
awareness and create their story with truth and love." The
recovering of awareness is what this fourth book in the Toltec
Wisdom series is all about. This makes for a good bedside spiritual
growth book. Each chapter closes with "Points to Ponder"--summary
thoughts to sleep upon as you create the more authentic story
of your life. --Gail Hudson
A
Toltec Path: A User's Guide to the Teachings of Don Juan Matus,
Carlos Castaneda, and Other Toltec Seers
by Ken Eagle Feather
I found this book to be extremely helpful in understanding the
Toltec path. It is an incredible reference book for don Juan's
teachings. I have read many of Castaneda's books, and this one
adds to the richness of the Toltec lineage. I highly recommend
it for anyone interested in becoming a warrior-seer.
The
Myth of Quetzalcoatl
by Enrique Florescano, Lysa Hochroth (Translator)
Through many centuries of prehistory, Quetzalcoatl came to be
the most enduring and widespread of the many deities worshiped
by the native peoples of Mesoamerica. This mythic figure appeared
under a variety of names and guises but was always associated
with the warrior spirit and with crop fertility, particularly
with regard to the cultivation of maize. Florescano, director
of the National Council of Culture and Arts in Mexico, has amassed
a wealth of information on the history and cultural significance
of Quetzalcoatl. His well-written and scholarly study, nicely
translated by Hochroth, presents thorough research into both the
archaeological record and pre-Hispanic and Spanish written accounts.
His in-depth analysis also provides comparisons between Quetzalcoatl
and the prehistoric vegetation gods of Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean.
Toltecs
of the New Millennium
by Victor Sanchez
In the vein of the Don Juan classics by Carlos Castaneda, Sanchez's
book is a compelling spiritual autobiography. In 1986 anthropologist
Sanchez went to Mexico to study the social customs of the Wirrarika
tribe; his visit became an astonishing encounter with the alteration
in reality that the non-European system of belief manifests. Yet,
it is also an anti-anthropology text, as the author asserts that
classical academic anthropology's theoretical framework had little
to offer him when his encounter with the Indian system of belief
became spiritual pilgrimage. Sanchez frees himself from what he
calls the "neurotic fantasies" of academic mindsets
and learns to explore the alternative universe underlying our
interpersonal relationships and our everyday world. Sanchez's
examination of the ways that psychoactive substances like LSD
and peyote generate religious states of consciousness, as well
as his exploration of the religious traditions and practices of
the Toltecs and Aztecs, make his work valuable religious research.
This is an interesting read and a revealing examination of a sacred
terrain.
Don
Juan and the Art of Sexual Energy: The Rainbow Serpent of the
Toltecs
by Merilyn Tunneshende
Those hoping for an ambitious discussion of the shape shifting,
trances, energy scanning, and archetypal imagery that characterize
Toltec sexuality will be deeply gratified. Like the famous writer
Carlos Castaneda, who introduced Toltec teachings to the greater
world, Merilyn Tunneshende often shifts into dream-like narratives.
For example, in a passage where she discusses the sensual power
of nature, Tunneshende recounts a trance under the guidance of
her shaman and teacher. Lying beneath a mesquite tree, she has
a vision that she is "moving through the interior of the
plant, much like a whole egg moves through the body of a snake
when swallowed." When she arrived at the base of the plant,
"a trumpeting white flower sprouted from my head and my ovaries
turned in on themselves...." Fortunately, the closing of
every chapter is grounded with concise, easy-to-follow exercises,
such as how to draw upon and release sexual energy in nature or
how to perform "fire breath" to raise sexual energy
in the body. --Gail Hudson
North
American Indian Nations
"Mita
kuye oyasin!"
"Sometimes
dreams are wiser than waking."
"I cured with the power that came through me. Of course,
it was not I who cured, it was the power from the Outer World,
the visions and the ceremonies had only made me like a hole through
which the power could come to the two-leggeds."
"If I thought that I was doing it myself, the hole would
close up and no power could come through. Then everything I could
do would be foolish."
-Black
Elk-
The
Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala
Sioux
by Joseph Epes Brown
Black Elk has channeled a deeply spiritual work from the Great
Spirit, and in my mind will become another of the worlds holiest
scriptures. Black Elk has lifted his self to saint hood right
alongside the great ones. I love his work. I would recommend this
book to all spiritual aspirants.
The whole of creation is essentially one, all parts within the
whole are related...realize that at the center dwells Wakan Tanka,
and that center is really everywhere, it is within each of us...
May we walk with love and mercy upon the path which is holy...
"Mita kuye oyasin!"
The
Sixth Grandfather: Black Elk's Teachings Given to John G. Neihardt
by Raymond J. Demallie (Editor)
These are the original records of a series of interviews about
spiritual awakening that resulted in the classic book "Black
Elk Speaks." When Black Elk describes his vision, it is the
most beautiful, the most profound assessment of human experience
that I have ever encountered. Black Elk speaks in the language
and symbols of his culture, so a reader who has knowledge of his
way of life will better understand what he was trying to convey.
-C.N.J-
Lame
Deer, Seeker of Visions
by Richard Erdoes, John (Fire) Lame Deer
Lame Deer is a magnificent American....He has demolished so much
misinformation and so many stereotypes about Indians and their
values and ways of life that we should be ashamed of how little
we have actually known of all that he has to tell us. As an individual
and as a representative of his people, he is someone whom all
readers should get to know -- not just those who are interested
in Indians, but every American. The book is destined to become
a classic. It will be read, and reread, and quoted from through
the years.
Book
of the Hopi
by Frank Waters, Oswald White Bear Fredericks
Frank Waters' excellent BOOK OF THE HOPI is probably the most
complete collection of Hopi stories, language, rituals, and photographs
in one place. Waters wrote this book with assistance from thirty-two
Hopi elders back in 1963. Much time has passed since then, and
while the way of the Hopi remains mostly unchanged, access to
their sacred ceremonies and rituals has been greatly reduced in
the last several decades.
While BOOK OF THE HOPI was written through the eyes and ears of
an outsider, it contains much of the spirit of the Hopi, and countless
fascinating insights. One such example is the explanation of how
one sacred ceremony (the Ya Ya) was profaned and is no longer
performed, since much of its powers were taken for evil. "When
you receive a wonderful power and use it for evil you lose the
power. You have to use it for good to keep it."
I love the richness of information contained in this little book:
symbols, the tablets of the clans, a glossary of Hopi words, thrilling
tales about the creation of the worlds, and detailed descriptions
of sacred objects such as the Paho (prayer-feather).
The
Fourth World of the Hopis: The Epic Story of the Hopi Indians
As Preserved in Their Legends and Traditions
by Harold Courlander
As an archaeologist, Pima College instructor and tour guide to
the Hopi mesas over the last twelve years I have found my copy
of Courlander to be invaluable as a reference volume on these
fascinating people. Along with James, (Pages from Hopi History)
it has formed the basis of all the information I have needed to
better educate the "bahana" on the ways of the Hopitusinom.
-Marc Severson-
Pretty-Shield:
Medicine Woman of the Crows
by Frank B. Linderman
Pretty-shield, the legendary medicine woman of the Crows, remembered
what life was like on the Plains when the buffalo were still plentiful.
A powerful healer who was forceful, astute, and compassionate,
Pretty-shield experienced many changes as her formerly mobile
people were forced to come to terms with reservation life in the
late nineteenth century.
Pretty-shield told her story to Frank Linderman through an interpreter
and using sign language. The lives, responsibilities, and aspirations
of Crow women are vividly brought to life in these pages as Pretty-shield
recounts her life on the Plains of long ago. She speaks of the
simple games and dolls of an Indian childhood and the work of
the girls and women—setting up the lodges, dressing the skins,
picking berries, digging roots, and cooking. Through her eyes
we come to understand courtship, marriage, childbirth and the
care of babies, medicine-dreams, the care of the sick, and other
facets of Crow womanhood.
Fools
Crow: Wisdom and Power
by Thomas E. Mails
This is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read! If
you want a book that will draw you closer to God, regardless of
your religion or beliefs, this is the book. Frank Fools Crow will
teach you by his example what a holy life truly is and the power
that will naturally flow from living this type of life.
The beauty of the traditional way of the Sioux is also captured
in this book. Yet Fools Crow reaches to the heart of all people
with the love he freely gives. Fools Crow's many gifts are laid
out here - his healing ability, his compassion. It is made clear
these are gift's that come from God, not man, and as are to be
shared with all.
The
Lakota Way : Stories and Lessons for Living
by Joseph M. Marshall
Joseph M. Marshall III, does more than simply list the qualities
that are important to the Lakota people. He draws the reader a
picture of each quality with stories that have been passed down
to him through his family. Not only do these stories show that
strength and tenacity of the Native American People through all
their hardship at the hands of the whites, but they show people
overcoming human weaknesses, and their lives being richer and
happier for it. Marshall also describes the outcome of the Native
American struggle against the whites differently than I've ever
heard it described, that the Native people in this country were
never defeated! Through everything the whites put them through,
they emerged whith a strong sense of where they came from and
where they are going. -Samantha Peterson-
Walking
on the Wind : Cherokee Teachings for Harmony and Balance
by Michael Tlanusta Garrett
How does one learn from the wisdom of Native American cultures
without adding to the violence that has been done to the sacredness
and integrity of those tradition. In this volume, Garrett, an
Eastern Band Cherokee who teaches education at the University
of North Carolina, Greensboro, provides profound and beautiful
answers to that question. As he notes, the book has two goals:
to honor his people's vision of a balanced life and to share their
accumulated wisdom about health and wellness with the larger,
contemporary culture. Each chapter features delightful narratives
of Cherokee stories and myths?the love of Moon for Sun, how the
animals teach humanity to respect the harmony of nature, why possum's
tail is bare, why turtle's shell is scarred, as well as recollections
from Garrett's childhood. He notes that his father taught him
that it was his task "to discover through the stories"
the beauty and lessons offered to us through everyday experience.
The
Wisdom of the Native Americans: Includes the Soul of an Indian
and Other Writings by Ohiyesa, and the Great Speeches of Red Jacket,
Chief Joseph, and Chief Seattle
by Kent Nerburn (Editor)
This is a very instructive and thought-provoking compilation.
This book contains four parts. Part I consists of short quotes
of Native American leaders. Part II is Charles Eastman's beautiful
work, THE SOUL OF THE INDIAN AND OTHER WRITINGS. Part III contains
(i) Chief Red Jacket's respectful and dignified response to a
missionary's request to minister to the Iroquois in l805, (ii)
Chief Joseph's account of the Nez Perce retreat and (iii) Chief
Seattle's eloquent speech to territorial governor Isaac Stevens
when faced with his people's removal to reservations. The final
part consists of biographical notes of forty Native Americans.
Editor Kent Nerburn prefaces each of the first two parts as well
as each of the three longer speeches with informative introductory
essays.
I mourn the loss of the Native American culture as it once was.
-Karen Breda-
Native
North American Spirituality of the Eastern Woodlands: Sacred Myths,
Dreams, Visions, Speeches, Healing Formulas, Rituals and Ceremonials
by Elizabeth Tooker (Editor)
This work makes available for the first time in a single volume
a representative collection of the major spiritual texts from
the Native American Indian peoples of the East Coast. Elisabeth
Tooker, professor of anthropology at Temple University and an
editor of The Handbook of North American Indians, presents the
sacred traditions of the Iroquois, Winnibego, Fox, Menominee,
Delaware, Cherokee and others. What makes this volume so unique
is that it gives the reader direct access to the original works
(in the words of the Indians themselves) rather than having them
filtered through some interpreter. Included here are cosmological
myths, thanksgiving addresses, dreams and visions, speeches of
the shamans, teachings of parents, puberty fasts, blessings, healing
rites, stories, songs, ceremonials for fires, hunting, wars, feasts
and the rituals of various spiritual societies.
Seven Arrows
by Hyemeyohsts Storm
A heartbreaking story of victory, defeat, and of a spiritual search
in a profane world, this is the story of Night Bear and his people.
It is the tale of the land they cherish and the lives they hold
sacred, lived until the enemy can no longer be stopped, and the
dead have few left to weep for them.
The paintings by Karen Harris are excellent. They compliment the
text in such a way that the experience is even more meaningful.
The historical black and white photographs are treasured reminders
of a bygone era. The knowledge of the elders is available for
those who seek it, add this book to your Native American collection.
