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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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India, the 'Golden Country', has since time immemorial, lured those in quest of spices, gold and precious gems. The principal trade routes across land and sea in the ancient world all led to India. As a repository of what was once the greatest concentration of mineral wealth on earth, this treasury of the world earned the epithetsone ki chidiaor 'bird of gold'.

Spanning 5000 years of this glorious legacy,Dance of the Peacocktakes an ethnographic approach, weaving factual information with the many fascinating stories recounted by ancient travellers to India. The book pays homage to the aesthetics of the patron and the virtuosity of the craftsman. Above all,Dance of the Peacockcelebrates the human impulse to adorn.

Providing a spectacular visual panorama are the over 500 colour plates, each item of jewellery meticulously photographed to set off its every technical and aesthetic nuance. Accessing collections that have never been documented before the book showcases some of the most outstanding examples of Indian jewellery from all over the world. ... Read more

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Magnificent !!
I masterpiece in itself. shows all the various styles and designs of gold jewellery in the indian subcontinent. a must have for die hard collectors. ... Read more

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This innovative cultural history examines wide-ranging issues of religion, politics, and identity through an analysis of the American Indian Ghost Dance movement and its significance for two little-studied tribes: the Shoshones and Bannocks. The Ghost Dance has become a metaphor for the death of American Indian culture, but as Gregory Smoak argues, it was not the desperate fantasy of a dying people but a powerful expression of a racialized "Indianness." While the Ghost Dance did appeal to supernatural forces to restore power to native peoples, on another level it became a vehicle for the expression of meaningful social identities that crossed ethnic, tribal, and historical boundaries. Looking closely at the Ghost Dances of 1870 and 1890, Smoak constructs a far-reaching, new argument about the formation of ethnic and racial identity among American Indians. He examines the origins of Shoshone and Bannock ethnicity, follows these peoples through a period of declining autonomy vis-a-vis the United States government, and finally puts their experience and the Ghost Dances within the larger context of identity formation and emerging nationalism which marked United States history in the nineteenth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ghost Dance
Adequate information relative for our need to promote greater understanding from Native American perspective of what it was really all about.
Thank you ... Read more

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Music and dance, the subject most prevalent and so important in Indian art, plays the central role in this breathtaking exhibition: Dancing to the Flute.Never has there been a show that covers in such breadth and depth of the subject.It brings together 200 works of art from museum collections, private collections, and art galleries worldwide.Stone, bronze and wood sculptures, paintings, textiles, and musical instruments, ranging in date from the first to the 20th century, are among the objects selected.With catalog entries and essays by Jim Masselos, Jackie Menzies, Pratapaditya Pal, Reis Flora, John Guy, Robyn Maxwell, and Kapila Vatsyayan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A pleasure to view and read
I had bought this volume at the time of exhibition in Sydney.Since then it has been a pleasure to visit it off and on.It is one of the good collections, and provides an excellent overview to the Indian arts.It is strongly recommended as the first volume, or as an addition to the existing treasures.Good value for money.

Absolutely Amazing!The kind of book I'd always wished for!
If you're interested in the history of Indian dance and music as well as historic Indian art and ancient religions - this book is a must have!It is chock full of pictures and descriptions of dancers, musicians and relevant dieties in Indian art.Most of the pictures are quite old, with the bulk being pre-1600.If you are a medieval history junkie, this is a real find.The photography and publication quality are excellent.

The authors also do a great job with their descriptions.To the best of my knowledge there were no inaccuracies in their descriptions of dance movements.In fact there was a better than normal set of definitions and terminology in this book than I've seen elsewhere.

Outstanding Collection
The collection of pieces and images in this book are truly breathtaking.The ability to link the art forms of music, dance, and art are essential to the understanding of Indian treasures.A wonderful book to own as areference. ... Read more

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"Frank LaPena’s work is brilliant testimony—testimony of cultural endurance and transformation—all done with such stupendous beauty. Witness this book and say with me, ‘Thank you, Frank LaPena.’"—Greg Sarris, author of _Grand Avenue_, _Watermelon Nights_, and _Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream_.

This collections of paintings by acclaimed artist Frank LaPena draws upon the symbols of California Indian dances—sacred events that cannot be photographed or videotaped. Himself a Nomtipom Wintu dancer, singer, and ceremonial leader, LaPena complements his vibrant paintings with an introduction and commentary.

Harking back to a way of life in which dancers spent months in a ceremonial roundhouse preparing for initiation into their tribe’s dance society, _Dream Songs and Ceremony_ pays homage to the spirit and energy of those dedicated to keeping these dances and customs alive.

Concentrating on the dance traditions of the Upper Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills, LaPena discusses how being an Indian dancer has influenced him physically, spiritually, and socially. His paintings portray ceremonial and sacred elements from all three realms, with fascinating stories infused in every image. This bold and colorful book will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in sacred traditional activities, dance, or Native American art and culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent how-to book
I really like this book. It gives a lot of information and taught me new things. It was very informative.

Recommended reading
I have had this book in my collection for over 25 years and regard it as one of the best books on Indian Crafts there is. The illustrations and instrutions are clear and can easily be followed. I have not come across any other book that covers the subjects so well. For any reader of the subject it should be in there library, if you can get hold of a copy. I would recommend any of his books including the one on Indian Dancing (showing steps), again if you can get a copy.

Review of Indian Crafts and Lore
I have had this book since I was a child. The drawings are well researched and presented. The instructions for the craft projects are not what a Indian would do to put together the items presented. However, it is andexcellent starting place for young people just getting started in NativeAmerican Craft work.

This book was the corner stone of our camps indian lore prog
This book was the corner stone of the indian lore program at the camp I attended as a kid,I was able to see the book in practice long before I knew of the book.Now as I'm rebuilding the Indian lore program the bookis indespencable. The how tos and what with of manufacturing everythingfrom costoms and dances to totempoles and tee-pees are described so thatanyone can can succed. ... Read more

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"McLerran"s elegant, spare text begins by describing the result of white settlers" relentless westward movement in the U.S. The scenario is one often related in books sympathetic to Native Americans: buffalo, their hides stripped, left to rot on the prairie; streams stripped of fish; and herds of elk and buffalo depleted. In poetic prose, she talks about a Paiute visionary, Tavibo, and his son who each dreamed that if Native peoples danced, the white people would disappear and the ghosts of the wildlife that had been decimated would return. . . . Morin"s thoughtful assemblages contain many objects that place the book in its historical context. The evocative paintings feature a variety of textures. . . . This stunning book will hold great appeal for environmentally conscious readers, and will interest classroom teachers seeking a poetic call-to-action."—School Library Journal, starred ... Read more

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Review of Cherokee Dance book
I thought some of the illustrations were less than professional looking.I have not read all of it yet, but the information is pretty good so far.

A KEEPER
Some would say that this book is where the author left off in his prior book on How To Make Cherokee Clothing.However, the book is much more.

In the book, the author goes farther than he has in the past.He gives better illustrations and goes more into detail about Cherokee culture.

I still say that the author fails in delineating what time period of Cherokee Culture that he is talking about when he is showing an item for example.I also still say that his patterns are lacking.

With that said, his models have improved considerably.The illustrations are more professional than in his prior book.Indeed, this is just an all around better book.

There are a few things that do not jive with the prior book that he has written.For instance, in the prior book he talked about how the chief used deer toes around his ankles.In this book, there are no deer toe anklets and the moccassins of the chief now have turkey spurs.Another oddity is that in his prior book he talked about how the bear dance was lost forever from the Cherokee people...yet in this book he talks about what to wear and how to do the bear dance.

Any reader of this evaluation should note that this book WILL NOT teach you how to do Cherokee dances.There are no foot steps, no musical notations, etc.In fact, some pictures show people in a dazed and confused pose with captions noting that the models are "trying" to recreate the dances.Truly, the most that you can hope for is learning a chant or two.And, in some regards, you have to be skilled in crafting without a pattern (often relying on your own knowledge of Cherokee crafts) if you can even begin to hope for a specific project to turn out like something from the book.

Indeed, the author's skills are evolving.But, there is still much room for improvement.Yet, I am confident that the author has what it takes to be the first in American history to to a comprehensive anthology of Cherokee culture with the history, delineated period dress, stories, healing methods, dance steps, written music, chants, writings, culture, etc.

At present, the author is a blib on the radar of Cherokee culture.I feel that he can be so much more.

This is not to say that I give 5 stars to this book because it is a great book or that the author is a great writer.In reality, the book is poorly written, poorly organized, and seriously lacking in many respects.However, what it excels in is that it is an excellent piece in preserving certain aspects of a rapidly dying Cherokee culture.Often, what you find in this book you will not find elsewhere.Too many authors are trying to lump us together with other tribes and even the Mayans and Aztecs.This author stays CHEROKEE and does all things Cherokee.For that, this book is deserving of 5 stars and a sincere "THANK YOU" for its contribution to Cherokee history and cultural preservation.

Very Good Book
This book is great!It has descriptions of costumes of dances which will help me with my dance ceremonies. THIS BOOK IS GREAT! ... Read more

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Gives brief descriptions of the major festivals celebrated by various Indian tribes throughout North America. ... Read more

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Foreword by Frank Ettawageshik.
Illustrations, notes, references, index.

This 'rediscovered' book provides new insights into Native American music and culture: A half-century ago, three writers all intimately familiar with the Native American culture of their time and locale collaborated to produce a 450-page typescript of a study entitled 'Religious Customs of Modern Michigan Algonquians,' together with sound recordings and photographs. Their 1959 work offered a detailed view of the life of Ojibwe and Odawa music, dance, myth, and ceremony at mid-century. Now framed by a substantive editor's introduction, and published for the first time in book form, this material offers a unique glimpse into a significant and largely overlooked era in the history of North American ethnology and ethnomusicology.

THE ART OF TRADITION documents the complexity of Native life and culture at a critical juncture in Native American history, where the rekindling of pride in Native cultures characteristic of the later twentieth century met the generation of elders who spent their early years speaking Native tongues but who came of age in boarding schools and amid strong pressures of assimilation. Because this period was deemed by most ethnographers of the time to be one of 'acculturation', marking the end of traditional Native cultures, the authors' appreciation for the integrity of mid-century Native culture stands out markedly from other scholarship of the day. The songs, dance steps, and stories collected here are evidence of the artful work of maintaining and breathing new life into traditions, often in contexts that seem anything but traditional, by indigenous elders and artists. As the editor notes, there are no 'Native informants' in this study, only collaborators whose lives are shown to be as resilient as the repertories they performed.

THE ART OF TRADITION is itself a demonstration of the improvisation and resourcefulness that ensured the continuity of Native communities. In documenting the rich ethnographic material with refreshingly little analytical overlay, it serves today as a valuable primary resource on Native religions and cultures. ... Read more

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Native American tribe in a period of change
This is the first book edition of a 450-page typescript anthropological work on the upper Midwest Native American Anishinaabe tribe done in 1959 (whose three authors are now all deceased).

The 1950s were a crucial and in some ways transformative period for these Native Americans as well as others. They weren't trying to modernize nor adapt. Despite the tribal changes inevitably taking place in the changes in U.S. society and culture coming after World War II and the realization that the tribe could not survive isolated or indifferent to the mainstream, maintaining tribal identity was the primary aim. As McNally's Introduction explains, "[T]he materials [the authors] collected are anything but timeless traditions frozen in amber as museum pieces on the eve of their disappearance. Nor are they documents of what anthropologists of the time identified as the stuff of 'acculturation,' evidence of tradition's erosion by the forces of assimilation."

The anthropological material of songs, dances, lore, myths, and such are a "rekindling" (as McNally describes it) of the Anishinaabe identity. Thus this study is not an anthropological attempt to record a dying culture mainly from oral history of tribal elders, but is a record of how tribal members of all generations engaged in the "artful work of...breathing new life into traditions...often in venues and contexts that were anything but traditional." How traditional Christian hymns were rendered into Ojibwe and Odawa language to "count as Native American music" is an especially instructive artful work of appropriating dominant mainstream cultural elements into tribal traditions and identity.

Though focused on a particular Native American tribe, the content nonetheless has a place in the general field of Native American studies. For the Anishinaabe's "artful work [of] rekindling" fundamentals of their tribal culture as well gives insight into the ever-present tension between mainstream culture and indigenous ethnic culture.
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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more