Synopses & Reviews
More than 130 full-color photographs adorn this handsome re-creation of daily life in a Plains Indian village in 1868. Readers will meet Real Bird and his family, part of a Northern Cheyenne tribe in southeastern Montana. Each member has an important role: Men prepare to become warriors and hunters, while women learn to raise crops and build a home-a tipi-from poles and buffalo hides. The clothes the family wears, from elaborate ceremonial headdresses to colorful beaded moccasins; the foods they eat; the games they play; the crafts and jewelry they make; and the spiritual rituals they perform are among the many topics included. This large-format book, with clear text and informative sidebars, provides a detailed pictorial account of the Plains Indian life more than a century ago.
Review
"short paragraphs of fascinating information. . . . An interesting addition to any collection."
Review
"Introducing this overview of everyday life in a Plains Indian village circa 1868 is a map locating tribal lands of the Plains Indians. Contemporary Native Americans pose as models depicting the full regalia of the Cheyenne, Lakota Sioux, Crow, and Blackfeet. In re-enactment style, reminiscent of a visit to a living history village, each actor' then personifies a member in the family of Real Bird, a northern Cheyenne warrior from the plains of southeastern Montana. A staged full-color photograph of family members engaged in role-specific work, leisure, food preparation, warfare, trade, and ritual is at the center of each spread, surrounded by additional text and captions that expand each topic. Sees the Berries Woman and Pretty Plume Woman demonstrate the construction of a tipi in a frame-by-frame, five-step procedure; warriors and chiefs hold council in a pre-battle ceremony; Timber Leader shows off a bearskin that gives him healing powers. Artifacts such as beadwork, weapons, tools, toys,and medicine objects lend authenticity to this informative survey and history of the culture. (chronology, glossary, index)" Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Michael Bad Hand Terry is a Seminole. He is a historian, a lecturer, and an experienced craftsman who has made Native American clothing and artifacts for films, including Dances With Wolves. An accomplished horse rider and stuntman, he has also appeared in films like The Last of the Mohicans.