American Indian historians are best equipped to shape a much needed reconstruction of the cultural and societal processes that shaped pre-Columbian American Indian education. An accurate view of these systems is important to the adequate consideration of current American Indian educational needs. (CM)

There was no need for feminism in the Navajo matrilineal culture. The author remembers growing up on the Navajo reservation, where her female relatives were valued, honored, and respected, and where women passed on to their daughters not only their strength, but also the expectation to assume responsibility for the family and therefore act as…

This book represents a compilation of past and contemporary quotations by American Indians that reflect Indian philosophy and traditional knowledge. By including contemporary sayings, the book demonstrates that while peoples and conditions have changed, the basic perspectives of Indian peoples remain constant. Quotations cover values; spirituality…

Native Americans must stop giving allegiance and attention to this other way (the Christian, westernized way) that has destroyed them. Native Americans have to reach their people in such a way that their traditional life is the first thing. They have to learn their traditional teachings well enough so that when they pass them on, their children…

Two books by and about American Indians demonstrate the positive impact of warm and caring relationships between elders and youth. Elders in these stories convey to children important lessons about life, death, traditions, heritage, and family; positively affect the identity development and emotional maturity of the adolescent protagonists; and…

Three Native Americans working in sports training, film making, and engineering discuss their thoughts on leadership. Each one defines leadership in terms of their own experiences, aspirations, and successes, but all three come to similar conclusions: community members must be willing to nurture leadership in young people by acting as role models…

Four hataalii (Navajo medicine men) discuss why they chose and how they studied their profession, how ceremonies correct spiritual imbalance, why ceremonies cannot be done for non-Indians (differences in Navajo and non-Navajo belief systems), and how the Native American Church was founded to allow legal use of peyote and was commercialized by…

Three successful American Indian women--film maker and businesswoman Valerie Red-Horse, Cherokee law professor and appeals court justice Stacey Leeds, and prolific artist Virginia Stroud--discuss their careers, emphasizing the importance of retaining cultural values, the struggles of being a racial and gender pioneer in their field, and the…

Discusses effects of acculturation on American Indian youth in terms of bicultural competence and identity development. The narrative or life-story of a Cherokee elder who is both mainstream physician and traditional medicine man elaborates on the traditional Indian approach to "learning the Medicine," and is divided according to five…

Grandmother Twyla Nitsch, an elder of the Seneca Nation, discusses the importance of honoring Mother Earth, her childhood experiences, the traditional teachings of her grandfather, her efforts to document Native American philosophy and spirituality, and her purpose in teaching individuals how to recognize and develop their gifts to the fullest.…

In this interview, Professor Harald Gaski, a Sami from Arctic Norway, notes similarities and differences in Sami and American-Indian cultures related to forced boarding schools for assimilation purposes, traditional education, religion, "yoiking" (singing) and music, connection to nature, and tribal schools. He advocates the…

A Mohawk farmer reflects on the value of farming in relation to maintaining political sovereignty, observing and valuing nature and its cycles, developing a sense of community and family responsibility, traditional religion, sharing, and appropriate family living. Views are given on natural pest control, intercropping, use of herbs, reviving…

As his family joins him at his grandfather's burial, the author muses on the direction and lessons he gained from his grandfather's stories. He recognizes the interconnectedness of his present-day life and goals with the teachings and influences of his ancestors, even those he did not personally know. (TD)

Except for discussions of the early colonial period, the American Indians of Virginia are invisible in history textbooks, leading many people to assume that the state's Indian population vanished long ago. This book shares the unique stories of some of Virginia's Indian people, providing an insight into the history, education, and cultural…

Being a Native teacher of Native studies is an honor--non-Native students want to learn about Natives, Native students have their culture validated, and sharing Native history with non-Native neighbors builds friendships. Many Native troubles stem from colonization, but Natives should not take their frustrations out on each other but should…