Spider Womans Gift
At Canyon de Chelly, in the heart of the Navajo Nation, stands an eight-hundred-foot sandstone rock formation known as Spider Rock. According to Diné oral history, this sacred place is where Spider Woman makes her home. For centuries, her gift of weaving has provided the Diné with a constant means of sustenance.
Spirit of the Earth
Often spoken at the end of a prayer, a well-known Sioux phrase affirms that "we are all related." Similarly, the Sioux medicine man, Brave Buffalo, came to realize when he was still a boy that "the maker of all was Wakan Tanka (the Great Spirit), and . . . in order to honor him I must honor his works in nature." The interconnectedness of all things, and the respect all things are due, are among the most prominent--and most welcome--themes in this collection of Indian voices on nature. Within the book are carefully authenticated quotations from men and women of nearly fifty North American tribes. The illustrations include historical photographs of American Indians, as well as a wide selection of contemporary photographs showing the diversity of the North American natural world. Together, these quotations and photographs beautifully present something of nature's timeless message.
Ten Little Rabbits
Weaving, fishing, and storytelling are all part of this spirited book that celebrates Native American traditions as it teaches young children to count from one to ten.
This Is Mesa Verde
This Is Mesa Verde has stunning photographs and interpretive text that allow you, the reader, to learn more about the beauty and wonder that Mesa Verde has to offer each visitor.
"As Ancestral Pueblo people settled down and clustered together, individual families no longer had to do everything for themselves. Those who were especially good at hunting or farming could provide for others outside their own home, while artisans had more time to work on tools, baskets, clothing, and jewelry. Rooted where they could keep their materials and surrounded by others with a need for their work, artisans made objects of great beauty as well as utility". – Susan Lamb, This Is Mesa Verde
Those Who Came Before
An essential reference for anyone interested in southwestern archaeology, Those Who Came Before is a substantially revised and expanded overview of the legacy of prehistoric cultures of the American Southwest, as preserved and interpreted by the National Park Service in more than 37 sites. It includes duotone photos from the George A. Grant Collection plus a color portfolio by George H.H. Huey. It also comes with a companion DVD!
Turquoise, Water, Sky
This book provides an overview of the uses of turquoise in native arts of the Southwest, beginning with the earliest people who mined and processed the stone for use in jewelry, on decorative objects, and as a powerful element in ceremony. In the past, as now, turquoise was valued for its color and beauty but also for its symbolic nature: sky, water, health, protection, abundance. The book traces historical and contemporary jewelry made by Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, and Santo Domingo artisans, and the continuously inventive ways the stone has been worked.
Two Raven House
A monograph in the Wetherill Mesa Project in the Archaeological Research Series.On a sunny day in May of 1960, Jerry Melbye found the rubble ruins of a small pueblo in an open glade of sagebrush. A steel stake bearing a site number was driven into the mound and it was recorded that here was a single story house of from 9 to 12 rooms fronted by a kiva and an extensive trash mound. The report is largely descriptive with a minimum of interpretation and no attempt to define archaeology or spell out cultural history.
Unbreakable Code
This book portrays the quiet pride of a Navajo code talker as he explains to his grandson how the Navajo language, faith and ingenuity helped win World War II.
Uprising
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 changed the course of history. It was the only war that American Indians ever won against the Europeans. The Pueblo people rose up to drive the Spanish military, colonists, and Franciscans all the way back to New Spain (today's Mexico).
In this new nonfiction account, Jake Page delves into the events leading up to the revolt, its aftermath, and the lesser-known second revolt. Experience the history, culture, and struggle for religious freedom from the perspective of the Pueblo people.
Warriors
During World War II, as the Japanese were breaking American codes as quickly as they could be devised, a small group of Navajo Indian Marines provided their country with its only totally secure cryptogram.
Racruited from the vast reaches of the Navajo reservation in Arizona and New Mexico, from solitary and traditional lives, the young Navajo men who made up the code talkers were present at some of the Pacific Theatre's bloodiest battles. They spoke to each other in the Navajo language, relaying vital information between the fron lines and headquarters. their contribution was immeasurable, their bravery unquestionable.
Seventy-five of the surviving Navajo code talkers are included in this book, their faces testaments to long and valiant lives.
Wetherills Friends of Mesa Verde
Following in the wake of what one noted scientist called 'transients who neither revered nor cared for the ruins as symbols of the past, ' the Wetherill family became the earliest students of Mesa Verde. Their careful excavations and record-keeping helped preserve key information, leading to a deeper understanding of the people who built and occupied the cliff dwellings. As devout Quakers, they felt they were predestined to protect the historic sites from wanton destruction - a role that would not be assumed by the government or other institutions until years later. Based on decades of meticulous research, author Fred Blackburn sets the record straight on these early protectors of Mesa Verde.
Whispers of the Wolf
"Ahrooooooo" went the cry. It was the call of the wolf pack. A young boy named Two Birds heard it, and so did his wolf. Two Birds had found the abandoned wolf pup, and they had grown up together. Now, the wild was calling, and Two Birds had a choice to make. Struggling with a mix of emotions, he must decide whether his love for the wolf is greater than his need to be near it. Will Two Birds learn to let go not just of the wolf, but also of his own fears? Whispers of the Wolf is a beautiful picture book set around 500 years ago among the Pueblo Indians of the desert Southwest. A heartwarming piece of historical fiction, it weaves together themes of community, tradition, self-esteem, and respect for all life, creating a realistic portrait of a culture that continues to exert a vibrant, living influence today."
Who Pooped on the Colorado Plateau
Watch where you step! Sometimes the animals in the Colorado Plateau are hard to find but you can almost always find their poop! Come along with Michael, Emily, and their family as they find poop (scat) and footprints (tracks) and discover which animal made them!
An ideal tool for teaching young children about animal behavior, diet, and scat and tracks identification the perfect companion for in the car or in the field on your next trip to the Colorado Plateau of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Fun illustrations of the animals and their scat and tracks supplement the charming story, and a quick-reference chart at the back makes field identification a breeze!
For children ages 5 to 8
Colorful illustrations
Scat and track identification chart in the back
Featured animals: desert cottontail, black-tailed jackrabbit, mule deer, porcupine, antelope, ground squirrel, coyote, mountain lion, gray fox, gopher snake, golden eagle
Wildflowers of Colorado
Learn to identify wildflowers in Colorado with this handy field guide, organized by color.
With this famous field guide by professional nature photographer Don Mammoser and by award-winning author and naturalist Stan Tekiela, you can make wildflower identification simple, informative, and productive. There's no need to look through dozens of photos of wildflowers that don't grow in Colorado. Learn about 200 of the most common and important species found in the state. They're organized by color and then by size for ease of use. Fact-filled information contains the particulars that you want to know, while full-page photographs provide the visual detail needed for accurate identification.
Book Features
This field guide includes beautiful photography, relevant information, and expert naturalist insights. Grab Wildflowers of Colorado Field Guide for your next outing--to help you positively identify the wildflowers that you see.
Wildflowers of Mesa Verde
This book is a visitor's guide to some of the more commonly seen plants of Mesa Verde National Park. It was inspired by Stephen Wenger's wonderful book, Flowers of Mesa Verde National Park, that was published over thirty years ago by the Mesa Verde Association. To facilitate identification of the plants, both a close-up of the flower or cone as well as a photo of the entire plant are included for each of the featured wildflowers, tree, shrubs, cacti, and grasses. Uses by Indians and ecological information have been incorporated into the book. There is a place at the bottom of each page to record when and where each plant was first seen. Invasive plants that have created problems in the area are discussed in a special section at the end of the book.
Windows of the Past
Windows of the Past is a stunning collection of nearly 200 photographs from the famous landmarks to the subtlest of intimate details of America's Southwest.
Florence C. Lister, whose evocative essay, "The Prehistoric Drama" is included in this title, has been active in Southwestern prehistoric and Spanish colonial archaeology for more than half a century. A distinguished archaeologist and educator, she has authored many technical reports and books for the general public.
zzBeardream
Spring has come to the muntains, and the bears have emerged from their winter's sleep -- all but the Great Bear, who sleeps on in his den.
In the Ute village, a boy called Short Tail worries that the Geat Bear will starve if he doesn't waken. So Short Tail heads off into the mountains to rouse the Great Bear. But on the way to the Great Bear's den, Short Tail too falls asleep, and slips into a magical dream in which the Great Bear teaches him a wornderful secret to share with his people.
Will Hobbs's lyrical text and Jill Kastner's rich, evoctive oil paintings bring the story of a Native American tradition ot vivid life.
zzColoring Book American Indian Paintings
Have fun coloring and exploring with twenty-one drawings based on paintings created by Native American artists. The artwork from the Apache, Hopi, Navajo, and Pueblo tribal artists presented here are both traditional and modern in style. The artists’ original color paintings are shown as small pictures printed on the inside front and back covers. You can copy their colors or create your own color schemes. The last two pages of the book are blank so you can make pictures of your own.
zzWild Plants & Native People
This book emphasizes prehistoric uses of plants in the Four Corners area, focusing on Mesa Verde National Park, Chaco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Aztec Ruins, Hovenweep, and other major sites of the region once occupied by the Navajo, Ute, Paiute, Hopi, and Apache peoples. Dunmire and Tierney are able to eloquently illustrate the importance of the people-plant relationship that has existed throughout the ages among Native peoples and how ancient traditional uses of these plants inform contemporary uses today. Through vignettes of background information drawn from lore and cultural traditions and interviews with tribal elders, Wild Plants and Native Peoples of the Four Corners describes uses for edible, medicinal, and dye plants, as well as plants used for making baskets, tools, and shelters. Complementing these essays are profiles of fifty new trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and grasses common to traditional Native America.