Native Universe

Voices of Indian America

by Gerald McMaster

The Smithsonian's new National Museum of the American Indian will be the last museum to be built on the National Mall and its opening will be a major, national media event. To commemorate the opening, the National Geographic Society has collaborated with the museum's curators and advisers to produce a lavishly illustrated, comprehensive volume based on major themes relevant to American Indian peoples. Written by a distinguished group of Native American scholars, poets, activists, and tribal leaders, the book will offer its non-Indian readers a closer understanding of Native perspectives, beliefs, and histories. The real power of this volume rests with its power to communicate firsthand the experiences, observations, and intellectual concepts of the hemisphere's indigenous peoples, who demonstrate that their ancient philosophies and folkways are integral, valuable, and still apply in modern times. This unprecedented book consists of three major sections --Our Universes explores Native spiritual beliefs; Our Peoples presents historical and contemporary events from a Native American point of view; and Our Lives illustrates the diversity of Native peoples today--each with a lead essay, supporting pieces, and sidebars on selected topics. There are more than 300 illustrations (250 in color), some of them archival, but most show rare and beautiful Indian artifacts seldom seen which when organized together in one volume showcase the rich tradition of Native American artistic achievement.

320 pp — ©2004