Customer Reviews

Beauty, Honor, and Tradition: The Legacy of Plains Indian Shirts

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

over the past several years, i have read and acquired a good number of books about indian beadwork. all have included at least one or two war shirts. none of them prepared me for the overwhelming impact of this book.

war shirts were given to the men of the plains nations for remarkable courage and character and for impressive deeds. the shirts would be transferred to other men of equal standing. the designs were worked by women who were unusually talented in quill and bead embroidery. occasionally, the design of the shirt would be directed by the man to wear it, based on his dreams/visions.

since it is oversized, the book allows larger, more detailed photos of the shirts. quillwork, paint, beads and other materials show up clearly. the workmanship is stunning, the designs are magnificent. the use of materials is inspirational. the examples range from the early 19th century to contemorary shirts.

the text, aside from a couple of areas where the proofreader failed miserably in his job, is almost as interesting as the shirts. this is not to insult the authors. no words could equal the shirts. there are also quotes from contemporary indians about the shirts that are interesting and illuminating.

if this book had been published by abrams, the price would have been at least doubled. given the quality of the photos, that fact alone is worth a couple of stars.

this is a must for anyone interested in indian beadwork, history or art and for anyone interested in beauty and great design of any origin.

What a beautiful book! As an artist and a painter I often rely on photos to give me historical detail. This book is the best I have ever seen for native american clothing. Each turn of the page shows a high definition close-up including a very informative description of not only the item but insights into it's making, purpose and meaning. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to visually examine native american clothing. Newer examples of current native clothing artists are included. I appreciated this additional insight as well. I learned much from this book and it will be a valuable addition to my reference library.

stunningly beautiful photos of amazing shirts.
graphic detail makes this book a must for anyone interested in the indians of the plains.
these shirts are truly works of art and by just looking at them you can feel all the mystical and magical power that they evoked then and still do today.
useful text accompanies the photos,highly recommended!!!!
simon mote.

The cover is undeniably beautiful, but misleading. Of all the shirts in all the collections in the country, the editors managed to find the most unattractive, obscure examples possible. The editors focused on quilled and painted styles. The text is not helfpul, and sounds as if the writer struggled to find something interesting to say about each shirt. One Sioux shirt is included among several blase Crow shirts and even more Blackfeet examples. This book was an expensive disappointment, and I gave it to a library, where I wish I had found it.

This is an absolutely wonderful book and one of the BEST I have read on Native American Art. The color plates are exquisite and plentiful. The research is in depth and besides being well written, is reader-friendly. If you are thinking of purchasing this book, you have made a good choice - you will enjoy every time you pick it up.

If you are interested to know what these fabulous shirts mean to their people then this book is for you.