Indian Handcrafts, Revised Edition (Illustrated living history) [Paperback]

C. Keith Wilbur (Author)

Book Description

Series: Illustrated Living History Series

Indian Handcrafts explains how each object evolved, how it was used, and what tools and materials you need to re-create it.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- A profusion of detailed pen-and-ink drawings amplify the precise, thorough directions for constructing a variety of Indian wares, including birchbark and gourd containers, snakeskin belts, wigwams, and fishnets. Useful for native American studies, Boy Scout badge requirements, and general interest.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

For thousands of years the Indians of the Northeast lived by their wits, fabricating the articles needed for daily life from materials they found in nature. Now you can reproduce these authentic objects by following the clear, step-by-step instructions in this richly illustrated book. Indian Handcrafts explains how each object evolved, how it was used, and what tools and materials you need to re-create it. C. Keith Wilbur carefully researched the methods described and actually made and tested each of the handcrafts. All the necessary supplies, he says, can be found free of charge, in the great outdoors - just as the Indians did! You can learn how to shape a duck decoy from dried cat-o-nine tails, bend and lash green saplings to form a wigwam frame, use porcupine quills to apply natural dyes to your handmade moccasins, build a rubbing stick so you can start campfires 'from scratch' and much more. This intriguing book preserves authentic Indian handcraft methods and serves as an enduring tribute to Native American ingenuity and craftsmanship. (8 1/2 x 11, 144 pages, illustrations)

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 1st edition (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762706619
• ISBN-13: 978-0762706617
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #601,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent source of projects for school or scouting, October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Indian Handcrafts (Illustrated Living History Series) (Paperback)

I have used this book to instruct boy scouts in Native American and early New England craft with great success. The broad range of projects can easily provide you with a year's worth of activities that fit perfectly within the scouting program. The sketches and instuctions are easy to follow and the required materials are not expensive.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Factual Information, April 8, 2008

By 

Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Indian Handcrafts, Revised Edition (Illustrated living history) (Paperback)

Indian Handcrafts by C. Keith Wilbur is a great primer for people who actually want to MAKE items in the manner that native Americans. There are countless illustrations in here showing you exactly what the item looks like - in many cases drawn direction from historical artifacts located in museums (which are named). So if you really want to go see the arrowhead, or the rubbing stick, you can literally take a trip out to the named museum and see the actual artifact for yourself.

It's important to note that while this book simply claims to have "Indian Handcrafts", they are ALL from the northeast US area - primarily Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. This isn't a bad thing at all, but they should more clearly identify that on the front of the book. There are a ton of crafts NOT mentioned in here, because they weren't practiced by the tribes in this area. Also, for example when they talk about gardening like a native, and list out the foods that you should grow, the list is: corn, beans, pumpkins, squash, jerusalem artichokes, ground cherries, gourds and tobacco. This is a great list for Massachusetts, and certainly *similar* to what they grew in Florida or Arizona, but it is again important to know that this is a regional summary.

The book is good about both providing a "super 100% authentic" way of doing things - but also giving you shortcuts if you wish. As the author notes, native Americans were very quick to adapt new technologies when they encountered them. When they met up with people who had easy access to metal, they took those metals and melted them down rather than going through the labor intensive trouble of making their own metals from scratch. When they met up with people who had pretty glass beads, they didn't spend weeks and weeks hand grinding stones down into bead shapes. So in the same manner, sure, you are provided with instructions for hand making dyes from plants and flowers. But if you want, you can also use commercial dyes. This is not really "cheating" - it is efficient, and the natives were efficient where they had access to those supplies.

The book is also cautious in its environmental impact. Yes, the natives would strip birch bark off of trees to use it for various crafts. However, in modern times we do not have huge forests of birch - and stripping off birch bark would kill the trees. We can't afford to kill off trees just for "fun crafts". The author gives you ways to get your hands on the ingredients in a more environmentally friendly manner.

Keith was apparently 67 when he published this book in 1990, and you can see his lifetime of research clearly here. He talks about the different ways he practiced making stone tools, tried carving out canoes, and much more. This is a man who actually learned how to do these crafts and is now sharing his knowledge. I really appreciate that! The drawings are very detailed. I still wish, though, that they used a "regular font" for reading, instead of the calligraphy-style handwriting which is sometimes hard to read - and I wish they included some photos. Drawings are great, but sometimes it is so much more helpful to see actual images of things.

Still, these are minor complaints about a treasure trove of knowledge. Whatever your reason for wanting to learn more about how native Americans lived, I highly recommend this book as a part of your library.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep insight into Native American material culture, August 14, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Cambridge, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indian Handcrafts (Illustrated Living History Series) (Paperback)

This book describes many of the material goods made by Native Americans, and gives the reader an intimate understanding of their construction. Each item is described, with drawings of museum-piece examples. Wilbur then describes how Native Americans made the item (drawing from eye-witness memoirs where possible), and finally describes ways to make reproductions using modern techniques. Really gives one an appreciation for iron. Ideal for a youngster interested in Indians (and what youngster isn't?)