Customer Reviews

Indian Life on the Upper Missouri (Civilization of the American Indian Series)

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Indian Life on the Upper Missouri consists of fifteen articles written by John Ewers brings to life the culture of the Native American culture in the Upper Missouri region. He covers everything from remembrances of the days before horses were introduced into the region to the artistic depiction of this culture in the twentieth century. His prose is clear and non-academic, although his subject matter is treated in a very organized and concise manner, similar to academic writing. This book would be useful both for the academic and the casual reader. The use of graphics ties well to the writing and is used to enlighten rather than just to illustrate.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in a study of the Indians on the northern reaches of the Great Plains.

First released in 1968 by the University of Oklahoma Press.

Hardback in dustjacket: cloth over boards with brown and gold details; sewn binding. 222 pp. Bibliography. Index. One Map. 48 b&w illustrations.

"The Plains Indian of the Upper Missouri in 19th century buffalo days remains a widely recognized symbol of primitive man par excellence -- and the persistent image of the North American Indian at his most romantic. Fifteen cultural highlights, each a chapter made from research for a particular subject and enriched by contemporary illustrations, provide a sensitive interpretation of tribes such as the Blackfeet, the Crows, and the Mandans from the decades before Lewis & Clark up to the present."

Topics covered include Indian Trade, The North American Gun, Three Ornaments Worn by Upper Missouri Dandies in the 1830's, Early White Influcence Upon Plains Indian Painting, The Blackfoot War Lodge, Self-torture in the Blood Indian Sun Dance, Food Rationing, and Mothers of Mixed Bloods.

The book also discusses the gradual emergence of the Plains Indian as the archetypal example of all North American Indians.