My Life as an Indian (Native American) [Paperback]

J. W. Schultz (Author)

Book Description

Series: Native American | Publication Date: November 30, 2011

Fascinating, firsthand memoir of a young white man's life among the Piegan Blackfeet in Montana Territory. Includes detailed accounts of religious ceremonies and customs, child-rearing, food preparation, tanning buffalo hides, war parties, raids, and much else. Of great interest to ethnologists and students of Native American history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; New edition edition (November 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486296148
• ISBN-13: 978-0486296142
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars verification of happenings, January 3, 1998

By 

Robert Petty ([e-mail]) (USA (Washington State)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life As an Indian (Hardcover)

I have an 87 year old uncle in the north central area of Montana. He remembers listening to old timers talking of Mr. Schultz's adventures,then following some of the trails talked about. He also knows where the massacre occurred, he knows where the teepee circles can still be seen today where the Indians camped. It is spell binding to listen to his stories. My Father and Mother are buried at Fort Benton, MT. The area is still much like it was then, except for the wheat fields and highways. Whoever reads this book and visits the area described by Mr. Schultz can almost live out the adventure.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buffalo culture of the Piegan Blackfeet, May 11, 2002

By 

Pamela (Dubuque, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life as an Indian (Native American) (Paperback)

This is a terrific story of a young white man's time with the Piegan Blackfeet. James Willard Schultz came west for adventure and joined an Indian trading post 45 miles north of Fort Benton, Montana.

He not only traded furs, gold, liquor, and dressmakers goods to the Indians, but became fluent in the language of the Blackfeet, sharing in their hunts and wars and even taking a young Indian wife.

It's a somewhat self-conscious story from a masculine vantagepoint during a time when warrior bravado was in vogue and the buffalo were still thriving. This book portrays a segment of Native American life and culture just before the buffalo were diminished and the people were forced to reservations.

Given that _Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: an Indian History of the American West_ by Dee Brown contains only 2 or 3 pages in reference to the Blackfeet, a book such as _My Life As an Indian_ is a superb addition to one's bookshelf. Recommended.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, December 16, 2000

By 

Greer (Los Altos, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life as an Indian (Native American) (Paperback)

I just came online to see if it was in print. I have had a copy of this book from the 1935 paperback that my Grandfather gave me when I was a boy. Not that I was a boy in 1935, it was actually in the early 70s. . .I was captivated by the stories JW Schultz lived! Helping his friend steal his wife from under the nose of the ever watchful father. It still grips me even today. Alas, my old copy is just that, old. That is how I came to write these words. Ordering a fresh paperback.

I cannot recommend this book more highly!