Native American Architecture (Paperback)

~ (Author), Robert Easton (Author) "In 1524, on the shores of Narragansett Bay, the Italian seafarer Giovanni da Verrazano became the first European on record to visit an Atlantic coast..." (more)
Key Phrases: clan beds, roofing mats, conical wigwam, New Mexico, Sun Dance, Rio Grande (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I am delighted to have this outstanding book available in paperback for course use! The lavish illustrations, authoritative text, clear organization, and useful maps and diagrams make this an ideal introduction to Native American modes of dwelling on the earth."--Pauline Strong, University of Texas at Austin

"...the authors have combined historical, archeological, and ethnographic data with their own extensive field experience to present an enlightening narrative."--Religious Studies Review

"A very sensitive contribution to worldwide ethnic architecture. A great book."--Michael Reinschmidt, Ph.D., California State University

"Excellent resource material and quite interesting....A beautiful book as well."--Kathryn Stewart-Kalboch, Montana State University

"A unique book, very well down....An interesting book around which to develop a course on North American Indians....A real bargain."--Jonathan E. Reyman, Illinois State University

"Briskly analytical and objective....Impressive in its scope, covering everything from the wigwams and longhouses of North Eastern North America to the pueblos and kivas of the Southwest....There is enough detail for the specialist and enough explanation for the general reader. It is a beautiful book and a bargain for the price."--American Studies International

"Nabokov and Easton's book is a feast....It would be worth buying for the illustrations alone, well presented and printed....The writing is clear and readable, giving a good indication of the flavor of the numerous sources."--The Architectural Review

"Native American building types and village planning are thproughly documented and analyzed within the context of ritual, religion, and culture."--Progressive Architecture

"A thoroughly researched and extensively illustrated guide to the varied histories of native building, urban planning, engineering and iconography."--Ottawa Citizen

"Excellent in every way....Already the standard general reference on the subject, and will surely be the encyclopedia to which everyone refers in the future. The contents are presented with remarkable verbal clarity and with such excelletnt illustrations that both mature academics and intelligent school children can profit from the book."--Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians

Product Description

For many people, Native American architecture calls to mind the wigwam, tipi, iglu, and pueblo. Yet the richly diverse building traditions of Native Americans encompass much more, including specific structures for sleeping, working, worshipping, meditating, playing, dancing, lounging, giving birth, decision-making, cleansing, storing and preparing food, caring for animals, and honoring the dead. In effect, the architecture covers all facets of Indian life.

The collaboration between an architect and an anthropologist, Native American Architecture presents the first book-length, fully illustrated exploration of North American Indian architecture to appear in over a century. Peter Nabokov and Robert Easton together examine the building traditions of the major tribes in nine regional areas of the continent from the huge plank-house villages of the Northwest Coast to the moundbuilder towns and temples of the Southeast, to the Navajo hogans and adobe pueblos of the Southwest. Going beyond a traditional survey of buildings, the book offers a broad, clear view into the Native American world, revealing a new perspective on the interaction between their buildings and culture. Looking at Native American architecture as more than buildings, villages, and camps, Nabokov and Easton also focus on their use of space, their environment, their social mores, and their religious beliefs.

Each chapter concludes with an account of traditional Indian building practices undergoing a revival or in danger today. The volume also includes a wealth of historical photographs and drawings (including sixteen pages of color illustrations), architectural renderings, and specially prepared interpretive diagrams which decode the sacred cosmology of the principal house types.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 25, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195066650
• ISBN-13: 978-0195066654
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #421,103 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Native Homes as Sacred Spaces, July 24, 2005

By	R. Lallatin "Burningwater" (Mojave Desert) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent bioregional overview of Native American structures. What I appreciate most is the way the authors have actually shown HOW the structures were made, sometimes in actual step-by-step procedures, which would allow someone to actually build in that style and using many of the same natural materials today. Another thing I love about the book is that the authors have sincerely tried to understand my Native American relationships to all the materials and the sacredness of the spaces we created. The authors treat that understanding with respect and honor. In this day when material resources are dwindling at alarming rates and the Earth is being devastated by the mindless rape of resources, it is a reminder to us all that we can choose alternatives to conventional wood-frame homes and return to more sustainable and natural housing for our respective bioregions. This book, though maybe not necessarily intended as such, is a hands-on, how-to book for us all. It reminds us that Native Americans lived in harmony and balance with our lands and our local plant and animal family for tens of thousands of years without destroying the places in which we lived. The photographs are instructive and beautiful and the architectural-type drawings are a delight. They make the actual building of these structures possible. I use parts of this book as required reading for all my students, especially my graduate students, and have taught actual classes using this book as the text, though it is not written in a "textbook" style. It is a very readable book and most useful for these times. I recommend it highly to all.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant Survival Solutions, March 6, 2006

By	EternalSeeker (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

More than a testament to Native American artistic vision and ingenuity, this book is a delightful resource for survivalists as well as historians - and for those who would just like to find ideas for less technological ways of building simple dwellings. Well illustrated with diagrams, photos and how-to drawings for constructing shelters in many different climates and with various resource limitations. Excellent, fun to read and full of eye openning ideas.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete guide to North American shelters, August 12, 2008

By	Outside - See all my reviews

This book is well written, and finely illustrated. Historical photos and accurate descriptions of the structures illustrate not only how Native Americans lived, but how they built their homes, shelters and camps. This book is valuable for the historian, survivalist and primitive technologist among others. Well worth the cost!