Customer Reviews

The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is an excellent introduction to the history and ways of Montana's Salish people. The previous (3 star!?!?!?) review took issue with the fact that the admittedly excellent book doesn't fit well on his coffee table or bookshelf. boo hoo! Set aside a special place for this wonderful volume full of interesting insights, history, and beautiful pictures.

Let me start by saying that I am pleased to own this book. An article published at the time of its release noted that it was the first of a series that the University of Nebraska is planning on American Indian tribes. If so, I will own the others as well. However, this is a book of contradictions, a fact that also complicates efforts to understand or review it. It is nicely illustrated in the style of a coffee table volume. Yet, its size and shape match few other books on my coffee table or book shelves. At first glance it looks as if it might end up on the coffee table, but the reader will find that it is much more. It is a serious cultural account of Salish history, with the tribe overseeing the content and drawing upon the elders for subject matter. The authors have inserted many phonetic representations of Salish words that, while fully explained, will interrupt the flow for casual readers. It is a mixed blessing that this book has attached itself to the Lewis and Clark theme. This book is a useful addition to the Lewis and Clark source material. True, exploiting the Lewis and Clark bicentennial will probably increase acceptance and sales. However, it obscures the broader cultural scope of the book and unfortunately will date it. Each Native American tribe (nation) has its own unique cultural history; and the cultures vary greatly. A series of books such as this, each devoted to a single tribe, will be a valuable addition to American cultural literature. It is extremely unfortunate that few non-Indians in America have more than a rudimentary understanding of our fellow citizens that we call Native Americans. This book is at a readable level that may expand American knowledge of Native Americans. On the other hand, like all of the tribes, the Salish culture is tremendously broad and deep; this book is only an introduction.