Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South (Paperback)

~ Richard F. Townsend (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Stunning...impressive collection...give[s] added meaning to extraordinary works of art...an outstanding addition to the literature of ancient America. -- American Archaeology

Product Description

Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand
American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South
Edited by Richard F. Townsend
Groundbreaking discoveries about the art and cultures of ancient Native Americans in the midwest and southeast United States

Along the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi Rivers, the archaeological remains of earthen pyramids, plazas, large communities, and works of art and artifacts testify to Native American civilizations that thrived there between 3000 B.C. and A.D. 1500. This fascinating book presents exciting new information on the art and cultures of these ancient peoples and features hundreds of gorgeous photographs of important artworks, artifacts, and ritual objects excavated from Amerindian archaeological sites.
Drawing on excavation findings and extensive research, the contributors to the book document a succession of distinct ancient populations in the pre-Columbian world of the American Midwest and Southeast. A team of interdisciplinary scholars examines the connections between archaeological remains of different regions and the themes, forms, and rituals that continue in specific tribes of today. The book also includes the personal reflections of contemporary Native Americans who discuss their perspectives on the significance of the fascinating and beautiful prehistoric artifacts as well as their own cultural practices today.
F This book is the catalogue for an exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago (November 20, 2004 to January 30, 2005); The Saint Louis Art Museum (February to May, 2005); and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (June to September, 2005).

Richard F. Townsend is curator of African and Amerindian art at The Art Institute of Chicago.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; illustrated edition edition (October 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300106017
• ISBN-13: 978-0300106015
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9 x 0.8 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: #484,241 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Eye-Opening, Mind-Expanding Treasure, November 9, 2004

By	William Kowinski (Arcata, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South (Hardcover)

The sheer number of gorgeous images in this book is breathtaking. But for many readers I suspect the most astonishing image might be a fairly simple one on page 17: a rendering of a orderly semicircle of structures facing a river, it is a city in Louisiana----in 1500 B.C. This book reveals Native American civilizations rivaling what we know of the Maya and Inca, but in the heartland of North America.

In the south and Midwest a series of sophisticated cultures left behind artifacts and even structures that we are just now beginning to study and understand. For example, the Hopewell site in Ohio, where "the most dramatic" sacred structures were "geometric in form and combined circular, oval, square, octagonal, or other elements in compositions covering hundreds of acres."

The artistry of the artifacts presented here is amazing, and this book has a generous selection of large, excellent photographs. But the prose is equally good: intelligent but intelligible, often with an interesting narrative. Even the occasional semiotic language is used as vocabulary rather than jargon. Not only does this book explore so much about these next-to-unknown cultures, but it provides an exemplary context of explaining a worldview shared by many Native cultures and peoples. Although this is a scholarly presentation based on a traveling art exhibit, it is pretty graceful about integrating contemporary Native views and information. It's only in recent years that scholars have taken the testimony of contemporary Native Americans about their own culture as seriously as they take their own theories about old artifacts that survived.

For all of these reasons I count this book as instantly one of my most treasured.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a pretty book , March 19, 2005

By	Smallchief - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is a spectacularly beautiful book. Hundreds of exquisite photographs of Indian pottery and other pre-historic artifacts, plus maps, drawings, and paintings illustrate the text.

The illustrations accompany about 20 essays on the Indians of southern and midwestern United States from archaic times until contact with Europeans. The essays vary in quality and interest, but most are well written in scholarly but accessible prose. The contributors include anthropologists, art historians, folklorists, and members of several Indian tribes. Footnotes and a substantial bibliography round out a scholarly and artistic book of real merit.

Throughout the book the continuity of ancient Indian cultures with those known to the Europeans is emphasized. One of the most interesting essays concerns the people of Cahokia, the largest Northamerican archaelogical site dating from about 1200 AD, in which the author speculates about the identity of the inhabitants, relating them to present day Indian tribes. Other essays concern the Bread Dance of the Shawnee Indians -- written by a Shawnee -- and the cultural continuity from pre-historic to present day Caddo Indians. Hopewell, Poverty Point, Moundville, and other important pre-historic Indian cultures are also given meticulous attention.

Smallchief

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hero, Hawk, February 18, 2005

By	Seldon Bradley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South (Hardcover)

I saw the show in Chicago!!! Amazingly, the book, due to the excellent phothgraphy and printing comes close to the gallery experience. The text is insightful. A definite buy. I bought the book at the museum shop($60) and immediately purchased two copies for friends from my favorite bookseller - Mother Amazon!