Information on Native Americans

Since decades I'm interested in Native American history and culture. In the meantime I had several opportunities to visit Indian Reservations in the USA and in Canada. Two journeys were especially planned to visit reservations: 2006 a trip through the large reservations in the central west of the USA. 2010 I was in western Canada and Montana. Understandably it often was difficult to get into contact with people living on the reservations. Anyhow I was able to get a good overview on the situation of the reservations I visited.

Until today I visited the following reservations (links are to homepages of the reservations or tribes):

In the USA: Indian reservations

  • North Carolina

    In Canada:

    • Québec
      • La Nation Waban-aki, Odanak (Abénakis)
      • Wendake (Huron - Wendat)
      • Kanasetake IR (Mohawk)

        When dealing with the culture of Native Americans I got interested in learning old technologies and making copies of Native belongings. Therefore I learned to tan hides, which turned out to be difficult, exhausting and smelling. Nevertheless I managed to tan three deer hides.

        Out of the leather I made a quiver and a pair of moccasins. For that purpose I had to learn to bead pearls on leather.

        For the quiver I needed arrows.

        After accomplishing this I started larger projects. For example I made a feather bonnet and a jacket in Plains Indian style.

        From self tanned leather I sewed a pair of leggings. The pearl beading is new. Tipi BackrestA lot of work was the making of the tipi backrest.

        Pipebagnecklace I just finished this pipebag. Again made according to a historic piece and a necklace.

        necklaceArmbandA necklace and armband

        buckleCoupstickA belt buckle and coupstick

        SattelSattelA big project was this plains indian style (female) saddle

        When possible I bought crafts of artists living on reservations.


        shieldplateStoney shield and Haida plate (B.C.)

        club dancing stickLakota stone club and Dakota dancing stick

        ChokernecklaceLakota choker and necklace.

        necklacearmbandNavaho necklace and armband.

        KachinapipeA Hopi Kachina and Huron - Wendat pipe (Québec)

        RabeFaecher A woodcarved raven of the Carrier Nation (British Columbia) and a fan made out of feathers of the Blackfeet (Montana)

        RasselKetteA rattle of the Blackfoot (Alberta) and a Cherokee necklace

        Over the years I acquainted specialized books on Native Americans. Following is a list.

        Pictoral works

        • P. Richardson Fleming, J. Luskey: Die Nordamerikanischen Indianer in frühen Photographien. München 21992
        • P. Richardson Fleming, J. Luskey: Schattenfänger. Die Indianer Nordamerikas in historischen Meisterphotographien. München 31996
        • J. Cohan Scherer, J. Burton Walker: Indianer. Photodokumente über das Leben der nordamerikanischen Indianer, 1847-1929 aus der Sammlung der Smithonian Institution. Zürich 1975
        • F. Curtis Graybill, V. Boesen: Ein Denkmal für die Indianer. Edward Sheriff Curtis und sein photographisches Werk über die Indianer Nordamerikas. München 1979
        • E. S. Curtis: Chiefs & Warriors. Boston 1996
        • E. S. Curtis: Die Indianer Nordamerikas. Köln 2005
        • A. Hirschfelder: Native Americans. A History in Pictures. New York 2000
        • G. P. Horse Capture, E. Her Many Horses (eds.): A song for the horse nation. Horses in Native American Cultures. Washington 2006
        • Maximilian Prinz zu Wied. Reise in das innere Nordamerikas. Bildtafeln. München o.J.
        • John Francis McDermott: Seth Eastman's Mississippi. A lost portfolio recovered. Urbana 1973
        • A Treasury of Rare Historical Watercolors from the bush of Seth Eastman. America's Pictorial Historian of the Indian. O.O. o.J.

        Classical works

        • H. Hartmann: Catlin und Möllnhausen. Zwei Interpreten der Indianer und des Alten Westens. Berlin 1984
        • G. Catlin: Die Indianer Nordamerikas. o.O., o.J. [1980]
        • George Catlin: Die Indianer Nordamerikas - Skizzenbuch - . München. ca. 1980
        • George Catlin: Die Indianer Nord-Amerikas und die während eines achtjährigen Aufenthalts unter den Wildesten ihrer Stämme erlebten Abenteuer und Schicksale. Nach der 5. engl. Ausgabe Deutsch herausgegeben von Dr. Heinrich Berghaus. Unveränderter Abdruck der Ausgabe von 1851. Kassel 1973
        • H. Künnemann: Wigwams, Büffel, Indianer. Die abenteuerlichen Reisen des Indianer-Malers George Catlin. Würzburg 1969
        • C. W. Ceram: Der erste Amerikaner. Das Rätsel des vor-kolumbianischen Indianers. Reinbek 1972
        • H. Pleticha: Auf der Spur des Roten Mannes. Die schönsten Berichte und Geschichten von Indianern und Westmännern. Würzburg 1975
        • J. Mooney: The Ghost Dance Religion and Wounded Knee. Mineola, ungeküzte Neuauflage 1991 des Originals von 1896
        • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: The Song of Hiawatha with illustrations from designs by Frederic Remington. New York 1968

        Overviews

        • P. Farb: Die Indianer. Entwicklung und Vernichtung eines Volkes. München 1975
        • W. Lindig et al.: Die Indianer. Bd. 1: Nordamerika. München 6. Aufl. 1994
        • O. La Farge: Die Welt der Indianer. Kultur, Geschichte und Kampf eines großen Volkes. Ravensburg 1961
        • A. T. White: The American Indian. New York 1963
        • W. Breu: Verblüffende Rekorde der Indianer. München 1977
        • J. E. Lewis (ed.): The Mammoth Book of Native Americans. The story of America's original inhabitants in all its beauty, magic, truth and tragedy. New York 2004
        • P. Nabokov: Native American Testimony. A chronicle of Indian-White relations from prophecy to the present, 1492-2000. New York 1999
        • Council of Interracial Books for Children (ed): Die Wunden der Freiheit. Der Kampf der Indianer Nordamerikas gegen die weiße Eroberung und Unterdrückung. Selbstzeugnisse, Dokumente, Kommentare. Göttingen 1994
        • M. Moore (ed.): Eating Fire, Tasting Blood. An Anthology of the American Indian Holocaust. New York 2006
        • Harold E. Driver: Indians of North America. Chicago 1961

        "Indian Wars"

        • R. M. Utley, W. E. Washburn: Indian Wars. New York 2002
        • H. J. Viola: Trail to Wounded Knee. The last stand of the Plains Indians 1860-1890. Washington 2003
        • D. Brown: Begrabt mein Herz an der Biegung des Flusses. München 1979
        • C. S. Hagen: Die Indianerkriege. o.O. 1979
        • B. Scott: Blood at Sand Creek. The Massacre revisited. Caldwell 1995
        • T. W. Dunlay: Wolves for the Blue Soldiers. Indian Scouts and Auxiliaries with the United States Army, 1860-90. Lincoln 1987
        • Bruce Hampton: Children of Grace. The Nez Perce War of 1877. Lincoln 1994
        • Charles J. Brill: Custer, Black Kettle, and the Fight on the Washita. Norman 2002
        • R. L. Di Silvestro: In the Shadow of Wounded Knee. The untold story of the Indian Wars. New York 2007

        Indian captivity narratives / narratives of adopted Whites

        • K. Z. Derounian-Stodola (ed.): Women's Indian Captivity Narratives. New York 1998
        • S. Zesch: The Captured. A true story of abduction by Indians on the Texas frontier. New York 2004
        • W. McClintock: Old Indian Trails. An authentic look at Native American life and culture by the adopted son of a Blackfoot chief. Boston 1992

        Plains-Indians

        • E. S. Curtis: The North American Indian. Vol. 3 The Teton Sioux. The Yanktonai. The Assiniboin. Cambridge, USA, 1908
        • R. M. Utley: The Lance and the Shield. The Life and Times of Sitting Bull. New York 1994
        • P. L. Hedren: Sitting Bull's Surrender at Fort Buford. Williston 1997
        • M. Sajna: Crazy Horse. The life behind the legend. Edison 2005
        • J. Starita: Häuptling Dull Knife. Die Geschichte einer Indianerfamilie. München 1996
        • R. Beebe Hill: Hanta Yo. Eine Indianer Saga. Gütersloh 1979
        • R. Erdoes: Büffeljagd und Sonnentanz. Die Prärie-Indianer gestern und heute. Zürich 1980
        • S. Claus: Lakota Stories. Gelnhausen 2007
        • J. Ostler: The Plain Sioux and U.S. Colonialism from Lewis and Clark to Wounded Knee. Cambridge 2006
        • John C. Ewers: Plains Indian History and Culture. Essays on Continuity and Cange. Norman 1997
        • Bill Neeley: The Last Comanche Chief. The Life and Times of Quanah Parker. Hoboken 1995
        • John C. Ewers: The Blackfeet. Raiders on the Northwestern Plains. Norman 1958 (repr. 1998)
        • Eva Gerhards: Blackfoot-Indianer. Buch zur Ausstellung im Staatlichen Museum für Völkerkunde München. Frankfurt, Innsbruck 1980
        • R. Green: A Warrior I have been. Plains Indian Cultures in Transition. Folsom 2004

        Indian reservations, contemporary Indian life

        • J. Gattuso (Hrsg.): Indianerreservate USA. Berlin 1992
        • K. Frantz: Die Indianerreservationen in den USA. Aspekte der territorialen Entwicklung und des sozio-ökonomischen Wandels. Stuttgart 1993
        • M. Crow Dog: Lakota Woman. Die Geschichte einer Sioux-Frau. München 1994
        • C.-L. Reichert: Red Power. Indianisches Sein und Bewußtsein heute. München 1974
        • C. Biegert: Seit 200 Jahren ohne Verfassung. 1976: Indianer im Widerstand. Reinbek 1976
        • P. Baumann: Reise zum Sonnentanz. Indianer zwischen gestern und morgen. Frankfurt 1978
        • Ch. Wilkinson: Blood Struggle. The rise of modern indian nations. New York 2005
        • V. Deloria (ed.): American Indian Policy in the Twentieth Century. Norman 1985
        • S. Claus: Lakota Stories. Gelnhausen 2007
        • R. Kramer: Ich weisser Mann, Du Indianer gut! Meine Abenteuer in der Prärie. Reinbek 2008
        • T. C. McLuhan: Touch the Earth. A Self-Portrait of Indian Existence. New York 1971

        Miscancellous

        • T. Kroeber: Ishi in two Worlds. A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America. Berkekley 1961
        • J. Ehle: Trail of Tears. The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation. New York 1988
        • K. Nerburn: Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce. New York 2005
        • D. Wallace Adams: Education for Extinction. American Indians and the Boarding School Experience 1875-1928. Lawrence 1995
        • C. Niethammer: Töchter der Erde. Legende und Wirklichkeit der Indianerinnen. Göttingen 111995
        • A. Smith: Conquest. Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide. Cambridge 2005
        • Herman J. Viola: Diplomats in Buckskins. A History of Indian Delegations in Washington City. Bluffton 1995
        • Lewis Spence: Mythen der Indianer. Augsburg 1999

        Canada

        • Edward Cavell: Classic Images of Canada's Frist Nations 1850-1920, Surrey 2009 [small pictoral book]
        • H. A. Dempsey: Indians of the Rocky Mountain Parks. Calgary 1998
        • Hugh A. Dempsey: Firewater. The Impact of the Whisky Trade on the Blackfoot Nation. Calgary 2002
        • The Glenbow Museum (ed.): Nitsitapiisinni: The story of the Blackfoot People. Toronto 2001
        • Basil H. Johnston: Indian School Days. Toronto 1989

        updated: June 2011