George Bird Grinnell’s classic and monumental work on the Cheyenne Indians was trimmed into 240 fully-illustrated pages in a 2008 edition (editor: Joseph A. Fitzgerald) by World Wisdom titled The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Lifeways. This review submitted by reader Samuel Bendeck Sotillos picks out several salient points of the book and stresses the special social and spiritual nature of the civilization studied by Grinnell.

This article considers the ways in which seemingly unrelated animals and ideas are connected in the views and magic of the Oglala Sioux. Their attention to such things as whirlwind, cocoons and bison factor into their use of magic and protective powers by the association understood to be between them. Just as the cocoon is a protective covering for the caterpillar as it is gradually receiving the power of wind and flight, so the Oglala use the power of whirlwind to inflict confusion on their enemies for the sake of obtaining victory. Joseph Epes Brown examines the symbolism of several animals, such as the elk and spider, and includes some illustrations taken from traditional Oglala drawings. He concludes with the observation that the linking of everyday creatures and phenomena with supernatural realities account for the strong sense of the sacred that is a central characteristic of traditional Indian lifeways.

This article considers the ways in which seemingly unrelated animals and ideas are connected in the views and magic of the Oglala Sioux. Their attention to such things as whirlwind, cocoons and bison factor into their use of magic and protective powers by the association understood to be between them. Just as the cocoon is a protective covering for the caterpillar as it is gradually receiving the power of wind and flight, so the Oglala use the power of whirlwind to inflict confusion on their enemies for the sake of obtaining victory. Joseph Epes Brown examines the symbolism of several animals, such as the elk and spider, and includes some illustrations taken from traditional Oglala drawings. He concludes with the observation that the linking of everyday creatures and phenomena with supernatural realities account for the strong sense of the sacred that is a central characteristic of traditional Indian lifeways.

Hultkrantz argues that religion always “borrows its expressions from the setting or milieu in which man appears,” using examples taken from the Shoshoni culture. Linguistically, the Shoshoni classify animals in relation to their cultural importance. For instance, the buffalo (a very important food source) has several names, some depending on the age and sex of the animal. Different body parts of the buffalo also have different names. However, ravens and crows (of little cultural importance) are both classified under the same name. In this article, Hultrantz argues that this linguistic feature carries over into Shoshoni religious beliefs, as well, and that the Shoshoni also classify animals in relation to natural and supernatural reality. The essay includes a particularly interesting examination of the two types of soul that, according to the Shoshoni, belong to man and, unlike other animals, to the bear as well.

Brown’s article deals with three main points. First, the essential values of the Plains Indians and the “universal quality of the underlying values” which “constitute for these original Americans a valid dialect of what has been called the Religio Perennis.” Secondly, the question of whether it is possible with the constant assault of the modern world, for this way of cultural and spiritual life to continue? Thirdly, the author’s contemporary assessment of the situation of the wellbeing of the North American Plains Indian spiritual life.

This essay portrays the sacrificial Sun Dance of the North American nomadic Indians performed as an act of union with the Divine. It continues with a thorough description of the rhythmic dance itself, which allows the participant the crucial power needed in order to fully unite with the Universe. Schuon illustrates several other symbols that recreate this cosmic circle and connect it with the Sun Dance, including: the central tree, the rites of the Sacred Pipe, and the sacral image of the Feathered Sun.

Edited by Roger C. Owen, James J. F. Deetz, and Anthony D. Fisher, Whitall N. Perry reviews The North American Indians: A Sourcebook. It is “a compilation of articles from scientific studies that cover specialized aspects of Indian culture” and is “directed less to lovers of Indians than to lovers of anthropology.” The reviewer seems to find its “excesses of erudition” and lack of photographs irritating, but overall, is very impressed with the range of articles presented as well as the comprehensive list of educational films and bibliography.