The Encyclopedia of Native American Religions: A Comprehensive Guide to the Spiritual Traditions and Practices of North American Indians

The Encyclopedia of Native American Religions is the first in-depth, one-volume reference for the general reader that explores this fascinating subject, reclaiming it from the periphery of American religious and historical study. Despite a long history of suppression by governments and missionaries, many Native American beliefs and spiritual traditions have endured as dignified, profound, viable and richly faceted religions. The encyclopedia's broad scope encompasses major religious systems, well-documented ceremonies, and legislation and court cases affecting Native American religious belief. More than 1,200 entries in this work describe traditional beliefs and practices, the consequences of contact with Europeans and other Americans, the forms Native American religions take today, and many notable individual figures connected with Native American religious life and thought. There are extensive entries on sacred objects; religious societies; Navajo, Pueblo and Yaqui ceremonialism; Peyote religion; religious leaders such as Handsome Lake, Black Elk, Wovoka, Pretty Shield, and Ruby Modesto; Mission organizations; and hundreds more.

In the foreword to this revised edition of a standard encyclopedia, Walter R. Echo-Hawk writes, "For Native peoples, cultural survival depends on the traditional religions that have been the glue holding Indian tribes and Native communities together in the face of great adversities over the centuries." According to the preface, the goal of the volume is to address "the lack of reliable information about Native American religion in conventional reference books about religion in North America."

Entries, which are easy to read and informative, cover spiritual traditions of Native peoples, consequences of contact with the Europeans, biographies of Native American religious practitioners, biographies of missionaries, descriptions of important ceremonies, and other topics. Arrangement is alphabetical, but content is indexed by various categories in the subject index; for example, "Ceremonies by Tribe and Religion," "Court Cases" (new to this revision), "Native American Religious Leaders by Tribe," and "Sacred Sites."

Although a number of books have been published in the last few years pertaining to various aspects of Native American religious traditions, including Encyclopedia of Native American Shamanism [RBB Mr 15 99] and Native American Religious Identity (Orbis, 1998), none has this volume's broad usefulness. The revised version is similar to the 1992 edition in many respects; however, it gains in the coverage of the various court cases aimed at saving or reclaiming Native tribal lands and protection of Native sacred sites. In addition, the extensive bibliography has been updated.

This reasonably priced volume is recommended for public-library, school, and undergraduate reference collections.
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