Encyclopedia of Native American Religions: An Introduction (Facts on File Library of American History)

Describes traditional beliefs and worship practices, the consequences of contact with Europeans and other Americans, and the forms of Native American religions take today.

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.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved