Turtle Island Alpha : A Lexicon of Native American Symbols and Culture

Presents symbols and images central to Native American culture and urges readers to use the legacy of Native American history to interpret the future

Turtle Island is an Indian name for the earth. In this elegant volume, Hausman ( Meditations with the Navajo ) examines major themes of Native American culture as observed in poetry, experience and collective memory. The entries go beyond simple definitions to brief essays on games, houses, blankets, medicine, religion. We learn that the cradle was a sacred object among the Pueblo, the frame notched to record the number of children who had slept in it. Games stem from ancient rituals derived from the hunt. Bead- and quill-work, once dying crafts, have been revived. The 150 illustrations and the volume's design enhance Hausman's lyrical text.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hausman has produced a list of some 50 common Native American terms, artifacts, objects, and concepts in an illustrated dictionary format. This book is not intended to be a dictionary like John Stoutenberg Jr.'s classic Dictionary of the American Indian ( LJ 2/15/60), but rather a sensitive examination of these words as seen through the cultural eye of Native Americans. The "story" of each word is presented in art, poetry, and text giving the reader an explanation of how this word has been historically and mythically passed down through centuries of Native American storytelling. Objects and artifacts are described practically with a history of their use and development. All terms are given a mythological explanation indicating the word's significance to society. This fascinating browser for general readers is a unique mix of art, explanation, and philosophy.
- Bruce Alan Hanson, Wayzata East Junior H.S. Lib., Minn.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.