Wisdom's Daughters: Conversations with Women Elders of Native America

Wall, who with Harvey Arden coauthored Wisdomkeepers , continues to explore Native American spirituality, this time focusing on women. First-person testimonies by 13 female spiritual leaders from various nations combine with photographs under Wall's breathless endorsement: ``I realized I was at the deepest level of human discourse,'' he declares. Some interviewees are well-spoken and discuss specific aspects of ceremonial life. Others, however, make platitudinous or even glib remarks: ``The reason AIDS is here is to show us how to love,'' a woman utters in one of many statements emphasized in outsized type. While these female elders are identified by nation and by locale, Wall provides so little biographical information and historical context that his subjects mainly seem to serve as New Age totems, expressing love for the land, decrying white influence and--in another large-type profundity--announcing that ``we are not to judge.'' Photos not seen by PW. (June)