Arts & Crafts of the Native American Tribes

Johnson (The Encyclopedia of Native Tribes of North America) and Yenne's (Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West) latest volume sheds light on Native American arts and crafts by offering "reviews of significant tribal styles of attire, or of Indian arts and crafts in specified areas.%E2%80%9D Beginning in the Northeast, they move east to west through the Great Plains, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest, with chapters on California and the Pacific Northwest proving especially interesting. Tribes on the West Coast wove baskets for cooking and storage with such skill and passion that their wares were "so fine that they were watertight, making them excellent as utilitarian containers.%E2%80%9D With the help of museums and private collectors around the world, Johnson and Yenne also present pages of stunning images and drawings. Beautifully beaded moccasins, for example, are shown alongside intricate illustrations on how they were sewn and details of 19th- and 20th-century Navajo textile patterns are paired with historical photographs of women at looms. This highly visual publication will be a boon to ethnographers and artists interested in Native American traditions. With more than 400 color photos, illustrations and drawings. (Nov.)