A classic ethnography of continuing importance

A young lord faces off against an ingenious general in an epic fantasy that's "twisty in its political maneuverings, gritty in its battle descriptions, and rich with a sense of heroism and glory." (Publishers Weekly) Beyond the Black River, among the forests and mountains of the north, lives an ancient race of people. Their lives are measured in centuries, not decades; they revel in wilderness and resilience, and they scorn wealth and comfort. By contrast, those in the south live in the moment, their lives more fleeting. They crave wealth and power; their ambition is limitless, and their cunning unmatched. When the armies of the south flood across the Black river, the fragile peace between the two races is shattered. On a lightning-struck battlefield, the two sides will fight -- for their people, for their land, for their very survival.

With the seasons of the year as a backdrop, author Diane Holliday describes what life was like for a Ho-Chunk girl who lived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Central to the story is the movement of Mountain Wolf Woman and her family in and around Wisconsin. Like many Ho-Chunk people in the mid-1800s, Mountain Wolf Woman's family was displaced to Nebraska by the U.S. government. They later returned to Wisconsin but continued to relocate throughout the state as the seasons changed to gather and hunt food. Based on her own autobiography as told to anthropologist Nancy Lurie, Mountain Wolf Woman's words are used throughout the book to capture her feelings and memories during childhood. Author Holliday draws young readers into this Badger Biographies series book by asking them to think about how the lives of their ancestors and how their lives today compare to the way Mountain Wolf Woman lived over a hundred years ago.

The perfect reference book for everyday use, it provides definitions written in clear, jargon-free language readily accessible to every level of reader.

Despite the political instability characterizing twentieth-century Taiwan, the value of baseball in the lives of Taiwanese has been a constant since the game was introduced in 1895. The game first gained popularity on the island under the Japanese occupation, and that popularity continued after World War II despite the withdrawal of the Japanese and an official lack of support from the new state power, the Chinese Nationalist Party.

With the aid of more than 40 myths from the oral traditions of 30 native American tribes, ranging from the Eskimos to the Indians of Guiana, Pijoan invites readers to take a close look at the common spirit that binds together all forms of life.The native American heroes and heroines in these myths, imbued with the strength of this common spirit, possess the power to transform themselves into snakes, birds, bears, wolves, and occasionally as in the Sikyatki tale, Water Jar Boy into everyday objects.