Ornately decorated objects created by Dakota women -- cradleboards, clothing, animal skin containers -- served more than a utilitarian function. They tell the story of colonization, genocide, and survival. Colette Hyman traces the changes in the lives of Dakota women, starting before the arrival of whites and covering the fur trade years, the years of treaties and shrinking lands, the brutal time of removal, starvation, and shattered families after 1862, and then the transition to reservation life, when missionaries and government agents worked to turn the Dakota into Christian farmers. The decorative work of Dakota women reflected all of this: native organic dyes and quillwork gave way to beading and needlework, items traditionally decorated for family gifts were also produced to sell to tourists and white collectors, work on cradleboards and animal skin bags shifted to the ornamenting of hymnals and the creation of star quilts.

Warrior culture has long been an important facet of Plains Indian life. For Kiowa Indians, military societies have special significance. They serve not only to honor veterans and celebrate and publicize martial achievements but also to foster strong role models for younger tribal members. To this day, these societies serve to maintain traditional Kiowa values, culture, and ethnic identity. Previous scholarship has offered only glimpses of Kiowa military societies. William C. Meadows now provides a detailed account of the ritual structures, ceremonial composition, and historical development of each society: Rabbits, Mountain Sheep, Horses Headdresses, Black Legs, Skunkberry /Unafraid of Death, Scout Dogs, Kiowa Bone Strikers, and Omaha, as well as past and present women’s groups. Two dozen illustrations depict personages and ceremonies, and an appendix provides membership rosters from the late 1800s. The most comprehensive description ever published on Kiowa military societies, this work is unmatched by previous studies in its level of detail and depth of scholarship. It demonstrates the evolution of these groups within the larger context of American Indian history and anthropology, while documenting and preserving tribal traditions.

Presents a collection of Native American mythology from various tribes including their different perspectives on how the earth was started and how it will end.

Benjamin Kracht's Kiowa Belief and Ritual, a collection of materials gleaned from Santa Fe Laboratory of Anthropology field notes and augmented by Alice Marriott's field notes, significantly enhances the existing literature concerning Plains religions.

EBook Bundle containing Books One to Three in the Crossroads Keeper series. Greek gods of myth and legend mingle with supernatural creatures of fantasy in this modern series filled with adventure, snarky humor, a smidge of romance, and new-found family ties. Hecate's Heir - Book One Alex discovers she is heir to a goddess's creation ... and the goddess needs her help to save it. When a Crossroads Keeper is murdered, Alex inherits a legacy in a supernatural world she never knew existed. A fireside chat with the goddess Hecate binds Alex to a Crossroads as its Keeper. Apparently, its a learn or die kind of job... Soon, nightmares powerful enough to kill plague her dreams and undead souls from the Underworld attack her Crossroads. Alex is forced to investigate the darkness threatening her Crossroads and her new supernatural community. Aided by her magical Familiar, Larry, a snarky, sassy pink-eared poodle, and Conor, a too-sexy Hellhound Barghest shifter, plus a quirky supernatural posse, Alex must bring the battle to the Underworld ... or risk divine chaos conquering all the realms. Persephone's Problem - Book Two A wayward goddess with a problem lover, a treacherous Fae prince, and a surprise visit from a trio of long-lost relatives nixes Alex's wish for a quiet life. Persephone knew her affair with the Fae prince wasn't a good idea, but she's a sucker for a handsome face and polite manners. When the prince demands she use her powerful divine magic to help him stage a royal coup, the goddess calls in a favor and dumps the brewing mess in Alex's lap. Before Alex can deal with Persephone's problem, the Fates descend on the Crossroads for a surprise visit with their newest niece. Alex soon learns that the magic she inherited from her divine grandfather, Chronos, is vastly more dangerous than anyone suspected ... even the gods. Alex must use every scrap of her abysmal diplomacy skills and new-found death magic to wrangle her crazy new relatives, referee Persephone's boyfriend problem, and prevent a bloody war for the Fae throne before it spills over into the Crossroads and endangers her heart family ... and everyone else in its path. Demeter's Dilemma - Book Three Alex is summoned to a dinner party with the gods on Mount Olympus. What could possibly go wrong? Just about everything... Busy juggling death magic training with the Fates, ignoring ominous texts from her estranged mother, and fighting with an over-protective Hellhound lover, Alex doesn't have time for socializing, but she can't really say no when a cranky cherub delivers Zeus's dinner invite. Before Alex can choose her dress for the divine dinner party, a goddess with a dilemma descends on the Crossroads, demanding that Alex skip the dinner party, as death is on the menu ... for both of them. The rebellion amongst the gods is heating up and an attack on the only Keeper alive who can help Alex learn the truth about her unique powers leaves Alex with no choice. She must rally her supernatural posse to take on an old enemy and save a new friend, but using her dangerous new death magic might just be the end of everything. Greek gods of myth and legend mingle with supernatural creatures of fantasy in this modern series filled with adventure, snarky humor, a smidge of romance, and new-found family ties.