The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Fall 2001, Volume 47, Number 4
Gregg Hennessey, Editor
Book Notes
Kyle E. Ciani, Reviews Editor
Native North America.
By Larry J. Zimmerman and Brian Leigh Molyneaux. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000. Maps, color and historical photographs, glossary, Bibliography, index, 184 Pages, $12.95 paperback.
This attractive, colorful little book is designed to introduce the general reader to the great variety of cultures and lifestyles of Native North Americans. In short (often two, sometimes four pages long) sections, the authors cover some broad outlines of the history of Indians on the continent, explore cultures by region, and then explain Native cosmology and ceremony. They conclude with material on contemporary Native American life, ranging from casinos to modern curing beliefs. Because of the format, the reader will not be left with a structured, logical view of Indians, but with a rapid moving series of images designed to illustrate the variety of North American Indian life. There is a logical inconsistency in that the authors clearly want to celebrate the diversity of Indian cultures, but at the same time, try to generalize about all Natives in extremely short essays.
