Teachings from the American Earth: Indian Religion and Philosophy

By Barbara Tedlock, Dennis & Tedlock

Book Overview

This collection of writings is from authors who are either Indians who have tried to make themselves heard, or whites who have tried to hear Indians. The first part of the book emphasizes the practical and includes Isaac Tens's Career of the Medicine Man. The second section concentrates on the theoretical and contains Benjamin Lee Whorf's American Indian Model of the Universe and chapters on Indian metaphysics, among other things. In addition to an introductory essay on the Indian's stance towards reality, the editors have contributed chapters entitled The Clown's Way and An American Indian View of Death.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871401460
• ISBN13: 9780871401465
• Release Date: July 1992
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Highly entertaining, wholly unserious

The author is a medicine man who claims to speak for all indigenous Americans. Normally I would condemn such a stance but he is so high on his own delusions, and genuinely believes what he says that it goes full circle and becomes harmless again. The author firmly believes he has magic powers from other realms of reality and he chronicles his personal magic practice. Nonetheless some of his insights and perspectivss are genuinely and unironically insightful. 80% hilarity, 10% wtf, 10% insightful culture

Native American Religion

This is the best collection of essays on Native American Religion & Philosophy. The introduction by the Tedlocks is a classic statement that has been cited often.