Crafts and Skills of the Native Americans: Tipis, Canoes, Jewelry, Moccasins, and More

It wasn't knock-your-socks off awesome, and it wasn't totally a waste. Purchased it for $0.99 as a Kindle book, so I was pretty satisfied. It has a pretty rough and ready, basic decription of multiple topics. I skipped the chapters on beading and stuff like that 'cause I'm just not interested in that. It did have a small section on making bows, among other weapons, which I was interested in. I also was interested in reading the section on making shelters, not only the stereotypical 'tipi'. Again, the instructions were no super-easy to follow but they also won't overly wordy or super long...brevity has it's price. I'm pretty sure if I actually had the materials in front of me, and was methodical about reading the instructions several times, all the way through (firstly before I got my materials, then just before I started, then again as I was working through the process as needed), I probably would come out with a reasonable result. I was happy to read the author's note asking that people respect the traditions and individual importance of what native peoples have already painted onto their tipis, it reinforced what one of my random college classes had mentioned: quite often the designs seen on tipis that are 'traditional' are as personal and individual as a diary and a fingerprint... so please, folks, instead of copying someone else's design, use it as inspiration and create your own design if you decorate your tipi.I haven't covered every topic in my review which is covered in the book. I'd advise taking advantage of the preview/sample or 'look inside' option to get a better feel for this book (or any book!) before you buy it.I wouldn't spend more than $5-6 on the book, unless I could definitely look at every page before I purchased it to see if it was going to be worth it for my situation and needs. However, at 99 cents, I feel it was well worth the gamble.

This book covers a wide variety of skills, from tracking to making tools. The directions aren't too detailed though - it just has the most basic information. For example, starting a fire with a bow drill is far more detailed than they portray it here.

This book has been a great teaching aid for my 2 granddaughters. My husband and I teach them about their native culture as often as we can. They love to learn about the elders ways.

It is a bare bones how to do it; from how to build shelters to all you need to know about camping out using indian style knowhow. the drawings are okay but get a good field guide as opposed to using the identify edible plants chapters, and the tracks ID for animals. there is some beadwork, clothing, and decoration here but no real background aside from very short descriptions. there is a nice bit on tanning leather and tool making but it is pretty basic and will depend more on practice than the instruction given.

This book can be better if it has more detailed drawings and photos of the things it is showing us how to do and a better understanding what it means when showing how it's done.

This is a great resource book, plainly written and easy to follow with nice hand drawings. Now I will find a hard copy to add to our vast collection of American Indian history. My Spouse demonstrates many of the listed skills for the local community and schools. This will make a great gift for him, and a source material to recommend to inquiring minds. We live in Cherokee Nation.

So far, I have skim-read the book. It appears to contrain a lot of valuable information, although much of it can be gotten from other sources. But, it is a good read and saves me a lot of time researching individual topics.

I was looking for a craft and skill book for upper elementary students. Although this book has many wonderful ideas, most of it was not useful for individual and small group projects for this grade level. This book is more appropriate, in my opinion, for individuals or groups who have lots of time for the projects.

Excellent thank you

This book is terrible, it reads more like a class project, and the drawings match. There are almost no instructions, just terribly unhelpful pictures. I really hate to leave bad reviews, especially on books, but don’t buy this.

Good