Grade 5 Up-Beginning with an introductory chapter on health, harmony, and happiness, Wolfson discusses plant medicines, the making of a medicine man, ceremonies, sacred objects, and other healers. Unfortunately, the attempt to provide an overview of practices for many tribes, rather than focusing on just one or two, results in often incomplete or inaccurate information. Frequently, the tribe is not specified, leaving readers with the generic "Indian" story or custom. At other times, the practices are attributed to the wrong groups-Glooscap is not an Iroquois giant; agricultural peoples did not hold ceremonies to "honor weather spirits." These seemingly minor errors, compounded with other misleading information, help to foster confusion and negative images. In the chapter on plants, for example, the author states that "...none of them is recommended for use." Yet she goes on to state how many of these same plants are used today as part of the modern pharmacopoeia. The glossary contains ethnocentric words ("advanced civilizations"), oversimplified information (equating manitou, orenda, wakan tanka, and tirawa, as if they were all synonymous), and reveals Wolfson's poor grasp of native languages. Perhaps the most harmful and subtle error throughout the text-and glossary-is the persistence in talking about these people in the past tense. All of these tribes still exist today, yet readers are given the impression that very little of what is being discussed is still taking place. The conclusion does mention some contemporary instances, but this information is not well integrated throughout the book.
Lisa Mitten, University of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-8. Wolfson begins by explaining how Native Americans have traditionally viewed health as part of their spiritual lives. While some of their herbal remedies were adopted by Western medicine fairly quickly, their larger vision of health in an interconnected universe is only now gaining some measure of acceptance. After describing a number of common plants and how they were used in healing, the book explains the roles, practices, training, ceremonies, and sacred objects of medicine men in a variety of tribes. While the book is written largely in the past tense, it shows that Native American medicine is alive and well today, both in the traditional practices and in its influence on healers from other cultures. Clearly written and spiced with anecdotes, this provides a view of another way of thinking as well as concrete information about medical practices. To be illustrated. Carolyn Phelan
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