When Christopher Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492, what he discovered were the Taino Indians. Told from a young Taino boy's point of view, this is a story of how the boy tried to warn his people against welcoming the strangers, who seemed more interested in golden ornaments than friendship. Years later the boy, now an old man, looks back at the destruction of his people and their culture by the colonizers.

From the perspective of Western modernity, humanity inhabits a disenchanted cosmos. Gods, spirits, and ancestors have left us for a transcendent beyond, no longer living in our midst and being involved in all matters of everyday life from the trivial to the dire. Yet the vast majority of cultures throughout human history treat spirits as very real persons, members of a cosmic society who interact with humans and control their fate. In most cultures, even today, people are but a small part of an enchanted universe misconstrued by the transcendent categories of “religion” and the “supernatural.” The New Science of the Enchanted Universe shows how anthropologists and other social scientists must rethink these cultures of immanence and study them by their own lights. In this, his last, revelatory book, Marshall Sahlins announces a new method and sets an exciting agenda for the field. He takes readers around the world, from Inuit of the Arctic Circle to pastoral Dinka of East Africa, from Araweté swidden gardeners of Amazonia to Trobriand Island horticulturalists. In the process, Sahlins sheds new light on classical and contemporary ethnographies that describe these cultures of immanence and reveals how even the apparently mundane, all-too-human spheres of “economics” and “politics” emerge as people negotiate with, and ultimately usurp, the powers of the gods.

Describes simple inventions used by the American Indians to make their life comfortable; tells how these same processes are applied to develop more sophisticated inventions today; and includes simple experiments to duplicate early Indian technology.

Describes simple inventions used by Eskimos to make their life comfortable; tells how these same processes are applied to develop more sophisticated or modern inventions today; and includes simple experiments to duplicate the early Eskimo technology.

Describes the findings of Smithsonian Institution scientists and other investigators regarding the Adena, Hopewell, and Temple Mound Peoples--the Mound Builders

This collection of stories and memories, suitable for adolescents, offers a perspective on both traditional and contemporary ways of California Indians. Some stories are from old reports and books, and some are from people of today. The introduction ties the wide variety of Indians that live in California to the variety of landscape and climate. Before the arrival of outsiders, over 100 languages were spoken in California. Subjects range from descriptive and informational topics, such as how marriages were arranged and how acorns were cooked, to larger concepts, such as the importance of family compared to the insignificance of the individual. The Indian belief that all things are alive in the same way that humans are alive explains why all things are viewed as sacred and why religion is very much a part of everyday life. Leaders were chosen because they were respected, and ruled by getting everyone to agree rather than by strength. Wars were small because winners had to give gifts for the people they had killed. A chapter on growing up Indian discusses family, nonformal learning, childhood games, reminiscences of childhood, toys, teaching-stories, learning to hunt, becoming a woman or man, and getting married. An index, a map of Native California, over 80 photographs, and a list of California Indian resources are included. (TD)

This study of the struggles for recognition and justice by the Gitksan-Wet'suwet'en Indian peoples of northwestern British Columbia, includes profiles of their leadership, history, culture, beliefs and folklore, and describes the progress of their land claims.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Complete digitally restored reprint (facsimile) of the original edition of 1937 with excellent resolution and outstanding readability. Illustrated with over 100 drawings, photos and maps. Alexander Alexandrovich Goldenweiser was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1880. He emigrated to the United States in 1900. He studied anthropology under Franz Boas, and earned his AB degree from Columbia University in 1902, his AM degree in 1904, and his Ph.D. in 1910. Professor Goldenweiser taught at the following institutions: Lecturer, Anthropology, Columbia University, 1910-1919; New School for Social Research, NY, 1919-1926; Lecturer, Rand School of Social Science, 1915-1929; Professor, Thought and Culture, Oregon State System of Higher Education, Portland Extension, 1930-1938; Visiting Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1937-1938; Professor, University of Washington, 1923; Visiting Professor of Sociology, Reed College, 1933-1939. He died on July 6, 1940, in Portland, Oregon.