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From rock art in New Mexico used for spiritual purposes for 3,000 years to a recently rediscovered shaman's cave in the Mojave Desert, Sacred Lands of Indian America celebrates in words and vivid photographs some of the most beautiful and spiritually important landscapes in America.

This stunning volume details the stories of 25 of these sacred places, many of which are under threat of development and desecration. Prepared with the cooperation of five major American Indian organizations concerned with preservation, the book includes powerful and positive essays by important Indian and Christian writers in the realm of the sacred. Featuring magnificent photography by David Muench, this is a deeply affecting view of American Indian spirituality and its connection to our American land.

Edited by prolific author Page (Mythology of Native North America), this unique collaboration between Natives and nonNatives is intended to draw attention to several threatened sites considered sacred to Native Americans. Loosely organized by the affected tribe(s), entries on the 18 sites include a locator map, spectacular color photos by nature photographer Muench (Plateau Light), and text explaining the area's history and religious significance. Also included are short essays by such contributors as Laguna-Sioux poet Paula Gunn Allen, Cherokee-Osage legal scholar Rennard Strickland, and James Park Morton, former dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. A postscript lists some of the legal hurdles involved in protecting these sites and advice for readers who wish to help, and an annotated bibliography and list a of concerned organizations round out this beautiful call to arms. Recommended for public and Native American collections. Tim Markus, Evergreen State Coll. Lib., Olympia, WA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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Crow vision quests atop the craggy, fog-enshrouded Crazy Mountains; the Hopi spirits' Katsina Bluffs rehearsal site for making rain; the oil-rich, many-rivered "Rocky Mountain Front," central to Blackfeet history and culture; ancient Pueblo petroglyphs strewn across mountains in New Mexico these landscapes are among many featured in Sacred Lands of Indian America, edited by Jake Page and with 84 color photographs by David Muench, and 18 maps. Though most of the photography and text focuses on the Southwest, nexus of much Native culture and activism, the book turns the lens on other states, including Minnesota, Washington, Georgia, California and Montana. With lively writing by Paula Gunn Allen, Rennard Strickland, Charles E. Little, the editor and others, this elegant, smart case for ecologically and culturally responsible practices ennobles the conservationist cause. 18 maps. (Nov.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.