Drawing on the vast collections of the National Museum of the American Indian, Creation's Journey retells the story of native life from the Arctic to the Tierra del Fuego, and from childhood to old age. Using objects, historical photographs, and the voices of Native Americans past and present, the book reawakens our senses to values and traditions that once prevailed. 220 color and 120 duotone photos. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

This companion work to All Roads Are Good chronicles the authors' journey through the museum's collections-"a journey that reawakened our senses to values, beliefs, and practices that once prevailed on this continent."Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

These two books have a common birth--the new National Museum of the American Indian, formerly the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation--and a shared goal--to provide a Native American perspective on tribal art. The arts described in both books are from North American, Central American, and South American tribes, and in both, signed commentaries are associated with specific objects. Beyond these similarities, the books are totally different. All Roads are Good results from asking 23 native people to select objects from the museum collections and talk about them. The discussants are not necessarily artists and their commentaries are, as the subtitle states, about life and culture rather than about the objects that stimulated their thoughts. Statements are very much in the oral tradition, and the book may more properly be considered as belonging to that genre. One must approach the commentaries in the same manner that one listens to a tribal elder: do not ask questions, but absorb and think about what is being said. For readers without some knowledge of tribal cultures, this may be difficult, but the speakers do provide a sense of the history and concerns of individuals from different backgrounds. Creations's Journey is about art. Works treated are organized into broad themes: growing up Indian, visual prayers, vision and virtuosity, and across the generations, and are introduced by essays written by the editors. Within each thematic section there are a series of one-page, signed discussions of different works related to the theme. The discussions provide historic information about the item and often include native terms and aesthetics. Because objects are not grouped geographically or by related tribes, and the comments are very brief, it is like an encyclopedia--fact filled, but limited in scope. All Roads Are Good is most suited for students who have some familiarity with Native American culture. For institutions with significant Native American collections or a serious commitment to Native American literature, especially the oral tradition, this book will be an important addition. Creation's Journey is a good introduction to native arts and may belong in general libraries where an introduction is sufficient. For most libraries, The Arts of the North American Indian (CH, Oct'86) provides more depth. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.