Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #761933 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Customer Reviews

3 Stars, with reasons

I've worn beaded wampum belts for a long, long time now. Ever since I saw that documentary on the way of the Iroquois, Blazing Saddles, I've been obsessed with their belts and their culture. They're sporty, practical, and downright indestructible. (the belts, not the Iroqouis, thank god) With that being said, I was a little disappointed with this one.

I'd been familiar with Ray Tehanetorens' other books and admired his work in the past. Namely his third book, "Squaws on the Halfshell: The Iroquois Kama Sutra". Fascinating. That one really cleared up a lot of confusion Wanda and I had over which end goes up during the execution of the "Squatting Elk". (it's the hooves, always keep the hooves pointing north) We keep the book within arm's reach, as we never know when we'll need to use it. It's been sitting on the tractor tire we call a coffee table since its release.

However, I really feel that Tehanetoren dropped the ball on this one. Many of the pieces featured in the book are misidentified. Example: on page 36, the caption under the turquois and ratbone tongue seperator states that it was originally used by tribes in the NORTHERN Dakotas. Hah! Anyone with half a brain knows its of the kind found in the CENTRAL DAKOTAS! This oversight is almost unforgivable. It doesn't end there.

The back cover displays what it claims to be a ball-clamp fashioned from fresh water crocodile teeth. Wrong again. The Iroquois never practiced ball-clamping. That is straight Illinois Sioux behavior there. Any boy scout worth his neckerchief can tell ya that.

Still, I have to give this one a solid 3 stars, even if based solely on the couple of little details he DID get right.

I was really pleased to find the text of the book is in my favorite font, 19 Times Mongoloid Italics Bold. You just don't see that one used much anymore. (outside of the Atlanta Journal Constitution and NAMBLA newsletters) Not really sure why. Maybe the sheer size of the font discourages its use, in that it only allows 4 words per printed page.

Also, I found the book's Introduction by David Duke to be a daring, if ill-advised, choice.

Good History and Descriptions
An excellent book on the use and meaning of wampum belts by the Iroquois. I found the descriptions and history of the belts fascinating. There does not appear to be very much written on this subject, and several of the publications outlining the wampum belts are out of print. The book covers most of the well-known wampum belts including photographs of reproductions of these belts. Color photographs would have been better, but there is still enough detail to see some of the individual beads.