Make Prayers to the Raven: A Koyukon View of the Northern Forest

Nelson's work is so absolutely excellent. His sentence and paragraph structure are so easy to flow with that I think he could make just about anything interesting. Often anthropologies are dry or are just this side of being believable....as is the case in some books about adventures among far-flung populations. Nelson is so thorough in his describing of myth, language and native understandings which engage the reader's imagination. He's an incredible writer-just as good as those fiction writers who are touted as being great artists in the New York Times Book Review that comes out with the Sunday edition. His writings are well grounded and there is nothing New Age or simplistic in his portrayals of the natural world or indigenous peoples in this case. I find his realism refreshingly accurate and precise when alot of what appears on his same subjects are vague emotional tomes that can be finished in an afternoon and promptly forgotten. If his name appears as author on any written work, read it!!

As an anthropologist trained in Alaska, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand something more of what they see in Alaska than they can get from a tour guide. It will enhance your sensitivity to the power and mystery of Alaska and you'll see more than you would have if you hadn't read it.

A fresh direction for anthropological study that is from the "inside." The author lives "among" the people and learns from them, taking pains to distinguish the influence of "western" cultural values. The relationship between this "outsider" and the people who recieve him among them should be the model for all such explorations.

I really enjoyed Nelson's book and found it helpful in my research on the Koyukon people. This is ed in specifics. Nelson presents a sensitive and unbiased ethnography that is well written and enjoyable to read.