Manners, Customs, and Conditions of the North American Indians, Volume I

There are two ways of looking at this book. For any serious student, anthropologist or researcher interested in the history of the Plains Indians, this is clearly an important book. Catlin offers detailed, first-hand descriptions of Indian culture and customs of the 1830s, preserving in text and pictures a way of life that would soon disappear.For the more casual reader, "Letters and Notes" still offers much, but you will need to be more selective. Catlin, for example, provides meticulous descriptions of the Indians' clothing, jewelry, weapons, cooking instruments and other artifacts. The reader can get bogged down in these sections, so unless you have a particular interest in any of these things, it's best to skim past them. Skip ahead to the action. Find the sections where Catlin recounts events that he witnessed or directly participated in. Catlin's account of buffalo hunting, for example, is vivid and exciting. Some other parts are funny, such as the dog feast.Above all, be sure to read the description of the Mandan religious ceremony. It's grotesque, to be sure, but you'll never forget it.

Once in a while you come across a book that all other research documents for that subject matter refer to. Catlin, Lewis And Clarke. In North American ethnography, these two are the ultimate reference sources even though they present a viewpoint that not all would agree with. We are extremely fortunate that these texts are so readable also.

Although the writing style is archaic, to the modern reader, and his art is stiff and two-dimensional, George Catlin manages in these volumes to convey the wonder and limitless beauty of a wild land. He captures the individual personality of many of the warriors, chiefs and women he met. George Catlin saw with an unusual clarity the inevitable end of the way of life of his subjects. And saw it long before most in civilized America. His goal was to record the variety, habits, and lifestyle of a people he realized would soon be gone. In the process he left us with a work of ethnography that is detailed, objective, and not riddled with interpretation. AND--most of it is a great read.