The largest known collection of ledger art ever acquired by one individual is Mark Lansburgh’s diverse assemblage of more than 140 drawings, now held by the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College and catalogued in this important book. The Cheyennes, Crows, Kiowas, Lakotas, and other Plains peoples created the genre known as ledger art in the mid-nineteenth century. Before that time, these Indians had chronicled the heroic achievements of their warriors and chiefs on rock, buffalo robes, and tipi covers. As they came into increasing contact with American traders, the artists recorded their experiences in pencil and crayon drawings on paper bound in ledger or account books. The drawings became known as ledger art.This volume presents in full color the Lansburgh collection in its entirety. The drawings are narratives depicting Plains lifeways through Plains eyes. They include landscapes and scenes of battle, hunting, courting, ceremony, incarceration, and travel by foot, horse, train, and boat. Ledger art also served to prompt memories of horse raids and heroic exploits in battle.In addition to showcasing the Lansburgh collection, Ledger Narratives augments the growing literature on this art form by providing seven new essays that suggest some of the many stories the drawings contain and that look at them from innovative perspectives. The authors—scholars of art history, anthropology, history, and Native American studies—touch on such themes as gender, social status, sovereignty, tribal and intertribal politics, economic exchange, and confinement and space in a changing world.The Lansburgh collection includes some of the most arresting examples of Plains Indian art, and the essays in this volume help us see and hear the multiple narratives these drawings relate.

The Blackfoot people make up an international confederation of tribes from both the United States and Canada. Readers discover the deep history and rich traditions of the four tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy in this engaging volume. They see the journey these people once took across North America as they hunted migratory buffalo as well as their struggles with the American and Canadian governments. The lively culture of the Blackfoot people is also detailed, examining their religion, social structure, and artistic endeavors. Historical artwork and captivating photographs highlight both the past and present of the Blackfoot Confederacy.

Product Description: The history of the Lakota people is often understood solely through conflict and legendary figures such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. This informative book documents the Lakota Sioux's ongoing struggle to remain a distinct people and culture in a rapidly changing world.

Product Description: This book covers all seven main elements of the Sioux people: the four tribes that made up the Dakota or eastern division – the Mdewakanton, Wahpekute, Sisseton, and Wahpeton. The Middle Sioux or Nakota division comprised the Yankton and Yanktonai; and the Western Sioux or Lakota Division- the largest subtribe outnumbering the other six together...read more

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