Sacred Symbols Native Americans Book

The traditions and folk-memories of the native inhabitants of North America are as rich in symbolism as any body of religion and legend in the world. In spite of terrible sufferings, the various peoples have drawn sustenance from complex and subtle myth, ritual and imagery. In this beautiful introduction to the symbolic thought and art of an often heroic struggle for survival, the principal icons and ceremonies of the major native peoples are illustrated and explained - from the smoking of the Sacred Pipe of the Plains Lakota to the intricate design and geometry of Navajo sand-painting.