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To Native Americans, nature and art are undeniably interwined. Creating a work of art - or even a tool or weapon - meant paying reverence to the cosmic forces of the Earth's spirit. With over 100 color photographs, In The Spirit Of Mother Earth shows how nature has influenced the exquisite handiwork of Native American people through the ages.Divided by region, this book looks back in time to show us how the once-abundant resources inspired images of whales and bears in the crafts of such tribes as the Tlingit, Makah, and Chinook; how the wide-open skies and huge herds of buffalo became common motifs in Plains Indian art; and how the mountains, rivers, and vast woods of the East appeared in masks and other carvings of the Mohawk, Iroquois, and other Woodland tribes. What these people knew, and what was sadly overlooked by invading European cultures, is that harmony comes from respecting nature, not taking from her.