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Time is the subject of several rather different conversations. Some of them, such as that of the cosmologists and theoretical physicists, are nearly impenetrable to nonspecialists; others have an easy popular appeal. In this volume, editors Diane Owen Hughes and Thomas R. Trautmann collect nine essays on the related but distinct conversation about time that takes place at the intersection of history and ethnology.
From the standpoint of Enlightenment reason, time should be a universal and uniform category of understanding. Yet in fact, this category is understood in different cultures in extremely diverse ways. The historians and anthropologists who contribute to this volume address this problem not in the abstract and the general but in contexts that are determinate and highly particular. Individual essays address the sense of time in a wide range of historical and present cultures, from the Yucatan to the Iparakuyo Maasai. Their discussion of whether nonuniform time is to be understood as socially constructed or as determined by relations of production, as the mystification of privilege or as cultural design, differs from philosophical discussions of time in that the real-world standard to which it submits itself is always culturally plural.
Diane Owen Hughes is Associate Professor of History, University of Michigan. Thomas R. Trautmann is Professor of Anthropology and Professor of History, University of Michigan.
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Aids to the Study of the Maya Codices - Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-85, - Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 253-372 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Cyrus Thomas is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Cyrus Thomas then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

000000000000customs of the chippewa indians
the book was in excellent condition. and i would recommend the seller to others. i am satisfied with the service i got.

Great book full of tons of details!
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I picked up "Chippewa Customs" by Frances Densmore.Written in the early part of the 20th century, it's a book that has remained readable and certainly enjoyable throughout the years.

Frances Densmore paints a very vivid picture of the Chippewa/Ojibwe people, from how they picked their names, to what they wore in winter, to the fact that they liked fish-heads as a delicacy, or the sleeping arrangements inside the family wigwam.It's absolutely screaming-full of all those little details that you're constantly trying to find but never can seem to put your finger on.

They're right here, of course!My only complaint is that the ceremonies (Marriage, births, etc) are only touched upon barely.I would have liked to hear more about those particular aspects.

Excellent Book!Lots of great pictures!
Chippewa Customs is a detailed and facinating book, containing extensive information that will assist in my research on the history of the Chippewa tribe. This is my first tool to begin my search for distant ancestors. Godbless the Author Frances Densmore.

The best research help I've found!
Frances Densmore lived with and studied the Chippewa people of Minnesota for several years. Her research has proved an invaluable resource for anyone wishing to know more about this fascinating cultural group. This book is chock full of information, from naming ceremonies to marriage customs to burial rites. If it were not for Mrs. Densmore, many valuable facts on an important people group would be lost ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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The Cliff Ruins of Canyon de Chelly, Arizona - Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-95, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 73-198 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Cosmos Mindeleff is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Cosmos Mindeleff then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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Indian Linguistic Families Of America, North Of Mexico - Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1885-1886, - Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891, pages 1-142 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by John Wesley Powell is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of John Wesley Powell then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Illustration Of The Method Of Recording Indian Languages - From the First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by James Owen Dorsey is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of James Owen Dorsey then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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Representation of Deities of the Maya Manuscripts - Papers of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Vol. 4, No. 1 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Paul Schellhas is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Paul Schellhas then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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Monumental work includes demographics, linguistic relations, social structures, folkways, religion, material culture, more. Surveys of the Yurok, Pomo, Maidu, Yokuts and Mohave receiving most attention. A remarkable piece of organization and exposition. 479 illustrations. 40 maps.
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Customer Reviews (4)

An Enduring Classic
Certainly a tough slog if you're going to read it from cover to cover, Kroeber's Handbook of The Indians of California is still relevant nearly 100 years after its initial release by the Smithsonian.I'd enjoy reading this book, but I'm glad I finally did.No other single volume will give a similar overview of pre contact California civilization.

Outstanding ethnography, and still the best
California has the most culturally diverse Indian ethnography of any U.S. state. Since California habitats range from coastal near- rainforest to dry desert, the Indians have developed a wide range of cultural and technological innovations to deal with it. The linguistic relations are also complex and diverse, a particular interest of mine, and I thought Kroeber did a fine job of discussing this, too. Altogether, Kroeber spent 17 years compiling and writing this great work, and it shows.

Some of the tribes understandably receive more coverage than others, because little was known about them at the time. For example, the Wappo and Washo Indians only have four and half pages each in the book, but the Yokuts section has 70 pages, but this is understandable given the original publication date of 1925 by the U.S. Government Printing Office. Since then, our knowledge of many of the tribes has become significantly greater, or at least less sketchy, but you'll have to consult other sources for that.

One notable thing about the book is the photos of various individuals, most of which could probably not be obtained today--such as the picture of the "Karok man in warrior custume in rod armor and helmut," or the "Hupa (man) measuring dentalium money against tattoos on his forearm," two truly quite striking photographic portrayals.

Despite its deficiencies (which are still modest considering how old it is), this still ranks as the best compendium of knowledge about California Indians, and one of the greatest ethnographies ever written.

On a personal note, I thought I'd mention I had Kroeber's son, Ted, as my psychological statistics professor at San Francisco State back in the mid-70's. Although I never had the opportunity to meet the father, Ted was a really cool psych. prof., and I enjoyed his class. He said his father would often tell him and his sister Ursula (Ursula LeGuin, who became a famous science fiction author), stories about the Indians when they were children, and he would occasionally regale us with stories about his famous father in class, which helped to break up the necessary discipline and technical rigors of a statistics class.

A Lasting Record
Alfred Kroeber deserves admiration as one of those men who ensured that our knowledge of Native American peoples would not be lost.He is perhaps best known as the friend of Ishi and, sometimes, for his concept of"culture" as "superorganic", but it is this work that Ifeel is his most lasting contribution.

Though some of the information hasbeen corrected by subsequent researchers (checking Kroeber's work againstmore recent publications is reasonable), the Handbook remains useful toanyone who wants an overview or details about the numerous peoples whoinhabited the state before the coming of the Spanish in 1769.

WhereKroeber is sketchiest is, of course, where the peoples had beenexterminated before his investigations began shortly after the turn of thecentury.His work on the Yokuts and the Mojave, on the other hand, isextensive and helps us to understand some of the culture of their nowmissing neighbors.He has left no people unaccounted for.Thanks to thisvolume, interest in the California Indians has been stimulated for all timeand with that interest has come a desire to preserve.

All Californiahistory lovers and anthropologists need this book on their shelves.

Not worth the price
The content of this book is EXCELLENT.However, the "hardcover" version is just a hard cover slapped on OVER the paperback--not worth the extra $100+. ... Read more

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In addressing a variety of significant social issues, the authors of this book show ways of communicating effectively and successfully with powerful policy making bodies in their overall efforts to improve the world in which we live. Ethnographic insights and research findings by qualitative researchers throughout the world cover such diverse topics as environmental health and safety, the dropout problem, educational reform, AIDS education, homelessness and the education of gifted children. This book then details how these socially vital findings are presented qualitatively and quantitatively through discourse which has immediate impact on sponsors and policy decision makers. The effect of this book is to show how effective communication, collaboration and advocacy with decision makers can noticeably affect today's society. It should be of interest to all practising researchers, anthropologists, educators decision makers, educationalists and sociologists. ... Read more

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Central African throwing knives constitute a unique category of weapons found nowhere else in the world. The products of extraordinary craftmanship and inventiveness on the part of Central African blacksmiths, they are objects of aesthetic appeal. The are also quite deadly.

African throwing knives constitute a unique category of weapons found nowhere else in the world. They were weapons of war and implements of the hunt. The end of the functional use of the throwing knife was during the last two decades of the 19th and the first decade of the 20th century. However, the end of traditional warfare did not mean that the throwing knife disappeared. Its persistence may be attributed to its potential to take on the role of ceremonial and ritual weapon and other completely new roles.

This group of knives came to the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, at the end of the nineteenth century. It is one of the earliest such collections and is closely associated with Dutch trade interests in the Congo. A number of related items are also included, such as hand weapons, axes with a bird-like form, ceremonial weapons, and shields. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Navajo weavers - Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1881-'82, - Government Printing Office, Washington, 1884, pages 371-392. is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Washington Matthews is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Washington Matthews then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: History / North America; ... Read more