Dog Soldiers, Bear Men and Buffalo Women: A Study of the Societies and Cults of the Plains Indians

During the years between 1750 and 1850, the Plains Indian nations achieved a way of life rich and sophisticated in its every dimension: religion, heritage, tradition, government, family life, social life, crafts, hunting skills and warfare. Along with these accomplishments came a profusion of splendid ceremonies, costumes and regalia ranking with the finest the world has ever seen. The greater part of these by far were directly associated with the warrior societies, civil societies and cults. It is these societies and cults that Thomas E. Mails examines closely, with skill and perception, in this handsome and fascinating book.
Illustrated with meticulous pen-and-ink and charcoal drawings, and with paintings in glowing color, Dog Soldiers, Bear Men and Buffalo Women brings alive for the reader the intricate, inventive beauty of Indian costume and regalia as words alone could not do. The text and the pictures combine into a handsome and fascinating whole, a soaring evocation of the central aspect of a life-way tragically gone. For if it were still in existence in its fullness, it would enrich our lives immeasurably, whatever the color of our skins, today.