thomas mails' honesty and humility in recognition of the potent and vibrant personality of fool's crow allows him to become a nearly transparent medium for this account of a shaman's personal methods and rituals.

at their most effecftive, shamanistic rituals use p[hysical symbols to trigger and continue cycles of effect and reaction between the individual practitioner and the world-system as a whole. this book doesn't go into great depth in presenting the fundamental metaphysic of the native american heritage that fool's crow continued, but provides a rich and meticulously detailed account of demonstrations of its practice by a healer, teacher and leader.

this book may tempt immitators and pretenders; they might find themselves playing with fire. this volume should not be taken as a single source outside of the greater context of the heritage it celebrates and partially describes, but it can be a valuable supplementary resource for a careful student, or the agile and humble explorer.

The legacy of Fools Crow is his wisdom & power as a Lakota medecine man. The path he walked, as a man called to serve his people & the Great Spirit, is recalled in this book. His simple message is that all of us can be "hollow bones" for the Great Spirit to work through. The reader learns that the power & wisdom of Frank Fools Crow's life was in his detachment from ego and submission to a higher force. Some readers may only be interested in the ceremonies & rituals described in the book. However, the message is the spirit of the man & his committment to his God & to his people. I can not imagine that any reader can walk away from this book untouched.

This is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read! If you want a book that will draw you closer to God, regardless of your religion or beliefs, this is the book. Frank Fools Crow will teach you by his example what a holy life truly is and the power that will naturally flow from living this type of life.

The beauty of the traditional way of the Sioux is also captured in this book. Yet Fools Crow reaches to the heart of all people with the love he freely gives. Fools Crow's many gifts are laid out here - his healing ability, his compassion. It is made clear these are gift's that come from God, not man, and as are to be shared with all.

Thank God you can't see my last name because I am embarassed to say that I laughed so much reading this book that I wet my pants! If you are thinking of buying this book, think no more. It is so funny I could not stop laughing. My husband thinks I should see a shrink because I laughed so much. Then he read it and laughed himself! Tom Sarc is a genius!

I read every humor book out there but E-Mail Letters From A WACKO has got to be the funniest book I ever read. I must have read it at least ten times and still laughed so hard I almost threw up! Thomas Sarc IS a WACKO! And I hope he continues to be one!

This book is the funniest book I have ever read in my life! My wife, who does not have a sense of humor, even laughed!!!! I hope Mr. Sarc writes more like this!!!

Excellent text! Very detailed in explaining the origin, customs, social structure, and ancient ceremonial lore of the Cherokee people. Contains concise information regarding who the Cherokee were prior to European contact, as well as post contact.
Would recommend this text for use in teaching Cherokee Culture and History. A valuable tool for exploring and researching the history of a noble people- The Cherokee.

Rev. Mails, a retired Lutheran minister, has produced a classic reference on the Cherokee people. He quotes other historians, including Englishmen who lived with the Cherokees during the 1700 and early 1800's, who believed the Cherokees are descended from the Hebrews (reinforcing Mormon beliefs that Cherokee ancestors came from Jerusalem and were Jews). The chapter on religion is very complete. The drawings, by Rev. Mails himself, are wonderful, as is his attention to detail. The bibliography is extensive.

After reading this book, many native americans can come to understand what is the true meaning of being.

Thomas Mails, through excellent research and brilliant illustrations, paints a thorough history of the Apache peoples of America. This is one book you should read if you are a beginning (or serious) student of Native Americans and their ways and mores of long ago

Ollie North and pals erroneously thought that DELETE meant DELETE when using the White House email system. Editor Tom Blanton andthe National Security Archive people explain how the George Bush people tried to bury the evidence - then they present VERBATIM the evidence. Blanton reprints in the book about 240 of the 4,000 extant messages pried loose, and another 260 on diskette. You have to be combination History Wonk and Voyeur to truly appreciate these messages. In light of the litigation to recover Clinton White House email, this is a fascinating look at how the system works. Oh, and Ollie North comes across as knowing and controlling exactly what was going on - the Reagan-Bush administration's role in obfuscating the truth is patently obvious in reading these emails. Ain't Federal Immunity grand?

There is no doubt that the author's veneration of the old time Plains Indians borders on hero-worship; and if enthusiasm alone could guarantee accuracy, this would be a great book. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. I have studied Plains Indian culture for more than 30 years, and must agree with the previous reviewer from Montana that this book is riddled with errors from beginning to end. For example, Mails tells us that the Indians made bow cases from the tails of mountain lions. I am currently making a mountain lion quiver and bowcase myself, and I can tell you flatly that the mountain lion never lived whose tail was big enough for this purpose. Instead, the tail was always left as a pendant hanging from the mouth of the quiver. Since Mails' book includes a full page color painting, done by him, of a quiver with the tail hanging down in just that fashion, you wonder how he could make this error - but he did, and many others like it. Most of them could have been avoided if Mails had carefully read the primary sources listed in his own bibliography. This is a big, impressive looking coffee-table type book, and so our natural inclination is to believe whatever it says - an inclination strengthened by the fact that Mails makes every statement with an air of absolute authority. The reviewer from Pipestone, MN says that this book has all the answers, and it does. The problem is that those answers are so often completely wrong.

I teach Native American cultures to children and adults alike at the Little Feather Indian center in Pipestone, Minnesota. Ever since I first saw this book back in '95 I have had it by my side when giving a talk. If I don't know the answer to a question, I look it up in this book. I call it my Bible. It is the best source I know for information on the Plains Tribes. The pictures are works of art, and Mails has so much knowledge that he imparts to the reader. If you want to know more about the Plains Tribes do get this book, it is a little bit expensive but worth every cent. I promise.

Thomas Mails brings us this unforgettable book of the Plains Indians! Mails has really given us a classic here that must be read over and over again! This book is so informative. I personally think that it could be used in colleges as a textbook! It tells us all about their dress, weapons, hairstyles, and religion. I think that every person should run out and buy this book

After reading Fools Crow: Wisdom and Power (which is one of my all time favorite books!), I was naturally drawn to reading the biography of Fools Crow. Alas, I found the book a bit tedious and disappointing. I am sure Thomas Mails wrote an accurate account, but his style and the points he emphasizes make for a plodding read.

Despite these troubles, I found the book to be informative of life on the 20th century Pine Ridge Reservation. The problems outlined in this book are not going away, and if this book raises concerns about what must be done to correct these terrible issues it has done a great service.

This book is also very good in regards to giving a history of the Sioux since the Great Sioux War of 1876. So often the history of this great nation is placed in the background to the white culture making it difficult to see with any degree of accuracy. This book is from the vantage point of a Sioux elder and tells the sad tale of an oppressed people.

This is the story of Frank Foolscrow: The Ceremonial chief of the Teton Sioux:

I very much enjoyed the story of the politics on the reservation.

I do have several problems with this book.

1. The story was recorded by Thomas E. Mails a Lutheran, and I found it disconcerting that in some places the Term "God" is used, and in others the Sioux term "Wakan Tanka" is used.

2. On page 100 Mr. Mails equates the tobacco ties as a rosary. The Tobacco ties had nothing with a rosary. They were simply offerings to his 405 helpers.

3. On page 107 Mr. Mails implies that Frank Foolscrow was a Catholic. It is clear that he retained his spirituality.

4. I am VERY disturbed by what he calls "The Kettle Dance". I am not from that culture, and do not know what it represents to the people. So I have no right to judge it.

5. The colors associated with the directions are wrong. I don't know if Mr. Mails got this wrong, or Mr. Foolscrow believed this information was too sacred to share. The accurate colors for the Sioux medicine wheel is.

Black in the West and represents Earth. White in the North and represents Air. Red in the East and represents Fire. Yellow in the South and represents Water Green in the Center and represents Spirit

You can see the accurate layout of the Sioux medicine wheel on the cover of "Native Wisdom" by Ed McGaa.

Questions or comments. E-Mail me. Two Bears

Wah doh Ogedoda

This book is the counterpoint to Fools Crow: Wisdom and Power. It is more a retelling of his life story, there is less description of his worldview which is more the focus of Wisdom and Power. One feels reading this that he could have gone on and on about the politics at the reservation, he doesn't and for me seeing how he expresses his views about this situation while keeping a gentle ad moderate tone is quite revealing of his personality. There is a fascinating account of his exerience at Bear Butte, which is the highlight of the book.