Native Americans: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Peoples [repost]

Featuring Native American groups from the northern reaches of Canada to the Rio Grande, this encyclopedia presents basic information about each tribal nation in a consistent manner. Organized geographically, each section begins with an introduction to the area and its original inhabitants. Tribal entries follow, with some smaller related groups discussed together. Each article includes sections on location, population, language, history, religion, government, customs, dwellings, diet, key technology, trade, notable arts, transportation, dress, and war/ weapons. A contemporary section follows, with information on government/reservations, economy, legal status, and daily life. Pritzker (the author of books on Ansel Adams, Mathew Brady, and Edward Curtis) is one of the few authors to attempt a work of this size alone. His presentation is even-handed, although some sections, like art, seem less thorough than others. Pritzker manages for the most part to avoid the extensive duplication found in the more expensive Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes (LJ 5/15/98), but a few small groups, such as the Shinnecock, are excluded. Articles do not have bibliographic references, and citations of books on individual tribes are not included in the bibliography. Still, this is a good choice for public and school libraries that have other options for bibliographic sources.