Author Description

Indian Spirit is a compilation of rare photographs, some of which have never before been published, accompanied by the eloquent and moving words of some of the wisest leaders ever to have lived on this continent.Although there is no longer any way to experience the people and lifeways of the Plains Indians firsthand, we can still approach them through the best photographs and quotes that recall to us the spirit of those times. Indian Spirit, edited by Michael Oren Fitzgerald, achieves precisely that. The pages of Indian Spirit open to us a world of honesty, generosity, self-mastery, courage in the face of adversity, nobility of soul, and of constant living awareness of the Creator in creation.The photos and words are taken from a wide variety of tribes from the Great Plains, but the single message that they express is clear: the olden-day Indians and their way of life were imbued with the presence of the Great Spirit. These photos and words combine to communicate that presence to us, powerfully but with immense grace and dignity.