Daughters of the Earth

by Carolyn Niethammer and Niethamme

Book Overview

Carolyn Niethammer, writer and student of Native American life, has drawn on interviews with modern Indian women and early anthropologists' writings, as well as old songs, legends, and ceremonies in her research for Daughters of the Earth. Author also of Macmillan's American Indian Food Lore, she lives in Tucson, Arizona.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0020961502
• ISBN13: 9780020961505
• Release Date: April 1977
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 281 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.9" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent reading

I picked up this book because I was interested in learning more about the roles American Indian women have traditionally had, but I was a bit apprehensive about what I would read considering so many people writing on American Indians seem to be all into stereotypes and twinkie so-called "Native American spirituality" that supposedly encompasses all of the indigenous peoples of North America. Much to my delight, this book is filled with a lot of actual information and not just a bunch of putting them on pedestals because some misinformed, starry-eyed wannabe thinks it's "cool" to be American Indian. Niethammer goes from birth to death exploring the many aspects of women's lives, showing many of the activities with which they concerned themselves, and discusses which were more or less common among the various nations. I feel as though I learned more about the lives of indigenous women in this book than I have in any other single book I've read, and there are plenty of specific examples of women's personal stories, not just generalizations. I'm really pleased to see that she doesn't lump all groups together, but instead makes the distinctions between what the different groups did. I appreciate that she tells us WHY certain activities were expected or avoided, but I do agree with the other reviewer who stated that sometimes Niethammer's assessments can be somewhat patronizing. I disagree with the reviewer who found the book "negative and disturbing"; to the contrary, I found it to be quite intriguing and inspiring. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about what kinds of things American Indian women traditionally have done and some of the expectations of their societies; it can give a whole new appreciation for the first inhabitants of North America.

Classic in the Field

This book has been around for awhile. It's one I go back to many, many times. It is well written, well documented, used in college courses and a must read for anyone interested in this subject. Don't let the "used in college courses" scare you. It's a good read,which is the first and formost reason to pick up any book.

Daughters of the Earth

I enjoyed reading this book, DAUGHTERS OF THE EARTH. I, personally, have it in my library; it is a terrific resource tool for my work and the information is invaluable, priceless. I cannot imagine the time and effort put into gathering the information and writing this marvelous book. Thank you for publishing it.

Beautful

This is a beautiful book about beautiful women....This book was given to me for Christmas and I loved it so much that I am buying them for friends as gifts..Enjoy!Wolakota, Hanble Omani Winyan

A book I enjoy reading again and again

Carolyn Niethammer offers a wide-ranged collection of historical information, stories, myths, and taboos connected with the lives of American Indian women, using female rites of passage as the structure of her book. Her style is mostly descriptive and provides an insight into the hardships, the challenges, and most of all the variety of the lives of American Indian women. I especially like that she lets those women "speak" by quoting them, and every time I read the book again, I am grateful that she does not comment on those quotations. I feel that by letting them stand for themselves, she makes it possible for the reader to listen to the spirit of these women. Something else I like about this book is that it does not romanticize American Indian women, nor does it consider them primitives. Most of all, it does not look (down) upon their lives from a modern feminist point of view. To cut a long story short: if you want to gain an insight into American Indian women's lives of the past - read this book! The only other book about American Indians I enjoyed as much as this one is "Man's Rise to Civilization: The Cultural Ascent of the Indians of North America" by Peter Farb.