The Mystic Warriors of the Plains

In the years since its first publication, Mystic Warriors of the Plains has become a classic book, avidly sought after by collectors, readers, and the growing audience for information on the Plains tribes. Here, in a new edition of this treasured, definitive volume, are the Plainsmen, the most colorful and intriguing of all the Native Americans, as they were before the white man built fences and railroads and towns - and reservations. In words, in 32 color illustrations, and in nearly 1,000 detailed drawings, Thomas E. Mails has created a haunting evocation of the life and times of an industrious, sensitive, and contented people.
Mystic Warriors of the Plains describes in detail the lifeways and lifestyles of the Plains Indians at the height of their culture, when they were still relatively untouched by the white man's progress. Here are their day-to-day activities, their social customs, their form of government, the training of their young, and the role of warriors in their highly mobile society. A large section is dedicated to Plains Indian religion, spiritual beliefs, medicine, vision-seeking, and ceremonial practices. Another major section is devoted to arts and crafts; another to the making of clothing, shelters, towns, and weapons.