Southwestern Indian Ceremonials

Las Vegas, Nevada: KC Publications, 1974. Third Printing . Trade Paperback. Fine. 9" X 12. Dooven, K.C. Den - Photography. 64 Pages. Large stapled binding format. No defects noted. The author was a graduate of the Anthropology Department of the University of New Mexico and for many years a dealer and collector of Indian art. Nationally rrecotgnized as an authority on the arts and crafts of the southwestern Indian and he lectured widely on the subject. Illustrated with color photograpohy on every page.. The most striking difference between the philosophies of the Southwestern Indian and Western man is the manner in which each views his role in the universe. The prevailing non-Indian view is that man is superior to all other forms of life and that the universe is his to be used as he sees fit. The value placed on every other life form is determined only by its usefulness to man, an attitude justified as the mastery of nature for the benefit of man. The Indian view is that man is part of a delicately balanced universe in which all components - all life- forms and natural elements - interrelate and interact, with no part being more or less important than another. Further, it is believed that only man can upset this balance. It is a tragedy indeed that Western man in his headlong quest for Holy Progress could not have paused long enough to learn this basic truth - one which he is now being forced to recognize, much to his surprise and dismay. Ever anxious to teach backward people, he has been ever reluctant to learn from them.