The arts of Native Americans--both past and present--have never been  more popular.  In Native America, the author and photographer of the best-selling Santa Fe Style celebrate the highlights of American Indian culture--the sacred landscapes, the colorful powwows and dances, the earthworn architecture, and especially the remarkable crafts of the original Americans in more than 400 photographs.

For over a millennium Native Americans have responded to the natural wonders and diversity of the continent by creating objects of singular spiritual beauty.  Traveling to twelve states and Canada, Christine Mather and Jack Parsons have documented the extraordinary artifacts of the past and the treasures and rituals of Indian life today.  The baskets and pottery and rituals of the Southwest Pueblos, the silver jewelry and fine woven blankets of the Navajos, the leather moccasins and beadwork of the Plains Indians, and the totem poles and masks of the Northwest Coast tribes--all of the arts of the American Indians are as useful, handsome, and potent as symbols as they were when their  makers were the only inhabitants of the land.

Native America not only presents ideas for collections and home designs, it also shows the living traditions, with artists at work in their studios and selling their wares at Indian markets, renowned private and public collections, and the annual gatherings where the costumes are worn and the dances and rituals performed as they have been for hundreds of years.  Compelling vintage photographs by  master turn-of-the-century portraitist Edward S. Curtis and many others provide the historical link between Native American life of the past and Native American today.

Native America will bring to serious collectors as well as novice enthusiasts a new appreciation for the rich culture and wide-ranging talents of American Indians.