At the heart of this landmark collection of essays rests a single question: What impact, good or bad, immediate or long-range, did Lewis and Clark’s journey have on the Indians whose homelands they traversed? The nine writers in this volume each provide their own unique answers; from Pulitzer prize-winner N. Scott Momaday, who offers a haunting essay evoking the voices of the past; to Debra Magpie Earling’s illumination of her ancestral family, their survival, and the magic they use to this day; to Mark N. Trahant’s attempt to trace his own blood back to Clark himself; and Roberta Conner’s comparisons of the explorer’s journals with the accounts of the expedition passed down to her. Incisive and compelling, these essays shed new light on our understanding of this landmark journey into the American West.

This book, which can be used in secondary and college courses, is the first of two volumes which present an Indian view of India and the world. The reality of everyday life as experienced by the Indian people is recreated in the series. Almost all of the material in both volumes has been written by Indians and has been taken from a variety of sources: autobiographies, fiction, poetry, newspaper and magazine articles, and historical documents. Volume one focuses on the most personal aspects of Indian life: family relations, marriage, caste membership, and religious beliefs. Each primary source selection is preceded by an editor's introduction which provides background information and a few questions for class discussion. Examples of selections include the following. Indian family life is compared with American family life. Ravi Shankar (the world famous sitar player) describes the ideal relationship between the student and his guru. One selection tells how an upper class, well-educated family arranges the marriage of their eldest daughter. Dowries are the topic of one reading. In another, an Indian journalist analyzes the concept of woman power in India showing that the expectations for men and women are quite different. An Indian girl describes to her brother how their mother used stories to educate her. An imaginary conversation between an American teacher and an Indian businessman will help students understand the caste system. Several readings attempt to clarify some of the religious concepts of the Hindu way of life. (Author/RM)

Through the last five decades, Nayantara Sahgal has constantly responded to the changes that enveloped India and the world through her wide-ranging works of fiction and non-fiction. This book collects her writings and lectures on subjects ranging from literature and the arts to international relations and imperialism, written through some of Indias most turbulent phases- Independence, the Emergency, globalization, terrorism. Her astute social commentary is laced with personal wisdom that comes from first-hand knowledge of Indian politics and diplomacy. Known for her refusal to compromise with attempts to subvert modern India's democratic and multicultural tradition, Sahgal has watched some of Indias most historic moments unfold in her own backyard and has always appraised the situation with a critical eye and analytical acumen. The Political Imagination draws from Sahgals rich body of work and includes letters and commendations written to her that have never been published before. Combining public history with personal reflections, Sahgal reveals the politics of her own imagination in this collection of her most culturally insightful and socially conscious writings.

Like its highly popular and distinctive predecessor, this new edition of Indians in American History strives to fully integrate Indians into the conventional U.S. history narrative. Meticulously reedited throughout, this beautifully illustrated book features fourteen essays by fifteen authors who speak from a variety of disciplines and perspectives.