Newspaper Rock petroglyphs Recommended Reading on Native America
~ short reviews by Lee Bridgers, Dreamride owner and founder

Here is an interesting link that may take you down the Bohemian Grove worm hole: WHERE IS GERONIMO'S SKULL?

BLUE HIGHWAYS is a great introduction for a white person to get a glimpse of America through the eyes of a Indian with a foot in each culture. William Least Heat Moon is a "half breed" teacher of literature. In this case, the red road is the blue lines on road maps, the backroads of America. Least Heat Moon takes us on a lonely, soul-searching journey filled with humor and caring. The author's insights and observances sometimes touch your heart, make you laugh, but mostly show us a healthy appreciation of the uniqueness of each human being, no matter how they look, where they come from or what they believe in.

BLACK ELK SPEAKS is about an end time. As a witness to Custer's 7th Calvary defeat, Black Elk begins his stories with visions as a young boy. Soon he is fighting to save his people with guns, arrows and the power of his visions. He and others gathered to tell their stories to a sympathetic white man who wrote them down for us. Each man joins Black Elk to describe a people whose lives were driven by honor, sacrifice and respect, and whose warrior spirit could have driven back the white man if only there were more of them. The movie derived from Black Elk's story, "Little Big Man," does a horrible job of showing just how sad the real story truly is. You will find that Little Big Man was the fellow who held Crazy Horse's arms behind his back while white soldiers bayonetted him. Nothing uplifting here except the knowledge that such a spirited people once existed. This book should be required reading for every high school student in America.

THE BOOK OF THE NAVAJO by Raymond Friday Locke is an observation and history of the Dineh people in North America. It is the book to read in preparation for a visit to the Navajo Reservation. Locke relays the myths, history, a look into the Dineh mindset, and an accurate view of the current situation in Navajo country. This is done in a sympathetic, and often opinionated, voice. Coming from a white man's point of view, as many books about Native America, this book reflects an understanding born of caring and empathy that is evident on every page. It is a great book for a white guy interested in the first layers of the onion.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RUSSELL MEANS: WHERE WHITE MEN FEAR TO TREAD is a personal history of the American Indian Movement of the 60's and 70's. Russell is currently unable to set foot on Navajo Lands for fear of being placed in jail for a very long time for beating his Navajo wife. That's not in the book. During this same period Russell proceeded to represent himself as a Navajo in the Oliver Stone/Quentin Tarantino movie, "Natural Born Killers," which, in the eyes of Navajo people, is not at all cool. We know a lawyer and judge who worked to prosecute Russell for those assaults against his family. I think I have just about convinced them to read this book. To everyone, including my Navajo friends, I must recommend this book for the information, buggers, warts, self-serving ego and all. Russell Means is, despite his flaws, a man to be respected and appreciated, if not ass-kissed into prison. The Lakota produced the most powerful warriors struggling against the might of the United States military in the 19th century. Russell is an example of the men who kicked Custer's ass, but, more importantly, his story is a testament to man's personal struggle, the failures and successes in overcoming obstacles placed in ones way by events of history and fortune, good, bad and ugly.

OJIBWA WARRIOR is Dennis Banks' side of the story. This book is a moving portrait of someone who America has mostly ignored as a true civil rights hero. I see him as the Indian Martin Luther King. Combined with the Russell Means autobiograpy reviewed above, you are going to get a clear look at events surrounding the takeover of Wounded Knee and the inner workings of the American Indian Movement. It is about suffering, oppression, discrimination, courage, and family. Like Means' autobiography, Dennis' book contains a great deal of humor that effectively relieves and contrasts the pain of personal loss documented in the pages. Of all the books listed here, this is the one that feels more like a novel than an biography. It puts you squarely behind the eyes of a living treasure and will bring tears to your eyes more than once, if you open your heart to it. Dennis Banks is the real deal. Native America has been fighting terrorism since 1492. Dennis took up the fight with spirit and drive. His story more than deserves to be heard. It needs to be told to every white child, every Indian child.

PRISON WRITINGS by Leonard Peltier is a "Sundance" for us to witness. Leonard is suffering on the cross above us, soon to be a martyr, another sad story in our history. Leonard is the most outrageous political prisoner situation in this country right now. Everybody knows he is innocent. Let's pray someone finds the power to release him soon.

MARXISM AND NATIVE AMERICA is a debate forum on revolution and communism edited by Ward Churchill. If you ever thought of Native American politics in terms of Marxism, this book will clear up quite a bit as people like Russell Means reject every tinge of white in the ongoing struggle to recapture Indian identity amid definitions of Native America by European political minds.

FANTASIES OF THE MASTER RACE is another book from Ward Churchill, this one containing essays written only by himself. It is a lambasting of American media and its racist agenda. If you are a Tony Hillerman or Carlos Castenada fan, you are going to have the pedestal ripped from under the lies and deception contained in books written by non-Indians about Native America. This book should be required reading for all Americans.

THE FIVE WORLDS is a photography book about the Dineh people. It truly captures the spirit of the Dineh in black and white portraiture and color ariel shots of the rez.

PEYOTE RELIGION, A HISTORY BY OMER C. STEWART is a comprehensive study and documentation of the roots and history of the Native American Church (NAC). The author ended up joining the church and becoming its secretary. This is a text book, so it can be a struggle to read, but it provides information, meticulously gathered and accounted for, tracing ancient roots of the ceremony, then effectively bringing you almost up-to-date (NAC is a vital engine, so it is still growing and changing, inserting itself into the culture of every nation it encounters). It becomes obvious that the struggles of good men and women in the church have turned a powerful ceremony into a powerful cultural glue available to all of Native America. The church's influencestretches from Oklahoma to California, protecting a powerfulritual and sacrament by forming an alliance with churches, educational institutions and sympathetic people in the government of the United States.

If you want to get on the inside of Navajo or Native Hawaiian culture, then click on NAVAJO RESERVATION TOURS or HAWAII VACATION PACKAGES. If you want to purchase Native American crafts, call our toll free number (1-888-MOABUTAH). We have a collection of rugs, fine Dineh art, Navajo jewelry, Hawaiian jewelry, and Pendleton blankets. If you vacation with us, we will take you directly to the artists to buy arts and crafts at far below wholesale.

Click Here for Travel Logistics to Moab
VACATION CATALOG | SCHEDULES | MOAB, UTAH | COLORADO | HAWAII
BIKE SALES | COMPANY BIO | TESTIMONIALS | RESERVATIONS
HOME | STORIES | SAFETY INFO | MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS INFO

to reserveVacation CatalogDreamride HomepageReservationsScheduling

Call 1 (888) MOAB UTAH in the states.
If you are calling from foreign shores the number is 435-259-6419.
FAX number is 435-259-8196.
or write to:

Dreamride
P.O. Box 1137
Moab, UT 84532

For email contact information click on:
CURRENT DREAMRIDE EMAIL ADDRESS

copyright Dreamride 2003 None of the material, written, graphics, or photographs, may be broadcast, published, re-written, re-edited, or used in any way outside of this site without the written consent of Dreamride Mountain Bike Tours and Film Services and Lee Bridgers. Use of this site signifies agreement to terms of use.

Navajo Reservation Tours and Arts.


For active cultural tours of the Navajo Reservation, click on DINEH LANDS VACATIONS. Our MOAB SHOP contains fine examples of Navajo arts and crafts, Pendleton blankets and books on Navajo culture.