Warriors of the Plains - Max Carocci

Warriors of the Plains
explores the art of North American Plains Indian warriors - weapons, amulets, clothing and
ceremonial objects - with particular emphasis on their ritual use
and symbolic meanings. Unlike most books on Plains Indians, which
have a purely historical focus, this title examines continuity
and change between historic warrior societies and contemporary
Native American military associations. Originally set up as clubs
to organise war raids and to police seasonal cycles of nomadic
hunting, warrior societies today maintain much of the Plains
Indians' ethos, vigorously reinforcing their cultural, national
and ethnic identity. With a new approach to the subject the
author reveals how specific items and symbols - objects of
"ritual and honour" - such as the American flag, eagle feathers
and medicine bundles have been used over the last 200 years, as
well as exploring the introduction of new elements in modern
ceremonial practices such as powwow dance competitions and war
veterans' celebrations. Lavishly illustrated with objects from
the British Museum's important collections, as well as archival
material, this book features previously unpublished material. Max Carocci has been conducting research on Plains Indians since
1989. Since 2006 he has been researching and collecting in this
area for the British Museum and is the curator of the touring
exhibition "Warriors of the Plains: 200 years of Native North
American honour and ritual". He lectures on Indigenous American
Arts at Birkbeck College, University of London and is editor of
the Anthropological Index Online run by the Royal Anthropological
Institute.