Under prairie skies The plants and native peoples of the Northern Plains

Copiously illustrated with drawings, maps, and both black-and-white and color photos, all well reproduced, this book by Shay (Univ. of Manitoba, Canada) charts an informal trek through time in the Northern Plains to catalog "the role of plants in the lives of the Native peoples who lived there." It is filled with tales of field trips, students, lab work, colleagues, and Native voices, mainly those of the Hidatsa. For readers tantalized by the information Shay presents, there are further readings at the end of each chapter. Additionally, the end of the book contains an appendix of selected plants, with information on which parts were typically used and for what purpose, and a glossary of Northern Plains plants and animals, including common and scientific names. There are also 37 pages of endnotes, containing both references and additional information, and a 49-page bibliography of sources. This is a loving memoir of a life lived studying the Northern Plains with all the paraphernalia necessary to allow readers to follow the author into the field. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. --Lucille Lewis Johnson, emerita, Vassar College