"This book documents the changing tenets of landscape preservation and species protection in preserves of the United States and Canada through a capacious study of canine history."--BOOK JACKET.

“Terry Johnston is an authentic American treasure.”—Loren D. Estleman, author of Edsel As swirling snows fall from a leaden sky and a deadly winter approaches, two bitter enemies meet in a season of savage vengeance. Scout Seasmus Donegan—wondering whether he will ever return to Fort Laramie and the warm embrace of his wife and newborn son—is now under the command of Colonel Nelson A. Miles, who pushes his war-weary troops up the Tongue River into butte country. There, amid the rugged, snow-covered bluffs awaits Crazy Horse with a fighting force of Lakota braves one thousand strong. Gathering in the high, cold canyons, these courageous warriors prepare to engage Colonel Miles and the Fifth U.S. Infantry . . . one last chance for the proud Lakota to shape their own destiny, the last battle Crazy Horse will ever fight against the white man’s army.

A classic ethnography of continuing importance

This volume, first published in 2004, presents an overview of the history of the Plains Sioux as they became increasingly subject to the power of the United States in the 1800s. Many aspects of this story - the Oregon Trail, military clashes, the deaths of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and the Ghost Dance - are well-known. Besides providing fresh insights into familiar events, the book offers an in-depth look at many lesser-known facets of Sioux history and culture. Drawing on theories of colonialism, the book shows how the Sioux creatively responded to the challenges of US expansion and domination, while at the same time revealing how US power increasingly limited the autonomy of Sioux communities as the century came to a close. The concluding chapters of the book offer a compelling reinterpretation of the events that led to the Wounded Knee massacre of December 29, 1890.

Montana's era of "Indian Wars" consisted of nearly a century of skirmishes, battles, and large-scale wars between the U.S. military and native nations, including Blackfeet, Sioux, Northern Cheyennes, Arapahos, Gros Ventres, and Nez Perces -- and the army's Crow and Shoshone allies. These battlegrounds remain today, a testament to the clash of cultures that defined the region in the nineteenth century. Author Barbara Fifer takes readers on a historic journey to the solemn sites of Montana's most fascinating and storied battles, from Two Medicine Creek to the Little Bighorn and on to the Sweetgrass Hills, revealing engaging tale -- from fighters and witnesses on both sides.

Many Japanese once revered the wolf as Oguchi no Magami, or Large-Mouthed Pure God, but as Japan began its modern transformation wolves lost their otherworldly status and became noxious animals that needed to be killed. By 1905 they had disappeared from the country. In this spirited and absorbing narrative, Brett Walker takes a deep look at the scientific, cultural, and environmental dimensions of wolf extinction in Japan and tracks changing attitudes toward nature through Japan's long history. Grain farmers once worshiped wolves at shrines and left food offerings near their dens, beseeching the elusive canine to protect their crops from the sharp hooves and voracious appetites of wild boars and deer. Talismans and charms adorned with images of wolves protected against fire, disease, and other calamities and brought fertility to agrarian communities and to couples hoping to have children. The Ainu people believed that they were born from the union of a wolflike creature and a goddess. In the eighteenth century, wolves were seen as rabid man-killers in many parts of Japan. Highly ritualized wolf hunts were instigated to cleanse the landscape of what many considered as demons. By the nineteenth century, however, the destruction of wolves had become decidedly unceremonious, as seen on the island of Hokkaido. Through poisoning, hired hunters, and a bounty system, one of the archipelago's largest carnivores was systematically erased. The story of wolf extinction exposes the underside of Japan's modernization. Certain wolf scientists still camp out in Japan to listen for any trace of the elusive canines. The quiet they experience reminds us of the profound silence that awaits all humanity when, as the Japanese priest Kenko taught almost seven centuries ago, we "look on fellow sentient creatures without feeling compassion."

A travel journal of a unique experience working on a conservation and research project in Romania. More info at: www.dreamingofwolves.com. Part travelogue, part memoir, part exposition of natural and cultural history, Dreaming of Wolves presents a unique and colorful story of adventure. Through a series of entertaining vignettes, the author paints an intimate and intricate picture of nature and life as it occurs in a fascinating part of Europe that has remained largely untouched by modern trends and undiscovered by western travelers, at least until recently. Whether joining the narrator as he tracks wolves in the forests of the Carpathian Mountains, or battles antagonistic shepherd dogs, or sits on the floor of a cave contemplating time and consciousness, or makes a journey through history to discover the real Dracula, as one reads Dreaming of Wolves one absorbs, almost without realizing it, a remarkable amount of factual information about wolves, about traditional and rural life in Romania, about the history of Romania, about animal behavior, and even about physics. Written in an understated style, the story is related with an honesty and a subtle sense of humor that derives from events perceived by a keen and sensitive eye. The book presents several sub-themes - such as, the importance of conserving wilderness, the value of discovering self through uncovering and pursuing one's dreams, the nature of time and consciousness - all of which are woven smoothly into the fabric of a well-told story. The author's beautiful color photographs of the people, animals and locales enhance the narrative and help the reader to understand the cultural and historical perspectives that influence life in Romania today.

A half-Indian, half-French deputy with “a shrewd mind and wry sense of humor” investigates a case of homicide on the range (The New York Times Book Review). Two men have been cutting fences at the ranches of Toussaint, Montana, loosing thousands of dollars’ worth of cattle to use as target practice for their .22 rifles. Are they thieves? Pranksters? Local cattle inspector and sometime deputy Gabriel Du Pré guesses they’re environmentalists, agitating for the reintroduction of native wolves to Montana’s high plains. Du Pré knows the perpetrators are trying to send a message to the ranchers of eastern Montana—he also has a hunch they’re already dead. When the activists are indeed found shot to death, Du Pré must figure out who used them for target practice. The FBI descends, but their agents are as clueless in this territory as the hapless victims were. Clearly, one of Toussaint’s citizens committed this crime, killing to protect the traditional way of ranching life, a loyalty Du Pré shares. But if anyone’s going to arrest his people, it will be the cattle inspector himself . . . Wolf, No Wolf is the third in “a wonderfully eclectic and enjoyable series of interest to western crime readers, especially those favoring Montana authors C. J. Box, Craig Johnson, and Keith McCafferty as well as fans of the Hillermans” (Booklist). Wolf, No Wolf is the 3rd book in The Montana Mysteries Featuring Gabriel Du Pré series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Contains 101 curious tales and oddball facts about events and people from the fifty states.