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Book Review from Kansas History

The Indians of Iowa. By Lance M. Foster. (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2009, xvi + 145 pages, paper $16.95.)

Billed as "the only book written for the general reader" on the many different Indian tribes of Iowa, Lance Foster, an anthropologist and member of the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, looks at the Ioways, the Otoes, the Pawnees, and the Potawatomis, among other tribes who "have lived in Iowa throughout time" but have their own unique "history, culture, language, and traditions" (p. xiii). In addition to his examination of more than a dozen tribes, Foster takes "A Closer Look" at several important topics, such as Indian women, spirituality, archaeology, native arts and crafts, and the powwow. An annotated list of places to visit associated with American Indian history and some recommended readings and websites further enhance this little volume's appeal and usefulness.

Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains Book Notes. Winter 2009/2010 (Vol. 32, No. 4)

Sacred Bundles of the Ioway Indians

I self-published my M.A. thesis in Anthropology from Iowa State University, "The Sacred Bundles of the Ioway Indians." You can see a preview, below.

Book reviews

There is a review of The Indians of Iowa at Archaeology at About.com.

The book is also mentioned at the website for the movie Lost Nation: The Ioway.

Oct. 19 Iowa Public Radio Interview

Dennis Reese of Iowa Public Radio interviewed me about the book The Indians of Iowa on Oct. 19 for KUNI (Ames/Des Moines).

The podcast can be heard here as an MP3.

There is some of their public radio fundraising patter for a bit before the actual interview begins. The interview lasts for about 10 minutes, and the rest is their regular broadcast, mostly agricultural news.

Talk about thinking on your feet! I didn't know any of the questions, nor was I able to prepare anything, but I did okay for being so green at unprepared radio interviews :-)

E-book version of The Indians of Iowa

I was asked about a Kindle version of the book. I passed on the question to the University of Iowa Press, and this was the reply:

Your book is actually already available as a digital edition/e-book via Adobe’s Digital Editions software. Digital Editions software is available free of charge for PC, Mac, and certain mobile platforms including the Sony E-reader, COOL-ER, and more info can be found at this site:

http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/

We don’t have a contract with Amazon for ebooks, which is why we’re not working with Kindles right now. But if anyone is interested in an eBook, please let them know that your book is available through our website. If you go to your book page:

http://uipress.uiowa.edu/books/2009-fall/foster-indians.htm

And click on “add to cart” the electronic book will come up as an option of purchase.

Iowa Public Radio Interview on Oct. 19

I was interviewed today by Dennis Reese of Iowa Public Radio. It will be broadcast on Monday, Oct. 19 at 10:10am, in case you want to listen on-line (www.iowapublicradio.org).