Combining both historical and present-day perspectives, this book provides a far-ranging and richly illustrated account of the spiritual traditions of the indigenous peoples of North America, from the Inuit of the Canadian north to the Pueblo of the Arizona desert. At the heart of the book is a treatment of Native ritual and ceremony that illuminates the expression of the spiritual and the sacred in such forms as personal and communal ritual, initiation rites, and curing ceremonies. The final chapter examines the issues that are leading Native peoples into the twenty-first century. The reference section at the back of the book includes valuable supplementary information about languages, social organization, population trends, and land issues.