Twenty-six selections from personal narratives, essays, short stories etc., portraying their beliefs, daily lives, suffering and hopes before and after encounters with the White Man.

I. GROWING UP INDIAN : 1. From House made of dawn / N. Scott Momaday -- 2. From Black Elk speaks / Black Elk, as told through John G. Neihardt -- 3. Love song (Chippewa) -- 4. From Sketch of the eventful life of Okah Tubbee / Okah Tubbee -- 5. Autobiographical sketch / John Rollin -- 6. From Black Elk speaks / Black Elk, as told through John G. Neihardt ; II. THE INDIAN WAY of LIFE : 1. From The soul of the Indian / Charles A. Eastman -- 2. "Childhood in an Indian village" / Wilfred Pelletier -- 3. From Indian boyhood / Charles A. Eastman -- 4. From We talk, you listen / Vine Deloria, Jr. -- 5. Speech of Smohalla (Nez Percé) ; III. ENCOUNTERING the WHITE MAN : 1. From Bury my heart at Wounded Knee / Dee Brown -- 2. From Zuni texts / Ruth Bunzel --3. "Address on the present condition and prospects of the aboriginal inhabitants of North America" / Maris Bryant Pierce -- 4. From Indian boyhood / Charles A. Eastman -- 5.From The memoirs of Chief Red Fox / William Red Fox -- 6. From Cheyenne memories / John Stands in Timber with Margot Liberty and Robert M. Utley -- 7. From The way to Rainy Mountain / N. Scott Momaday ; IV. THE INDIAN in the TWENTIETH CENTURY : 1. "Indian love letter" / Soge Track -- 2. From Me and mine : the life story of Helen Sekaquaptewa / as told to Louise Udall -- 3. "Christmas comes to Moccasin Flat" / James Welch -- 4. From The memoirs of Chief Red Fox / William Red Fox -- 5."They are taking the holy elements from Mother Earth" / Asa Bazhonoodah -- 6. Proclamation of the Indians of Alcatraz / Indians of all Tribes -- 7. "The Red Man's burden" / Peter Collier -- 8. From The new Indians / Sam Steiner.