Manitou: The Sacred Landscape of New England's Native Civilization

this will show how the universe was used throughout the world. I find it very infortmaive and shows how american history is inaccurate. arachaeoastronomical shows how the origins of early paleo pepole use the universe for many purposes. book arrived on time and protective wrap, against the weather.

Well written, lots of pics, and top-shelf facts!!

Nonfiction account of the authors' work to reveal meaning behind rock structures found in the Northeast. Brings new thinking to the potential origin and use of all types of rocks in a sacred landscape by the earliest Americans. Makes a very strong case for why these altered rocks, rock formations and mounds aren't of colonial American origin, but not enough information is given to explain some of the proposed uses, including modern uses for these ancient sites. A strong editor might have organized the material differently. Nevertheless, I haven't found any other source as detailed, original and revealing in addressing the nature and extent of these features which continue to be lost due to ignorance and lack of protection. I particularly enjoyed one of the authors' study of the mound structures discovered in his own 'backyard' woods. After reading the book, you will have fresh eyes for the New England landscape. This knowledge will be of great practical use for a local conservation stewardship project.

This is one of the rarest and best investigated studies on the subject of Native American landscape science performed east of the Mississippi prior to the 1990s. Mavor and Dix have stood alone for over 25 years on the subject of stone works in the greater New England area. Mostly archaeoastronomy and accompanying geographic geology, there are many hints of the application of coherent relationships between and among many of the sites visited. I was amazed at the time it must have taken to locate and catalog these ancient stone structures and realized that their work should be regarded as preliminary to a broader discussion of purpose and intent. The authors have been somewhat overlooked, and so this is a real treat for those who would like to be among the few who are aware of its intrinsic value in anthropology and archaeoastronomy. Manitou should at least for now be considered as a sacrcosanct paradigm.

The premise of this book is that the native american people in residence prior to european settlement were builders of many stone and earthen structures and used the alignment of these structures as astronomical devices. Having spent much time in the New England woods I find this hard to accept. Most every stone structure I have seen seems to have a logical explanation and purpose and was likely constructed by european settlers. I am sure that native americans had some capability to build stone structures and the ability to track the seasons by observing lunar sequences but the astronomical observations attributed to native americans by the authors would require more complex understanding of mathematics and required observations over long periods of time. Some of the content is well written and logically explained but some gets a little new age for my tastes. Best for someone equipped to evaluate the authors astronomical claims.

If you seek to understand the native cultures of New England from the time before the European Colonization, this is the place to start. Centuries of racism and intellectual laziness perpetuated the notion that New England's native people were incapable of building the stone monuments that the English settlers found here when they arrived. On the basis of careful scholarship and astronomical research, this book makes clear that the Algonquin speaking people of New England rank with the other great Standing Stone Civilizations of the ancient world.

Great read! As a resident of New England it has given me a greater appreciation of the abundant stonework in the region, and has helped me identify some mounds and stone rows as pre-colonial. For the amateur archaeologist and historian, this is a worthy title to have in your library.

A must-have for ANY one living in the northeast United States! It WILL change the way you see stone "walls" forever!