The winner of the 1988 Newbery Medal has produced another well-executed illustrated history, a genre that he has made his own. Here, the subject is the role of the buffalo in the lives of the Plains Indians. In five chapters, Freedman simply--but eloquently--discusses the meaning of the buffalo to Native American culture; methods used in hunting them; the many uses for the buffalo; and the role of the white man in destroying the vast herds and the culture they supported. Differences among tribal customs are pointed out, but what chiefly emerges is a portrayal of the destruction of a vital way of life. As always, Freeman has chosen his illustrations with discrimination--here, works of such great painters of Native American culture as George Catlin and Karl Bodmer, beautifully reproduced, large and in full color. His text is clear and matter-of-fact; he trusts events to speak for themselves, and, as he presents them, they do indeed. A worthy companion to his longer Indian Chiefs (1987).
