Native American characters have been the most malleable of metaphors for filmmakers. The likeable Doc of Stagecoach (1939) had audiences on the edge of their seats with dire warnings about that old butcher, Geronimo. Old Lodgeskins of Little Big Man (1970) had viewers crying out against the demise of the noble, wise chief and his kind and simple people. In 1995 Disney created a beautiful, peace-loving ecologist and called her Pocahontas. Only occasionally have Native Americans been portrayed as complex, modern characters in films like Smoke Signals.Celluloid...

Louis Owens (1948-2002) achieved worldwide recognition with his humorous and fearless novels that explored themes close to Owens's own upbringing as a mixed-blood Choctaw, Cherokee, and Irish-American. His critical works were equally substantive. Readers of his criticism find his work challenging, and casual readers find his fiction highly enjoyable--a remarkable combination that speaks well of Owen's intellectual and creative abilities. In this new collection of essays, editor Jacquelyn Kilpatrick and eleven other contributors examine Owens's fiction and nonfiction from widely varying...