Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  The Sioux Wars - The History of...

  Charles River Editors

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  From the “Trail of Tears” to Wounded Knee and Little Bighorn, the narrative of American history is incomplete without the inclusion of the Native Americans that lived on the continent before European settlers arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the first contact between natives and settlers, tribes like the Sioux, Cherokee, and Navajo have both fascinated and perplexed outsiders with their history, language, and culture. 
  	The history of the Sioux is replete with constant reminders of the consequences of both their accommodation of and resistance to American incursions into their territory by pioneering white settlers pushing further westward during the 19th century. Some Sioux leaders and their bands resisted incoming whites, while others tried to accommodate them, but the choice often had little impact on the ultimate outcome. Crazy Horse, who was never defeated in battle by U.S. troops, surrendered to them in 1877, only to be bayoneted to death by soldiers attempting to imprison him. Black Kettle, who flew a large American flag from his lodge to indicate his friendship with the white man, was shot to death by soldiers under George Custer’s command in 1868. Throughout the 19th century, the U.S. government and its officials in the West adopted a policy of dividing the Sioux into two groups: “Treaty Indians” and “Non-treaty Indians.” Often they used these groups against each other or used one group to influence another, but the end was always the same. They were forced off the land where they resided, their populations were decimated by disease, and they were forced onto reservations. 
  	Despite being one of the most erstwhile foes the U.S. government faced during the Indian Wars, the Sioux and their most famous leaders were grudgingly admired and eventually immortalized by the very people they fought. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse remain household names due to their leadership of the Sioux at the fateful Battle of the Little Bighorn.

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  The Birth of Anarchism - 1849-1887

  Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Mikhail...

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  Mankind can rule itself without the force of top-down authority, and freedom is more than just choosing how to meet the needs and demands of capital. Inequality is structural and intentional, not inevitable and necessary.  
  It does not have to be this way. In solidarity, we are better. 
  Think for yourself, and question authority. 
  This is the essence of anarchism, which has a bad name and reputation because it attacks the necessity of centralised power and authority. The media archetype is Tyler Durden, filled with violence and nihilism – yet anarchism is the most positive of political philosophies, one that Jesus and Buddha both preached, stating that empathy and a rejection of authority were key to human flourishing. Neither would disagree with most early anarchists. 
  Proudhon, whose “property is robbery” is perhaps the most well-known anarchist slogan, lays out the conceptual foundation for key anarchist ideas. He argues that usury (charging interest) is a fundamental harm to society, that there is enough for everyone if we simply take other values to be higher than capital gain, that mutualism is inevitable, and that all governments and ideologies make the same mistake, in trying to change society from the top. Positive change must arise from the great masses of humanity, not from their rulers. 
  Bakunin's speeches are about solidarity arising from the masses, and the ground for a global reconfiguration. 
  Louis Lingg was convicted to death with six others, for being one of the ‘Chicago Anarchists’. They were executed to make a political point, based on corrupted evidence and perjury. His statement is one of contempt for the powers that be, and his belief that mankind should be free and should fight until it is. 
  We end with Kropotkin, who firmly believed in decentralized society. He believed that the greatest strength of mankind lies in the masses, not their rulers, and exhorts us to “Act for Yourselves”.

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  Wovoka: The Life and Legacy of...

  Editors Charles River

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  Wovoka (1867-1932), the Ghost Dance Prophet, was a member of the Walker River band of Paiutes, in western Nevada. The Walker River Reservation was established in 1859 and was Wokova’s home off and on for years. Wovoka was also known as Jack Wilson, a name he acquired while he was, for some years, employed on the David Wilson family ranch in the Mason Valley. At that time in Nevada, Indians not living on a reservation often lived on a ranch. Wovoka was exposed to the pious Wilson family’s daily Bible readings, and that may have helped shape his own beliefs. 
  His father was a traditional medicine man, himself a devotee of an earlier prophet. In 1889, Wovoka followed his father in also becoming a medicine man. The year, Wovoka had a series of visions that led to what is sometimes called the Ghost Dance religion, which spread like wildfire across much of the West in 1889 and 1890. 
  Wovoka’s 1889 visions grew into a new religion that gripped the hopes and imaginations of dozens of tribal groups, and it eventually extended over much of the West. It was a kind of antidote for defeat and cultural dislocation. The Lakota Sioux in particular were so caught up in the Ghost Dance and their adaptation of Wovoka’s revelations that they remain strongly associated with the Ghost Dance more than a century later. 

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  Spirit Voices - The Mysteries...

  David Shi

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  A guide to authentic North Asian Shamanism, past and present 
   
   
    
  The word shamanism is frequently bandied about but rarely used accurately. Shamanologist Nicholas Breeze Wood coined the following definition: "A shaman is someone chose by the spirits [typically at/before birth] and who can go into a controlled and repeatable deliberate trance state, during which they: A) experience 'spirit flight,' where they go to meet the spirit worlds and meet spirits, who they either fight with, negotiate with, or trick, in order to create change in this physical world, or B) are often taken over/possessed by the spirits (normally ancestral shaman spirits, or local land spirits) while in this physical world—the spirits using the shaman's voice and body to heal, or give advice to members of the shaman's community.  Without the spirits, and their blessing, a shaman can not exist or function. Without the trance state, it is not shamanism." 
   
   
   
  Author David Shi, for whom these are family traditions, explores the history and practice of shamanism. What is it? Where is it from? How does one become a shaman? Shi guides listeners through unfamiliar territory—the landscape of North Asia—and through what are largely hidden and unfamiliar traditions. Spirit Voices takes and in-depth look at three main cultural shamanic traditions: Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungus.

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  Easy Short Stories in Spanish...

  Damián Carabello

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  Are you ready to unleash your passion for Spanish language?! With "Easy Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners”, each chapter opens up a world of adventure that pulls you right in! Imagine wandering through the magical aisles of the "Supermercado de los Deseos," or stumbling upon a mysterious gift that unveils surprises you never expected - these stories will transport you straight into the vibrant heartbeat of the Spanish language! Feel the thrill as you dive into each tale, effortlessly boosting your vocabulary, confidence, and fluency! These stories aren't just lessons; they're gateways to laughter, inspiration, and unforgettable moments, where every new phrase and rhythm makes you feel unstoppable! Along the way, you’ll discover not just a language, but a world filled with magic and meaning, where every word brings you closer to fluency. So, get ready to dream big, laugh hard, and celebrate every word - your epic Spanish adventure is calling! ¡Vamos a aprender!

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  Burned - The Spy South Africa...

  Sue Dobson

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  "An unflinching memoir of a spy during a tumultuous time and unsavory alliances. Dobson recounts her recruitment, training, and espionage with rare self-awareness." —Henry R. Schlesinger, author of Honey Trapped 
   
   
   
  From the snowy Soviet shooting range to the heat and dust of Africa, nothing is what it seems. And neither is Sue Dobson. 
   
   
   
  The image of South Africa in the 1980's as the golden paradise on the tip of the African continent conceals a brutal, racist Apartheid regime. Those who oppose it risk their lives. Beauty and brutality go hand in hand. 
   
   
   
  Sue Dobson, a young white South African woman lives a 'legend'—a life where she pretends to conform, moving easily through the echelons of the racist government in her work as a journalist, whilst concealing her espionage and military training in the Soviet Union, and her intelligence work for the banned African National Congress. 
   
   
   
  Matters come to a head when sinister forces try to derail the Namibian independence process and Sue's cover is blown during a difficult honey trap operation, bringing the Cold War to Africa, and leading to her desperate flight across Southern Africa with the Apartheid security police snapping at her heels.

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