Native American artisans are the subject of this catalogue, which was prepared for an exhibit presented by the Museum of the American Indian. The basic purpose of the exhibit is to explore the interrealtionships of crafts with the cultural systems of which they are a part. This approach treats human cultures holistically, explaining their characteristics in terms of the interaction of their parts with each other and with the physical and social environment. The study of a society will illuminate aspects of a system of craft production, and, conversely, study of a craft will shed light on the social system.

The exhibit focuses on seven different categories of Native American artisan, and to represent each category, a specific, outstanding, regional craft has been chosen, selected for maximum geographic, temporal, and cultural diversity. The regional artisans featured in the exhibit are: the Sioux painter, the Karajá featherworker, the Haida carver, the Coclé goldsmith, the Pomoan basketmaker, the pre-Columbian potter, and the Araucanian weaver.

Illustrated with 12 color plates about artifacts, numerous sepia-tone photos both about artifacts and peoples, many drawings of designs and techniques, maps about specific locations, and each chapter provides rich bibliographies. The book ends with a chapter on listing each artifacts with exhaustive datas and added notes.