The World's Rim: Great Mysteries of the North American Indians (1967)

Philosopher, poet and anthropologist Hartley Burr Alexander (1873-1939) united all his talents and sympathies in the writing of this posthumously published work. It is a series of studies in a field in which he was eminently qualified: certain ceremonies and ritual conceptions, "dramatic mysteries," of the North American Indians. Their wider interpretations, in terms of a philosophy of religious culture, shows the Indian heritage and achievement at its best. In rich, vivid and intensely poetic language, the author conveys the Indian understanding of "the dynamic particularity of men's lives," and gives new emphasis and meaning to the phrase, "a common humanity." — The American ScholarThis is a rich and stimulating work by an American philosopher who was also a specialist in American Indian art and mythology. It is an exciting book which provides an acute and sympathetic insight into the life and mind of the North American Indians as expressed through the symbolism of their art and ritual. It is through his sympathetic understanding of the common humanity of the Indians as manifested through their dramatic symbolism that the author makes his most significant contribution. In brief, this is essentially a work of philosophical interpretation of ethnological material rather than a restatement and description of Indian ritual concepts and customs. — David Bidney, Pennsylvania Magazine of History… (more)