Like many current books about native Americans, there is a contradiction inherent in [Ritual of the Wind: North American Indian Ceremonies, Music, and Dances]. The photographs, gorgeous and exotic, beckon us, while the text, clumsy and overwritten, warns us constantly that we are invaders and besmirchers of the sacred. Of course, historically, this has been true, but if the sense of violation is so great, one wonders why a book about Indian ceremonialism, aimed primarily at a non-Indian audience, is attempted at all. The book is an eclectic mix, with bits and pieces from many cultures, and that is its strongest point. (p. 102)