Book excerpt: Native American ways of life are at once endangered and alive and well. They are endangered by the legacy of U.S. Indian policies that have reduced many Native people's experience of American history to little more than the dispossession of land, resources, and culture. The vast majority of Native American believe we are endangered; and may one day become extinct. And yet there is also a moment of profound rebirth of Nativism: cultures, traditions, and life ways. As Native peoples maintain both the privacy and secrecy of important ancient rites and simultaneously adapt to changing times we are creating new forms of community life and ritual. So please enjoy this story of Native American survival.