American Indian Cooking and Herb Lore by J. Ed Sharpe and Thomas B. Underwood

"Once upon a time, in the beginning days of life upon the earth; man, animals, and plants lived together in equality and mutual helpfulness. Man was one with his environment in a beautiful balance of nature. The needs of all were met in a world of plenty."

"Man became quite aggressive, however, in his relationship with the rest of the world and began to care less and less for the rights and privileges of the others. Soon the harmony was disrupted."

"Aggressive man was multiplying so rapidly that the other creatures became alarmed and called a meeting of all insects, birds, fishes, reptiles and four-footed beasts. Their hostility having been provoked, they joined forces against man and devised many diseases to slow down his encroachment upon the earth. The bond between man and the other creatures was broken."

"Man found that his aggressive behavior had brought much sickness upon him and had made it hard for him to secure the food he needed. Many methods were devised to appease the spirits of the animals which he killed for food."

"The plant life remained friendly to man, however, and when they heard about the many diseases inflicted upon him they responded by offering themselves as cures and remedies for his ailments. Each tree, herb, scrub, grass, and moss devised a cure for man if only he would discover and use it."

"Thus man created a situation of struggle and turmoil. To have food and to keep himself healthy, he must consider the hostility of the animals and the friendship of the plant life. He must carefully and prayerfully secure and prepare his meat and plant foods within the difficulties that he himself had devised. Through the years, the delicate art of securing and preparing both food and medicines developed among the Indian peoples."

"Included in these pages is information designed both to acquaint one with Indian lore and provide usable recipes for enjoyment of Indian foods and medicines." 

-Introduction taken from "American Indian Cooking and Herb Lore"

This book is a softcover booklet with 32 pages.