from sociology and psychology. The author also provides ethnographic information regarding Native American justification of and ritual preparations for war, and examines how warriors are ritually cleansed to facilitate a more unproblematic return to their communities. In addition to published sources, Holm surveys veterans from 20 Native American groups concerning aboriginal Native American warfare practices, paying particular attention to special re- galia, arms, and equipment; military societies; group preparation ceremonies; war honors; group cleans- ing rituals; and victory and honoring ceremonies. He liberally sprinkles the experiences of veterans in their own words throughout the text. Holm notes a particularly generational difference between veterans of pre-Vietnam wars and those who served in Vietnam. Because they did not enjoy the unconditional support of the American popula- tion, Vietnam veterans have specific psychological hurdles to overcome that were not part of the war experiences of their elders who fought in wars that were widely supported in American popular cul- ture. Native American veterans who had strong ties to their own communities, however, had perhaps an easier time of reintegrating into nonwar society, both because of the support of a group and because of cleansing rituals meant to rid them of the pollu- tion of war. The "Navajo Blessing Way," for exam- ple, prepares Navajos to move into the arena of war, while the "Enemy Way" prepares them to re- turn to society by washing away the contamination of warfare (pp. 187-188). Although this volume does not explicitly address the contributions of Native American women who served in Vietnam, or explore their own particular marginalization, this volume is valuable and would be an especially useful addition to courses in the anthropology of war, peace, and conflict studies, aad in Native American studies. Defending the Land: Sovereignty and Forest Life in James Bay Cree Society. RONALD NIEZEN. Boston: Alfyn and Bacon, 1998. xii + 148 pp., figures, references. MICHAEL E. HARKIN University of Wyoming This book is part of a series edited by Cultural Survival. This explains its scope and focus. Al- though the book is brief, the author has packed a great deal of useful information into a slender vol- ume. Niezen generally succeeds in the object of presenting relevant and current information in an accessible manner. Yet the book leaves this anthro- pological reader at least, and I imagine many gen- eral readers as well, wishing for more information and more interpretation. In May 1971 a young Cree student named Philip Awashish happened to read a day-old Montreal newspaper featuring a story about Premier Robert Bourassa's plans for the Cree homeland, which would become the largest dam project in history. This event has become famous as a symbol for the failure—indeed, the refusal—to consult aboriginal peoples in plans that involve them directly. Like other massive dam and infrastructure projects else- where, the project is central to the government's sense of nationhood and national destiny. Quebec, more than other Canadian provinces, has a "distinct identity" (to quote the ill-fated Meech Lake accord [Canada, 1987, Constitution [sic] Amendment]) based on language, history, and a sense of place. In par- ticular, the north plays a dominant role in the na- tional imagination. In the aftermath of the Revolu- tion Tranquille in the 1960s (a social movement that resulted in the elevation of highly trained fran- cophones to positions of leadership in business and government), with its reassertion of nationalist aspi- rations, it was inevitable that a gesture toward the great unconquered north, the essence of the patri- moine, would be made. This cultural and political trajectory took the form of the James Bay Project, which irreversibly al- tered Cree life. In the project, 10,000 square kilo- meters were flooded, producing 15,000 megawatts of power primarily for export south of the border. In addition, massive investments in infrastructure al- tered the Cree homeland forever, making the bush more accessible to the Cree and the north more ac- cessible to outsiders. The effects of this project have been enormous. The environmental consequences have been severe, at least in the short run. Water in the new ecosystem contained high levels of mer- cury and other toxins because of the natural release of these minerals from the rotting biomass, thereby making fish, a mainstay of the Cree forest diet, ined- ible. The project has also had a major impact on bird habitat and beluga whale populations. The impact on culture has been even more pro- nounced—although, as Niezen argues, it has not been without benefits. Shortly after the publication of the plan, the Cree mobilized their traditional chiefs, who were not fully organized above the community level, to mount legal and political op- position. The transformation in Cree politics that ensued was dramatic. A younger generation of edu- cated leaders who were capable of action on the national and international stages—notably Billy Diamond and Matthew Coon-Come—arose in this milieu. A regional political structure and conscious- ness replaced the traditional local orientation. So- phisticated techniques of mobilizing the people were employed including a referendum on Quebec sovereignty carried out largely by helicopter in or- der to reach hunters in the bush. The pragmatism and success of the Cree political leadership has been remarkable, successfully combating not only the expansion of James Bay but also the exclusionary politics of Quebec separatists. Niezen demonstrates the many ways in which these political develop- ments were tied to the aftermath of the struggle over James Bay. Most directly, the Cree Regional Author- ity, the first formal political structure at this level, was established during the negotiations in the early phase of the project. In addition, elected school boards, village councils, and social service agen- cies were established, along with a large infusion of cash to fund them. Education was made both more accessible and more congruent with Cree values, ensuring that ever larger numbers of Cree young persons would receive postsecondary education. reviews 551