Straddling the border between Canada and Alaska, and extending from the Arctic Circle north to the Beaufort Sea is the traditional territory of the Van Tat, fed by the rivers Europeans call Crow, Black, Porcupine, and Peel. Near its center is Old Crow, the community of some 300 souls where the project was initiated to gather stories transcribed in earlier days from their scattered archives, and to interview the elders throughout the territory for this collection of narratives. Interspersed are drawings and photographs dating back to the 19th century, and stupendous new color photographs of the land and the people. The sections are chronological: the long-ago stories, the first generation in the 19th century, the second generation early in the 20th, and the oral history of today. A glossary translates Gwich'in to English and English to Gwich'in. Distributed in the US by Michigan State University Press. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)