Summary: "Nelson spent a year among the Koyukon people of western Alaska, studying/n their intimate relationship with animals and the land. His chronicle of/n that visit represents a thorough and elegant account of the mystical/n connection between Native Americans and the natural world."—"Outside"/n /n "This admirable reflection on the natural history of the Koyukon River/n drainage in Alaska is founded on knowledge the author gained as a student/n of the Koyukon culture, indigenous to that region. He presents these/n Athapascan views of the land—principally of its animals and Koyukon/n relationships with those creatures—together with a measured account of his/n own experiences and doubts. . . . For someone in search of a native/n American expression of 'ecology' and natural history, I can think of no/n better place to begin than with this work."—Barry Lopez, "Orion Nature"/n "Quarterly"/n /n "Far from being a romantic attempt to pass on the spiritual lore of Native/n Americans for a quick fix by others, this is a very serious ethnographic/n study of some Alaskan Indians in the Northern Forest area. . . . He has/n painstakingly regarded their views of earth, sky, water, mammals and every/n creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. He does admire their love of/n nature and spirit. Those who see the world through his eyes using their/n eyes will likely come away with new respect for the boreal forest and those/n who live with it and in it, not against it."—"The Christian Century"/n /n "In "Make Prayers to the Raven" Nelson reveals to us the Koyukon/n beliefs and attitudes toward the fauna that surround them in their forested/n habitat close to the lower Yukon. . . . Nelson's presentation also gives/n rich insights into the Koyukon subsistence cycle through the year and into/n the hardships of life in this northern region. The book is written with/n both brain and heart. . . . This book represents a landmark: never before/n has the integration of American Indians with their environment been so well/n spelled out."—Ake Hultkrantz, "Journal of Forest History"