Today's students are not only faced with changes in curriculum requirements, they are caught in the flux of a rapidly changing culture. If your cultural and social science references are more reflective of America in the 50s rather than Y2K, it's time to fill in the gaps with U·X·L®'s up-to-date line of multicultural titles. They cover America's most studied minority groups as well as groups with emerging school-age populations.

U·X·L® Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes offers students detailed studies of approximately 80 tribes from all over the United States and Canada, including small tribes and some that no longer exist. The Encyclopedia gives detailed yet accessible information on history, religion, art, government, economy, daily life and current social and political issues.

Each essay contains consistent rubrics that make it easier for young researchers to compare the histories and cultures of different groups -- a frequent assignment for students. The essays are broken down uniformly into the following sections:

Introduction: An explanation of tribal roots, location, population, language and current status
History: A brief tribal history prior to European settlement and over the last 500 years
Oral Literature: Stories passed down through the tribe over the years, including information on cultural significance of the story and a bibliography of its source
Culture: Information on the tribe's religion, language, buildings, subsistence methods, clothing and adornment, healing practices and customs
Current Tribal Issues: Land claims, rights to natural resources, health care, civil rights, preservation of culture, etc.
Bibliography and further reading sections supply resources for more information and study. More than 250 photographs and illustrations and 100 maps line the volumes, providing a window into the tribal experience and culture. Native American Tribes is divided into four regional volumes for ease of use.

Volume One -- Northeast and Southeast includes tribes such as the Chickasaw, Fox, Iroquois, Pequot, Powhatan and many more
Volume Two -- The Great Basin and Southwest includes the Paiute, Shoshone, Anasazi, Apache, Hopi, Navajo, Pueblo and more
Volume Three -- Arctic, Subarctic, Great Plains and Plateau includes tribes such as the Inuit, Cree, Lakota, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Nez Perce and more
Volume Four -- California and Pacific Northwest includes the Chumash, Kwakiutl, Tlingit, Cahuilla, Maidu and more