In recognition of the past and potential contributions of American Indian philosophy, this book presents discussions which came out of a week long conference at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Conference participants included Native American elders (representatives from the Navajo, Mohawk, Crow, Kiowa, Pueblo, and Arapaho tribes) and officials of the Myrin Institute for Adult Education who met in an effort to identify and comprehend the "intuitive wisdom" which characterizes American Indian philosophy. Focusing on the business of child rearing from birth to adolescence, the discussions are organized into 16 chapters which are titled as follows: (1) "The Spiritual Heritage of the American Indian"; (2) "Childbirth"; (3) "Discipline of the Cradle Board"; (4) "The Power of the Word" (emphasis on the difference between language spoken as a child and that spoken as an adult); (5) "Foundation of the Early Year"; (6) "Sleeping and Waking" (the finality of 1 day and the joy of another); (7) "Instilling the Wish to Obey"; (8) "Adolescence--A New Phase"; (9) "The Role of the Grandparents"; (10) "Family and Clan Structure"; (11) "The Home"; (12) "Nature"; (13) "The Magic Mission of the American Indian"; (14) "The Modern Indian's Dilemma"; (15) "First Steps Toward a Solution"; (16) "In Pursuit of a Common Good". (JC)