The engaging anthropology text Wakan Tanka links discussions of evolution to contemporary questions about what it means to be human. John Bennett's fascinating anthropological book Wakan Tanka plumbshuman origins in search of spiritual meaning. The text begins with a paleoanthropological exploration, starting at the base of the human evolutionary family tree, with the emergence of hominids and "the blossoming of human culture." Stories about various proto human groups are used to drive the books sweeping exploration through time and geography - undertaken with the belief that understanding human ancestors well could contribute to a contemporary sense of meaning. In its second portion, the book focusses on humanity's "lofty destiny" to develop culture, take leaps of cognition, and find a connection to the divine. The intriguing idea that human beings early cultures reflected "a dawning...of aesthetic spirituality" is shared, moving beyond fossil records to muse on the importance of spirituality in humanity's story. -Foreword Clarion Review