North American Indians: A Very Short Introduction
by Theda Perdue, Michael D. Green
Very Short Introductions (243)
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Description
"When Europeans first arrived in North America, between five and eight million indigenous people were already living there. But how did they come to be here? What were their agricultural, spiritual, and hunting practices? How did their societies evolve and what challenges do they face today? Eminent historians Theda Perdue and Michael Green begin by describing how nomadic bands of hunter-gatherers followed the bison and woolly mammoth over the Bering land mass between Asia and what is now show more Alaska between 25,000 and 15,000 years ago, settling throughout North America. They describe hunting practices among different tribes, how some made the gradual transition to more settled, agricultural ways of life, the role of kinship and cooperation in Native societies, their varied burial rites and spiritual practices, and many other features of Native American life. Throughout the book, Perdue and Green stress the great diversity of indigenous peoples in America, who spoke more than 400 different languages before the arrival of Europeans and whose ways of life varied according to the environments they settled in and adapted to so successfully. Most importantly, the authors stress how Native Americans have struggled to maintain their sovereignty--first with European powers and then with the United States--in order to retain their lands, govern themselves, support their people, and pursue practices that have made their lives meaningful. Going beyond the stereotypes that so often distort our views of Native Americans, this Very Short Introduction offers a historically accurate, deeply engaging, and often inspiring account of the wide array of Native peoples in America"-- "This book begins with the emergence of peoples in North America and traces their stories to the beginning of the early twentieth-first century. The narrative rests on the premise that indigenous nations retain sovereign rights, and it explores the ways in which contests over those rights shaped their histories"-- show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I find myself frequently reading about the indigenous people of North America lately, so this little book caught my eye as I was shelf-reading and gathering up a cache of books for myself during the last week my library was open -- after we had closed the doors to patrons due to coronavirus concerns but before restrictions sent us staff people home too. (I ended up taking home 50 books, supplementing the 75 I had already checked out from this and another library. I'm ready for the long haul!)
This is a serviceable if dry survey of the history of Native Americans in the United States. And yes, despite the title citing North America, anything that happened in Mexico and Canada is basically omitted unless it occurred within 100 miles of the show more present day U.S. border. I did learn stuff and now have a better sense of time and place than I previously had, but despite the book being only 140 pages, it took me seven days to listlessly work my way through it.
I thought the most interesting part was the last sentence: "At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Indian people speak for themselves." I found it super ironic since this book was written by a married white couple. Hrm. show less
This is a serviceable if dry survey of the history of Native Americans in the United States. And yes, despite the title citing North America, anything that happened in Mexico and Canada is basically omitted unless it occurred within 100 miles of the show more present day U.S. border. I did learn stuff and now have a better sense of time and place than I previously had, but despite the book being only 140 pages, it took me seven days to listlessly work my way through it.
I thought the most interesting part was the last sentence: "At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Indian people speak for themselves." I found it super ironic since this book was written by a married white couple. Hrm. show less
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67 works; 1 member
Author Information
22+ Works 1,386 Members
Theda Perdue is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
8+ Works 680 Members
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- North American Indians: A Very Short Introduction
- Original publication date
- 2010
- People/Characters
- James Adair; Sherman Alexie; William Apess; Charles Albert Bender; Big Foot; Spotted Elk (show all 110); Black Elk; Black Fox; Black Hawk; Black Kettle; Daniel Boone; Elias Boudinot; Joseph Bruner; Buffalo Bird Woman; Edward Braddock; Mary Brave Bird; Alice Callahan; Samuel de Champlain; William Clark; George Colbert; John Collier; James Fenimore Cooper; George Copway; Francisco Vázquez de Coronado; Crazy Horse; Crow Dog; Ada Deer; Ella Deloria; Phillip J. Deloria; Chee Dodge; Doublehead; John Dunmore; John Murray; Charles Eastman; Louise Erdrich; Chris Eyre; Hanay Geiogamah; Geronimo; Edward Goodbird; Bob Haozous; Joy Harjo; LeAnne Howe; Thomas Jefferson; Lyndon Baines Johnson; John F. Kennedy; Henry Knox; Francis La Flesche; Susette La Flesche; Meriwether Lewis; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Nancy Oestrich Lurie; Philip Martin; Maria Martinez; Massasoit; John Joseph Mathews; Alexander McGillivray; William McIntosh; D'Arcy McNickle; Russell Means; Pedro Menéndez de Avilés; John Meyer; Elaine Miles; N. Scott Momaday; Carlos Montezuma; Jacob Morgan; Mountain Wolf Woman; Mourning Dove; Carlos Nakai; John Neihardt; O'Koy; Juan de Oñate; Louis Owens; Simon Pokagon; Popé; Susan Power; Richard Henry Pratt; John Rollin Ridge; Robbie Robertson; John Rolfe; John Ross; Mary Rowlandson; Fred Seaton; Leslie Marmon Silko; Sequoyah; Jay Silverheels; Sitting Bull; Lois Smoky; Hernando de Soto; Spotted Tail; Arthur St. Clair; Standing Bear; Luther Standing Bear; Maria Tallchief; Tarhe; Tecumseh; Tenskwatawa; Clarence Three Stars; Two Moon; Uncas; Gerald Vizenor; John Wanamaker; Clyde Warrior; James Welch; Gilbert Wilson; Sarah Winnemucca; Wovoka; Zitkala-Ša (Gertrude Simmons Bonnin); Thaté Iyóhiwiŋ (Zitkala-Ša's mother, a/k/a Ellen Simmons); Dawée (Zitkala-Ša's brother a/k/a David Simmons); Hump
- Important places
- Alaska, USA; Bering Land Bridge; Black Hills, South Dakota, USA; Black Mesa, Arizona, USA; Bozeman Trail; California, USA (show all 42); Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA; South Carolina, USA; Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, USA; Dakota Territory, USA; The Dalles, Oregon, USA; Florida, USA; Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota, USA; Fort Duquesne, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Fort Marion, Florida; Fort Orange, New Netherland; France; Georgia, USA; Hampton Institute; Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Alabama, USA; Jamestown Colony; Little Bighorn, Montana, USA; Louisiana, USA; Massachusetts Bay Colony; New England, USA; New Mexico, USA; Ohio, USA; Oklahoma, USA; Paisley Caves, Paisley, Oregon, USA; Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, USA; Plymouth Colony; Quebec, Canada; Rosebud Reservation; Sand Creek, Colorado, USA; Sand Creek Massacre site; Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; Santa Elena, California, USA; Spain; St. Augustine, Florida, USA; Texas, USA; Virginia, USA; Wounded Knee, South Dakota, USA
- Important events
- Battle of Horseshoe Bend; Battle of Little Big Horn; Proclamation of 1763; Red Power movement; Sand Creek Massacre; Seminole Wars (show all 24); Battle of the Thames (1812); Treaty of Easton; Treaty of Fort Atkinson; Treaty of Fort Laramie, 1851; Treaty of Fort Laramie, 1867; Treaty of Greenville; Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek; Treaty of New York; Treaty of Paris; Treaty of Tordesillas; Creek War; King Philip's War; Pequot War; World War II; Yamassee War; War of 1812; Wounded Knee massacre, December 1890; Bacon's Rebellion
- Dedication
- For Danny Bell, our friend and colleague
- First words
- In October 1492, Christopher Columbus encountered the native people of a small island in the Caribbean.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Indian people speak for themselves.
- Blurbers
- Deer, Ada E.; Iverson, Peter
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 165
- Popularity
- 195,137
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.27)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 2
