Native Nations: Cultures and Histories of Native North America / Edition 2

by Nancy Bonvillain

Overview

Combining historical background with discussion of contemporary Native nations and their living cultures, this comprehensive text introduces students to some of the many indigenous peoples in North America. The book is organized into parts corresponding to regional divisions within which similar, though not identical, cultural practices developed. Each part opens with an overview of the topography, climate, and natural resources in the area, and describes the range of cultural practices and beliefs grounded in the area. Subsequent chapters are devoted to specific tribal groups, their history, and the conditions of contemporary Native communities.

Nancy Bonvillain provides context for the regional and tribe-specific chapters through a brief overview of Native American history beginning around 1500 and covering the early period of European exploration and colonization. She details both U.S. and Canadian policies affecting the lives, cultures, and survival of more than five hundred Native nations on this continent. Finally, she offers up-to-date demographics and addresses significant social, economic, and political issues concerning Native communities.

The second edition features new material throughout, including a new two-chapter section on the Native nations of the Plateau, expanded introductory material addressing topics such as climate change and recent Supreme Court decisions, up-to-date demographic and economic data, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442251458
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/15/2016
Edition description:	Second Edition, New Edition
Pages:	552
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Nancy Bonvillain is professor of anthropology and linguistics at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. She is author of several university-level textbooks (Cultural Anthropology; Language, Culture, and Communication; Women and Men) in addition to numerous specialized books written for young readers about Native Americans, including The Zuni, The Santee Sioux, The Hopi, The Teton Sioux, The Sac and Fox, The Haidas, The Cheyennes, The Mohawk, The Huron, The Nez Perce, The Navajos, Hiawatha, and Black Hawk.

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Preface

This book presents an intensive discussion of the cultures, histories, and contemporary lives of members of the First Nations of North America. Following an introduction (Chapter One), is an overview (Chapter Two) of historical processes that have affected indigenous peoples since about 1500. Both Chapters One and Two discuss the complexity of population statistics that in the past and present have seriously undercounted Native communities and individuals. The book is thereafter divided into eight regional parts (Northeast, Southeast, Plains, Great Basin, Southwest, California, Northwest Coast, and Subarctic and Arctic). Each part begins with an overview chapter followed by one (or in some cases two) chapters that deal in detail with a First Nation within the region. The book concludes (Chapter Twenty-three) with a review of contemporary indigenous economic and political issues and also summarizes current economic and social data collected by the governments of Canada and the United States.

I wish to express my thanks to the following Prentice Hall reviewers for their useful comments on the manuscript: Stephen Greymorning, University of Montana; Timothy J. Kloberdanz, North Dakota State University; Sally McBeth, University of Northern Colorado; Martha McCullough, University of Nebraska; and Dean Snow, Pennsylvania State University. I also wish to thank Nancy Roberts, Publisher, and Sharon Chambliss, Managing Editor for anthropology, for their encouragement and advice throughout the process of bringing this book to completion. I appreciate the patience and excellent work of Cathy Dargi, who transcribed and typed the early draft of the book. And I thank Marc Melanson of Statistics Canada, Halifax, for his aid in obtaining linguistic, social, and economic data for First Nations Mi'kmaq, Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl), and Innu (Montagnais) bands.

My deep appreciation goes to the people at Akwesasne for the personal and intellectual support that I have always received there. I am especially grateful to Gloria Thompson, Ernest Benedict, Beatrice Francis, and their families, as well as to Hilda Swamp for the many days over many years spent in their company. My admiration goes to them and others at Akwesasne who have led and participated in many struggles for cultural and political sovereignty. It is to them that this book is dedicated.

Table of Contents

Brief Table of Contents
List of Tables

Preface to the Second Edition

1. Introduction
   

Part I: Native North America

1. A Short History
2. Native Communities Today
   

Part II: The Northeast
Iroquois Story of the Origin of the False Faces

1. Native Nations of the Northeast
2. The Mohawks
3. The Mi’kmaqs
   

Part III: The Southeast
Choctaw Story of Creation

1. Native Nations of the Southeast
2. The Choctaws
   

Part IV: The Plains

1. Native Nations of the Plains
2. The Teton Lakotas
3. The Hidatsas
   

Part V: The Great Basin

1. Native Nations of the Great Basin
2. The Shoshones
   

Part VI: The Southwest

1. Native Nations of the Southwest
2. The Zunis
3. The Diné (or Navajos)
   

Part VII: California

1. Native Nations of California
2. The Pomos
   

Part VIII: The Plateau

1. Native Nations of the Plateau
2. The Nez Perce
   

Part IX: The Northwest Coast

1. Native Nations of the Northwest Coast
2. The Kwakwaka’wakw (or Kwakiutls)
   

Part X The Subarctic and Arctic

1. Native Nations of the Subarctic and Arctic
2. The Innu (or Montagnais)
3. The Inuit

Appendix: Websites for Native Nations in the United States and Canada
Credits
Index

Preface

Preface

This book presents an intensive discussion of the cultures, histories, and contemporary lives of members of the First Nations of North America. Following an introduction (Chapter One), is an overview (Chapter Two) of historical processes that have affected indigenous peoples since about 1500. Both Chapters One and Two discuss the complexity of population statistics that in the past and present have seriously undercounted Native communities and individuals. The book is thereafter divided into eight regional parts (Northeast, Southeast, Plains, Great Basin, Southwest, California, Northwest Coast, and Subarctic and Arctic). Each part begins with an overview chapter followed by one (or in some cases two) chapters that deal in detail with a First Nation within the region. The book concludes (Chapter Twenty-three) with a review of contemporary indigenous economic and political issues and also summarizes current economic and social data collected by the governments of Canada and the United States.

I wish to express my thanks to the following Prentice Hall reviewers for their useful comments on the manuscript: Stephen Greymorning, University of Montana; Timothy J. Kloberdanz, North Dakota State University; Sally McBeth, University of Northern Colorado; Martha McCullough, University of Nebraska; and Dean Snow, Pennsylvania State University. I also wish to thank Nancy Roberts, Publisher, and Sharon Chambliss, Managing Editor for anthropology, for their encouragement and advice throughout the process of bringing this book to completion. I appreciate the patience and excellent work of Cathy Dargi, who transcribed and typed the early draft of the book.And I thank Marc Melanson of Statistics Canada, Halifax, for his aid in obtaining linguistic, social, and economic data for First Nations Mi'kmaq, Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl), and Innu (Montagnais) bands.

My deep appreciation goes to the people at Akwesasne for the personal and intellectual support that I have always received there. I am especially grateful to Gloria Thompson, Ernest Benedict, Beatrice Francis, and their families, as well as to Hilda Swamp for the many days over many years spent in their company. My admiration goes to them and others at Akwesasne who have led and participated in many struggles for cultural and political sovereignty. It is to them that this book is dedicated.

Editorial Reviews

Native Nations combines prehistory, anthropologically based ethnographic sketches, and consideration of modern Native America in a text that is accessible and engaging.

Adam King

Native Nations gives a broad overview of the whole of Native North America, bringing together the historical, sociological, and cultural aspects that shape Native lives. However, it also gives the specific local contexts of Native communities that shape their reactions to contemporary issues and conditions. It is detailed, expansive, comprehensive, and well researched.

Steven Williams

Bonvillain captures the vitality of Native peoples today as well as the current issues they face. She places Native people and their continued struggles squarely in a contemporary framework, covering a variety of crucial topics from climate change to taxation. Emphasizing the concept of nations and sovereignty, she describes reservations, reserves, and treaties in a way that is frank and refreshing.

Erica Cusi Wortham

Impressive for its breadth and the diversity of tribes covered, this is a text my students enjoy.

Katharine Kirakosian

I am very pleased by the substantive contemporary content in this text. Students need to hear about challenges Native peoples face today, and Native Nations does a great job with that.

Chris Hurst-Loeffler

Bonvillain’s Native Nations offers a comprehensive view of indigenous history, technology, and modern life in each region of North America. By providing both regional and tribe-specific chapters, Bonvillian engages the reader with her exploration into the diverse cultural practices and political issues surrounding native communities.

Cameron Lacquement

I am very pleased by the substantive contemporary content in this text. Students need to hear about challenges Native peoples face today, and Native Nations does a great job with that.

Christina Hurst-Loeffler