Seven Myths of Native American History

by Paul Jentz, Alfred J. Andrea (Editor), Andrew Holt (Editor)

Overview

"Misconceptions continue to shape public perceptions of American Indians. Deeply ingrained cultural fictions, what Jentz (history, North Hennepin Community College) refers to as myths, have had a lasting hold on popular understanding of Native Americans. In this readable and engaging overview, Jentz provides an important corrective, one that not only catalogs key stories and stereotypes but also lays a foundation for challenging them. As the title indicates, Jentz seeks to demystify seven fundamental ideas about American Indians through critical histories. Following a helpful introductory discussion, he devotes a chapter to each myth. Specifically, he unpacks (1) the noble savage, (2) the ignoble savage, (3) wilderness and wildness, (4) the vanishing native, (5) the authentic Indian, (6) the ecological Indian, and (7) the mystical native. Throughout, Jentz employs clear language and tangible examples to clarify each myth and its significance. [T]his work will greatly benefit nonspecialists, including high school teachers and students. The volume will be useful as either a textbook in introductory courses in Native American studies or as secondary reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
—C. R. King, Washington State University, in Choice

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781624667190
Publisher:	Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/02/2018
Series:	Myths of History: A Hackett Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Paul Jentz is Professor of History, North Hennepin Community College.

Editorial Reviews

"Seven Myths of Native American History will provide undergraduates and general readers with a very useful introduction to Native America past and present. Jentz identifies the origins and remarkable staying power of these myths at the same time he exposes and dismantles them."
—Colin G. Calloway, Dartmouth College

"Jentz's Seven Myths of Native American History is a wonderfully nuanced examination of the most common misconceptions that North Americans have held, and often continue to hold, about the original inhabitants of this continent. Jentz's book does an especially good job of weaving in the cultural productions—fiction, poetry, movies, and television shows—that created and sustained these myths. This approach allows students and members of the general public alike to become more critical consumers of cultural productions about Native Americans."
—Andrae Marak, Governors State University

"I never imagined that my Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, first published in 2003, would prove to be so enduring a format for helping students of all kinds to rethink key moments in human history. It is therefore a great honor to see that the book has now inspired Hackett Publishing Company's "Myths of History" series, expertly and effectively edited by Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt."
—Matthew Restall, Pennsylvania State University

"[W]hat gives this book its strength is Jentz's demonstration of how each myth continues to shape the dominant culture's understanding of American Indians. Equally important, Jentz shows how some of the myths emerged from the earliest periods of colonization, while others emerged as a result of trends and developments outside of Indian-Euro-American relations. With each myth, Jentz argues for a particular 'origin' of the myth and then traces its evolution into contemporary times. As a result, each chapter leaves the reader with a greater appreciation for how certain attitudes and/or beliefs continue to shape our perceptions of Native American society."
—Michael J. Mullin, Augustana University, in Ethnohistory

"Jentz’s work and its analysis of a variety of different fields, including history, art, culture, and media, make this book useful for scholars in many different academic fields. Although Jentz provides a detailed history of the development of each myth, he does so in an easy-to-understand manner, taking care to not lose the reader in a sea of technical jargon. This makes the book not only accessible as a resource for scholars doing work related to Native Americans but also assignable to students, providing them with an effective entry point into challenging the preconceived notions of Native Americans that are, unfortunately, still prevalent in American society."
—Deondre Smiles, The Ohio State University, in American Indian Quarterly

"Jentz is not the first to attempt to correct erroneous generalizations regarding American Indians; however, he is more effective than most in exposing the historical genesis of these constructed depictions. . . .The book is successful in being accessible to the undergraduate and general audiences Hackett Publishing intended for its Seven Myths book series . . . a useful companion text for undergraduate survey courses in American history. . . . Jentz closes on a positive note by providing examples of more complex portrayals of and by American Indians to which readers can turn"
—David Dry, in Native American and Indigenous Studies

From the Publisher