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.

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9781442251441

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Reviews

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, George Washington University 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, Oberlin College 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, Irvine Valley College Native Nations combines prehistory, anthropologically based ethnographic sketches, and consideration of modern Native America in a text that is accessible and engaging. -- Adam King, University of South Carolina Impressive for its breadth and the diversity of tribes covered, this is a text my students enjoy. -- Katharine Kirakosian, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Author Information

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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