Contested Territories

A remarkable multifaceted history, Contested Territoriesexamines a region that played an essential role in America'spost-revolutionary expansion-the Lower Great Lakes region,once known as the Northwest Territory. As French, English, andfinally American settlers moved westward and intersected withNative American communities, the ethnogeography of the regionchanged drastically, necessitating interactions that were notalways peaceful. Using ethnohistorical methodologies, the sevenessays presented here explore rapidly changing cultural dynamicsin the region and reconstruct in engaging detail the politicalorganization, economy, diplomacy, subsistence methods,religion, and kinship practices in play. With a focus on resistance,changing worldviews, and early forms of self-determinationamong Native Americans, Contested Territoriesdemonstratesthe continuous interplay between actor and agency during animportant era in American history.

Charles Beatty-Medina is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Toledo. Melissa Rinehart is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Miami University-Middletown.