This Land Was Theirs A Study of Native North Americans

by Oswalt, Wendell H

• ISBN13: 9780195367409
• ISBN10: 0195367405
• Edition: 9th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-11-21
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This Land Was Theirs: A Study of Native North Americans, Ninth Edition, examines the traditional and contemporary lifeways of twelve North American Indian tribes. Ranging from the Netsilik hunters who straddle the Arctic Circle to the Natchez farmers of the lower Mississippi River area, the tribes represent each culture area and various levels of socioeconomic complexity among Native Americans. After introductory chapters devoted to pan-tribal issues, each chapter focuses on a specific group and culture area, providing students with a detailed portrait of the geographical and cultural adaptations of that region. As he has done for previous editions, author Wendell H. Oswalt has visited virtually all of the extant groups discussed in the text in order to ensure an accurate record of the present-day situation. Features of the Ninth Edition *Each chapter on an extant tribal group now includes a table with a timeline summarizing the group's ethnohistory *Includes an expanded section on the original peopling of the Americas *Emphasizes the major issues band and tribal governments in North America face today *Addresses the increasingly important diamond mining industry in Canada and the Subarctic *Includes more than 150 illustrations and chapter-opening native poems or songs *Offers expanded coverage of the Navajo, the transcontinental railroad's impact on Indian life, and contemporary issues encountered on reservations Provides pedagogical aids including maps of each region discussed, a glossary, a pronunciation guide, and two appendices: a guide to artifacts and a list of additional resources for further study

Author Biography

Wendell H. Oswalt is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at University of California, Los Angeles, where he taught for thirty-two years. His research has examined Native American cultures, with particular attention devoted to the Yupik-speaking Eskimos in southwestern Alaska and Inuit-speaking Eskimos in northern Alaska and Canada.

Table of Contents

Preface
Learning about Native Americans	p. 1
Bison and Americans	p. 2
Indians in Popular Culture	p. 4
Who Is a Native American?	p. 6
Population Figures	p. 9
Where Did Native Americans Originate?	p. 10
Synopsis of Pre-Columbian Archaeology North of Mexico	p. 13
How Have Native American Cultures Been Studied?	p. 16
What Do Non-Natives Know about Indigenous American Languages?	p. 19
Grouping Tribes	p. 20
Additional Sources	p. 27
Selected Bibliography	p. 27
Indian-Non-Indian Relations	p. 30
Early Contact	p. 31
Destruction and Displacement of Peoples	p. 34
U.S. Treaties	p. 36
Canada, the First Nations	p. 39
Greenland in Brief	p. 40
Administration of U.S. Indian Affairs	p. 41
Forces Fostering Native American Identity	p. 44
Recent History	p. 52
Native Americans and Anthropologists	p. 60
Comparing Cultures	p. 62
Additional Sources	p. 64
Selected Bibliography	p. 64
The Netsilik: Seal Hunting and Snowhouse Eskimos	p. 67
Traditional Life	p. 70
Historical Developments	p. 93
Recent Changes	p. 97
Additional Sources	p. 101
Selected Bibliography	p. 101
The Chipewyan: Subarctic Hunters	p. 103
Traditional Life	p. 105
Historical Developments	p. 117
Becoming Modern at Snowdrift (Lutselk'e, Lutsel K'e)	p. 119
Contemporary Lutselk'e	p. 126
Sayisi Band	p. 132
Additional Sources	p. 134
Selected Bibliography	p. 135
The Lower Kootenai: Plateau Fishers and Hunters	p. 138
Traditional Life	p. 141
Historical Developments	p. 155
Select Comparisons	p. 165
Additional Sources	p. 167
Selected Bibliography	p. 167
The Western Shoshone: Subduers of the High Desert	p. 169
Traditional Life	p. 172
Historical Developments	p. 183
The Battle Mountain Colony	p. 189
Additional Sources	p. 197
Selected Bibliography	p. 197
The Crow: Plains Raiders and Bison Hunters	p. 200
Baseline Ethnography	p. 201
Historical Developments	p. 222
Later History	p. 224
Other Dimensions	p. 231
Additional Sources	p. 234
Selected Bibliography	p. 235
The Cahuilla: Gatherers in the Desert	p. 237
Traditional Life	p. 238
Historical Developments	p. 254
The Agua Caliente Band	p. 256
Additional Sources	p. 263
Selected Bibliography	p. 263
The Tlingit: Alaskan Salmon Fishers	p. 265
Traditional Life	p. 266
Early History	p. 290
Later History	p. 293
Regional Corporation	p. 297
Additional Sources	p. 301
Selected Bibliography	p. 301
The Hopi: Farmers of the Desert	p. 304
Traditional Life	p. 305
Historical Developments	p. 325
Becoming Modern	p. 328
Additional Sources	p. 334
Selected Bibliography	p. 334
The Navajo: Transformations among a Desert People	p. 336
Background	p. 338
Historical Developments	p. 340
Earlier Reservation Years	p. 344
The Recent Past	p. 360
The Contemporary Scene	p. 363
Additional Issues	p. 369
Additional Sources	p. 370
Selected Bibliography	p. 371
The Iroquois: Warriors and Farmers of the Eastern Woodlands	p. 374
Early Historic Life	p. 375
Historical Developments	p. 394
The Six Nations Reserve	p. 397
Sovereignty	p. 406
Additional Sources	p. 409
Selected Bibliography	p. 409
The Eastern Cherokee: Farmers of the Southeast	p. 412
People, Population, and Language	p. 413
Ethnographic Background	p. 413
Historical Developments	p. 420
The Eastern Band of Cherokee	p. 428
The Contemporary Scene	p. 433
Additional Sources	p. 437
Selected Bibliography	p. 437
The Natchez: Sophisticated Farmers of the Deep South	p. 440
Traditional Life	p. 441
Ceremonies	p. 450
Tattooed Serpent's Oration	p. 456
Natchez History	p. 457
Additional Sources	p. 460
Selected Bibliography	p. 460
Overviews	p. 462
Indian Gaming Highlights	p. 463
Federal Administration	p. 468
Relocation Programs	p. 471
Unrecognized Tribes	p. 474
Diabetes and Native Americans	p. 476
Indians as Environmentalists	p. 477
Tribalism	p. 478
National Museum of the American Indian	p. 480
Tribal Sovereignty	p. 481
Summarizing Thoughts	p. 484
Additional Sources	p. 484
Selected Bibliography	p. 485
A Material Culture Sample	p. 487
Additional Native American Resources	p. 495
Glossary	p. 501
Pronunciation Guide	p. 511
Name Index	p. 515
Subject Index	p. 520
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