| Synopsis: |
This new four-volume encyclopedia is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource available on the history of Native Americans, providing a lively, authoritative survey ranging from human origins to present-day controversies. The story of America's original inhabitants, their descendents, and the settlers who came after is one of cooperation and conflict, promise and compromise, tragedy and endurance. It is an essential, troubling undercurrent of America's evolution running the length of the nation's history and the breadth of the continent (the names of over 1/2 of the states in the U.S. have Native American origins). And from continuing debates over the origins of Native Americans to recent issues such as reparations, the provenance of artifacts, and sports team mascots, it is a story that continues to be written. From the origins of Native American cultures, through the years of colonialism and expansion, to the present, "Encyclopedia of American Indian History" brings the story of Native Americans to life like no other previous reference on the subject.Featuring the work of many of the field's foremost scholars, it explores this fundamental aspect of the American experience with extraordinary depth, breadth, and currency, carefully balancing the perspectives of both Native and non-Native Americans. "The Encyclopedia of American Indian History" spans the centuries with three thematically organized volumes (covering the period from precontact through European colonization; the years of American expansion and Indian removal; and the modern era of reservations, reforms, and sovereignty). Each volume includes entries on key events, places, people, and issues. The fourth volume is an alphabetically organized resource providing histories of Native American nations, as well as an extensive chronology, topic finder, bibliography, and glossary. For students, historians, or anyone interested in the Native American experience, "Encyclopedia of American Indian History" brings that experience to life in an unprecedented way. |