Native American History: A Chronology of a Culture's Vast Achievements and Their Links to World Events

by Judith Nies

Native American History is a breakthrough reference guide, the first book of its kind to recognize and explore the rich, unfolding experiences of the indigenous American peoples as they evolved against a global backdrop. This fascinating historical narrative, presented in an illuminating and thought-provoking time-line format, sheds light on such events as:
* The construction of pyramids--not only on the banks of the Nile but also on the banks of the Mississippi
* The development of agriculture in both Mesopotamia and Mexico
* The European discovery of a continent already inhabited by some 50 million people
* The Native American influence on the ideas of the European Renaissance
* The unacknowledged advancements in science and medicine created by the civilizations of the new world
* Western Expansion and its impact on Native American land and traditions
* The key contributions Native Americans brought to the Allied victory of World War II
And much more!
This invaluable history takes an important first step toward a true understanding of the depth, breadth, and scope of a long-neglected aspect of our heritage.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Native American, Native Americans, Native American History, Reference, American

432 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 1996

About the author

Judith Nies is the award-winning author of three nonfiction books—The Girl I Left Behind, Nine Women, and Native American History, which won the Phi Alpha Theta prize in international history. Her journalism, book reviews, and essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, Orion, Harvard Review, Women’s Review of Books, and American Voice. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for what it is trying to do. A very base survey of NAH, good launching point for research and a good quick-reference.

[Adam Boltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It does cover a lot of ground and was generally interesting subject matter, but read very much like a textbook with no personality. ...which maybe it is. But it also had some nuisances such as saying many things three times -- first in the chapter intro, then in the timeline, and then in a sidebar -- which was further confused by the Kindle formatting not really be side-by-side. And some errors like saying "Greeks" when it meant "Creeks" or referring to the islands of "Taiwan and Formosa." But, again, if you can make it through it, it does have a lot of interesting information put in a useful global perspective.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style is very odd, as a chronological bullet-point list of events, with world events intersperced through the Native American events. That makes it difficult to read and difficult to find a rythum. Also feels pretty harsh toward the Spanish and white Americans - yes they did some really horrible things, but there is a strong emotion conveyed with these acts here and never any positive element. Toward the end I had to skim-read as it was just a list of brutality.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how she connects Native accomplishments to elements of history they clearly inspired like the term "Commander-in Chief" and the idea of a federated government in early US history.

[Heather Saxton]

Very informative and, as expected, extremely upsetting. Essentially a reference list for when and where things happened.

[Susu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a timeline of world history and history of the Americas - covers a lot of ground and serves as an overview

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really important history. Difficult to digest format. I did learn a lot. Especially appreciated the inclusion of a list of Native writers.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for ages and finally read it. It's hard to read at first because of the dual timeline set-up. One side of the page is more general history and the other side of the page is Native American history, resulting in long skinny paragraphs to read. Every once in a while there is an inset box with more details about a particular episode and the inset boxes are italicized, which I found visually strange.

Past the unusual formatting this book is a great overview of world history, Native American History, and a great way to visualize the second inside the first. Of course, the book is only 400 pages long so don't expect exceptionally detailed accounting. I feel like I learned a lot and was reminded of many things I had forgotten. I do think this is good reading for Americans because everyone growing up in the US (the main focus of the book) should know this information.

This book is also great for finding out about Native American subjects and people you can then research further. I wrote down the books and authors recommended in an inset box on page 383 for future reference.

And I must add that the world history column is European and white-American focused.

[Jason Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bi-colum book that chronicles a wild history from 28,000 BC to the current day. Obviously there is a lot of speculation and interpretation. Still I would recommend this book to anyone interest in the history of the Native Americans or any of the states they still reside in.There is no clear resolution, and I grew up 11 miles from the Pine Ridge Reservation.

[Rmwittig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Indian History vs. World History - Enlightening and very interesting for history buffs