The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America

by James Wilson

The Earth Shall Weep is a groundbreaking, critically acclaimed history of the Native American peoples. Combining traditional historical sources with new insights from ethnography, archaeology, Indian oral tradition, and years of his original research, James Wilson weaves a historical narrative that puts Native Americans at the center of their struggle for survival against the tide of invading European peoples and cultures. The Earth Shall Weep charts the collision course between Euro-Americans and the indigenous people of the continent, from the early interactions at English settlements on the Atlantic coast, through successive centuries of encroachment and outright warfare, to the new political force of the Native American activists of today. It is a clash that would ultimately result in the reduction of the Native American population from an estimated seven to ten million to 250,000 over a span of four hundred years, and change the face of the continent forever. A tour de force of narrative history, The Earth Shall Weep is a powerful, moving telling of the story of Native Americans that has become the new standard for future work in the field.

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

498 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 1998

About the author

JAMES WILSON was born and brought up near Cambridge, and studied History at Oxford University. He now divides his time between London and France.

In 1975 James received a Ford Foundation grant to research and write The Original Americans: US Indians, for the Minority Rights in London. Over the next twenty-five years he travelled widely in the US and Canada, working on – among other projects – a number of radio and TV documentaries, including the award-winning Savagery and the American Indian and The Two Worlds of the Innu, both for the BBC. His critically-acclaimed history of Native Americans, The Earth Shall Weep, was published by Picador in the UK in 1998, and by Grove/Atlantic in the US the following year. In 2000, it won a Myers Outstanding Book award. James continues to serve as a member of the executive committee of Survival, an international organization campaigning for the rights of indigenous peoples worldwide.

James is the author of four novels, all published by Faber & Faber: The Dark Clue (described by Allan Massie in The Scotsman as ‘wonderfully entertaining’, and by The Washington Post as ‘a stunning first novel’); The Bastard Boy (longlisted for the IMPAC Award); The Woman in the Picture (‘multi-layered, deeply absorbing and entertaining’ – The Times; ‘A superb achievement’ – Kevin Brownlow); and Consolation (‘an animated, haunting and surprisingly uplifting novel’ – The Observer).

A fifth novel, The Summer of Broken Stories, will be published by Alma Books in April 2015.

You can visit James online at jameswilsonauthor.com, and on Twitter at @jcwilsonauthor.

Reviews

[TXGAL1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilson has written a sweeping saga of the “discovery” of America by Europeans and the destruction of its indigenous peoples from its first encounters to present-day—a period of approximately 500 years. At the end of this 500-year period, 12,000,000 Indian lives had been exterminated. WARNING: the retelling of the Native experience contains racist language and moments of vivid violence.

It’s difficult for me to write a review deserving of Wilson’s work. Honestly, I am furious with mankind. Also, I did myself a disservice by listening to the 22-hr. audiobook instead of reading the book in hand. Many of the Native names and situations were lost to me since I was not able to read them in print. Lesson learned. The narrator, Nelson Runger, did a wonderful job using his rich, clear voice in a slow and steady manner.

THE EARTH SHALL WEEP is divided into three “Parts”—Origins, Invasion, and First Nations. The chapters then appear by regions of the country. This broad study of Native America is well done and, generally, from the passionate viewpoint of the Indian.

The author sets before the reader examples of native oral histories and recorded prophecies of their future demise. Quotes from various Native individuals of various tribes support the desperation and confusion that continually bombarded them. Those that were not outright murdered died from pestilence (generally smallpox and bubonic plague), hunger, poverty and death of the human spirit.

Once the Europeans moved from trade to the occupation of ever-increasing amounts of land the relationships were destroyed. Greed drove the Europeans to steal the Natives’ land and resources using flimsy treaties and outright theft. When this theft was not able to be done overtly, racist perceptions and government policies furthered the destruction of the varied cultures: by putting bounties on the buffalo in order to exterminate the source of the Natives’ primary meat supply; forcing the destruction of tribes’ culture by relentless pressure to assimilate; and the removal of Indian children from their families to be placed in boarding schools where they would be punished for speaking their native language, dressing in native clothing, and male children wearing long hair. This continued assault of the Native culture resulted in damage to their social, spiritual, and psychological world. The former examples are only a pittance of the onslaught to actively remove the Native peoples from America.

This broad study of Native America is definitely for the reader who wants to know more about the shameful and continued assault on the Indigenous peoples of America.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was clear, well-written, and utterly horrifying. I think it's information all Americans should have, and are unlikely to be taught in public school. Made me realize a number of things, including how uneven "traditional" education is, even about distributing MISinformation about the story of American Indians. I never knew, for example, what a galvanizing and controversial time the New Deal in the 1930's was for many tribes, nor had I heard about the fish-ins in the 1960's, which took place right in my back yard.

I didn't consider myself a wide-eyed innocent about the relationship between white folks and Native Americans, but this book was truly shocking to me, and also fascinating and seemingly well-balanced. I highly recommend it. If nothing else, it will leave you flabbergasted that we still encourage gradeschool children to dress up like Pilgrims.

[Greg Beale · Rating 5 out of 5]

an in depth and moving book

As a 1/16th Cherokee...really ...I am struggling to deal with history. Worse my great great grandfather was lynched as a Cherokee married to a white woman. It becomes personal when you discover that in your family history. I was also once a Stanford Indian, actually a football player who followed Prince Lightfoot out of the tunnel to do battle. I was for the mascot change, and the Redskins and Braves and Utes have to go. I am haunted by this book. Most Americans refuse to look at this critical part of our history. But, as the book warns in the end, The Great Spirit will decide what to do with all of us, who are ruining the planet as fast as we can. The Earth Shall Weep....

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is good to get an alternative point to keep everything in perspective. This history text isn't one that you sit down and read front to cover; it certainly has a staggering amount of information in it. It covers the history of our country from the native viewpoint from first contact to about the mid 1980's. Some things I already knew thanks to an American Indian course I took in college, but there was a lot there that I was not familiar with. I think the author did a good job of being objective and in organizing the material in a logical fashion and not just sticking to the bigger and better known incidents. His use of quotes by Indians gave voice to individual thoughts from the time -- would love to see Ken Burns tackle this! I'll throw out a couple of tidbits I learned that really made me pause for thought: for the Plains Indians, only male homosexuals kept their hair cut short and layered (like whites, imagine what that did to the psyche of the adolescent males sent to the Carlisle Indian school!) and some modern-day Indians believe that the PC use of Native Americans is an attempt by whites to nullify the treaties since they all refer to "Indians" and not natives. That's a harsh level of distrust, but then again, why should they trust the government knowing that every single treaty ever agreed upon has been violated and the government until recently had an established goal of "termination" of tribes? Food for thought.

[Dylan Horrocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical overview. Beautifully written; a compelling narrative that intelligently explores the complex, varied processes of colonisation in North America: territorial, political, social and cultural. This is the history every American should know about: a history that has profoundly shaped the development of North American states and societies. It is also a story of survival and struggle that continues into the 21st century. There are insights here, too, that are relevant to the histories and contemporary politics of other colonial countries, from Aotearoa-New Zealand to Israel/Palestine.

If you're looking for a readable, nuanced, thoughtful introduction to the subject, this book is ideal. And more: it's a book I'll be thinking about for years, a profound exploration of cross-cultural encounters and the brutal, multi-layered realities of colonisation.

[Michael Elkon · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I read about the Wright Brothers, which was a story of some of the best aspects of American society (the plucky brothers who came from a middle class background and, without the benefits of substantial investment or formal education, made themselves world-famous by inventing the first powered flight machine), I decided to read about one of the worst. James Wilson doesn't sugarcoat anything in his book about Native Americans and their demise at the hands of Europeans. There's no way to come out of reading this book without a degree of guilt as an American. Our country was built in no small part from defrauding the natives, pushing them off the land whether by treaties that they did not understand (and Whites did not obey) or naked violence. Much of the decline of native populations was the result of diseases unintentionally brought by the Europeans (diseases that were the result of Europeans being exposed to livestock and thus developing immunities, whereas Native Americans did not have livestock and therefore had no such immunities), so it's not as if Europeans intentionally murdered millions of natives, but there was a healthy degree of violence involved and a massive degree of land-stealing.

One of the interesting aspects of Wilson's narrative was the Catch-22 that natives were placed in by the Europeans. If they remained as hunter-gatherers, then they were dismissed by the Europeans as savages who had no rights and could be pushed off the land without a second thought. If they became stable farming communities, then that just illustrated that they were on useful land, so that land would be seen as a target for settlers.

Wilson also does a good job of explaining how the natives had a completely foreign understanding of how Europeans operated that was their undoing. The natives, for instance, typically had warriors within tribes and there would be wars between tribes over resources, but these were almost always limited wars. The objective was simply to obtain the resource in dispute and then push the enemy back; it was never to annihilate the enemy completely. The natives had a sense of a world that needed to be in harmony, with bartering back and forth to help one another and sharing of communal property. (One can see how many Marxist concepts could have been inspired by the Native Americans.) The Europeans, on the other hand, had a concept of total war, whereby an enemy could be wiped out entirely, especially if that enemy was non-White. The Europeans believed in private property and negotiated treaties on that basis, which the natives never quite understood and were helpless to prevent the Europeans from violating. Our society is based on private ownership and the rule of law to protect those property rights, but that was a foreign concept to natives.

This tension carried through into the 20th century. There was often a disagreement as to the proper way for the U.S. to manage its native population. Part of the idea was just to push them off the land and then let them fend for themselves. This was especially prevalent when there was plenty of land to be had in the 18th and 19th centuries. Georgia, for example, saw the Cherokee and Creek deprived of their traditional lands through quasi-legal and illegal means and then forced to move all the way to Oklahoma. Andrew Jackson fully supported the Georgians in their efforts to push the natives out, as when the Supreme Court held that the natives were sovereign and could not be mistreated by the state government, Jackson made his infamous statement "Justice Marshall has made his ruling, now let's see him enforce it." There was also violence against the Native Americans when they were pushed off the land and chose to fight back, most notably in the Indian Wars that took place on the Great Plains in the 19th century. California was especially violent, as the gold rush brought serious, intentional violence against the native tribes that lived in that state. (Right after we get rid of the Redskins, we might consider the 49ers renaming themselves, as well.)

In opposition to "let's steal their land and then push them into the interior" was the impulse to try to turn natives into White people. This effort entailed taking control of the process of educating native children, removing them from their homes and sending them to boarding schools where they would learn English, be taught a trade, and be forced to dress and act like Whites. The definition of who was a native was raised so that their numbers would go down, with the eventual hope being that they would melt into American society in the same way that other groups did. (Blacks were excluded from this impulse.) Needless to say, the process of trying to turn native children into Whites amounted to psychological torture, such that the victims never felt themselves to be part of either society.

A rare bright spot for the treatment of natives by the U.S. happened in the New Deal and then the Great Society, where the federal government decided to implement social programs to assist natives in getting out of poverty. Wilson's discussion about John Collier is especially interesting. Collier was a Georgia whose family was ruined by the Panic of 1898. He renounced American society and went from group to group, trying to convince people to retain their original cultures. He ended up becoming an effective advocate for Native Americans and ultimately, the head of the Bureau for Indian Affairs. There. he reversed the trends of cultural assimilation imposed by the federal government. He also stopped the process of the government creating individual parcels on Indian land (thus trying to turn natives into yeoman farmers) and then selling off most of the parcels to Whites. His legacy is mixed, as many natives believe that he didn't appreciate the differences between tribes. However, for possibly the first time, there was a true advocate for the interests of Native Americans with real power in government.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Co...

The conclusion of the book is interesting because Wilson discusses the divisions that continue to exist in Native American society. As would be expected, during the process of being pushed off their land, tribes were often divided between moderates, who just wanted to strike the best possible deal with the Whites and live to fight another day, and hard-liners, who wanted to take up arms against the Whites. These divisions have continued to the present, as Wilson described conflicts between full-blooded Native Americans, who are very protective of native rituals and culture, and mixed-blooded Natives, who tend to be more assimilationist. One little glimmer of hope that I gleaned from the end of the book was the idea that modern Native Americans face the same issues that just about every minority group faces in the U.S. today: a question of preserving culture and passing it along when American mass culture is so pervasive and attractive to young people. Older Native Americans complain about inter-marriage, loss of native language skills, and declining participation in native ceremonies, which is totally common with minority racial and ethnic groups. This implies a somewhat normalized experience for Native Americans, which would be great progress after the way that natives have been treated for centuries.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Where today are the Pequots? Where are the Narragansett's, the Mohawks, the Pocanets and many other once powerful tribes of our people? They have vanished before the avarice and oppression of the white man ..."

-- Tecumseh, Shawnee

This book attempts to explain the genocide of Native American cultures that occurred here in the United States. This genocide started almost immediately upon the arrival of Europeans to America, and it continues to this day. The majority of this book deals with peoples and conflicts that are much less well-known to make its powerful point.

Not the most readable of books on this subject, but it is very well researched and presented.

[Rick Goff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides an excellent introduction to the diverse nations that were arranged across North America prior to contact with European “settlers.” There were a great many nations, each with its origin myth/religion political system and economic strategy, rooted in the features of the place they called their homeland. For a sense of the diversity of these nations, consider that each of the first 8 or 9 chapters is limited in scope to the nations in a region of the continent. The chapter introduces the local nations and describes the impact on them of European incursion. You might compare it to Europe. Just as Germans, Russians and Portuguese are all Europeans, so Creek, Kiawa and Klamath “Indians.” As land and population diminished, and extinction loomed, many of these nations had little choice but to find common cause and represent themselves politically, if not culturally, as a unified entity.

It won’t come as news to you, but the history of English, Spanish, French and, eventually American treatment of the citizens of the First Nations is appalling. This book provides more information regarding where, when, to whom and by whom.

I no longer have the ability to retain a lot of factual data and I’m sure if I were tested on this book I would fail. But I come away with some understanding of some cosmological/religious premises common to these nations. In particular, all things are spiritual and the natural condition of the universe is harmonious.

[John Senner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a HUGE topic. Five centuries and about 175 tribes. It was getting to be too much. But an important book to read. There is much about Indians (Native Americans) that needs to be known. For example: That distinction between the two names has legal importance - all the treaty documents refer to Indians. The first part of the book is divided by geography, starting with the Northeastern Natives that the pilgrims encountered. I doubt that the Massachusetts Colony could have survived except for the fact that disease had cleared all the prime living and farming areas of occupants. Why is there very little reservation land in California? - because nearly all the tribes were killed.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book!

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not an easy or pleasant reading experience because the author clearly and in great detail sets forth the brutal and dismal record of malfeasance and genocide that Native Americans endured by Anglo-Europeans. Whether they tried to resist and maintain their cultures or, like the Cherokee, tried to assimilate according to Anglo standards, the indigenous groups had to deal with disease, fraudulent dealings, treachery, exploitation, sexual assaults on women, and policies, overt and subtle (systematic), rooted in “racial hatred and contempt.” Much of this is not new history. What I came away with was the scope, magnitude, and consistency over 4 centuries. I also came away with with a clearer understanding how the American Indian has been culturally misunderstood, considered backward, helpless, ignorant, and seen as an obstacle to property & progress, and thus, never had a chance. This book is a comprehensive, detailed account of the American Indian’s struggle for survival.

I enjoyed the different Indian creation stories presented at the beginning, and also how the author used Native American stories and reflections to provide a window into the Indian cultures and commentaries on the interaction with Anglo-Euro encroachment.

The author structures this history by dividing the U.S. into regions and then thoroughly examining each region chapter by chapter. After the entire country is covered, he concludes with a detailed survey of the contemporary issues, including the complexities within and between the Native American peoples. The result of this structure is a fuller and comprehensive picture of the similarities and differences of the many indigenous groups and their interactions with non-natives. It also shows how centuries of mistreatments serves today as a unifying force and a divisive one.

This reader thoroughly enjoyed the reprint of “United Native Americans Buy Montana State” from THE COLVILLE TRIBAL TRIBUNE of 20 December 1973. This satirical, humorous piece of writing didn’t simply lightened the weight of this history, it encapsulated the entire history covered by this book. A brilliant piece of writing! I needed more light diversions (which I got by reading some thrillers periodically while reading this book), but history is what it is and while this one is not a pretty picture, it is heartbreakingly informative.

Readers who oppose the Woke movement will likely find this history disturbing. That said, there are glimmers of positive changes. It just takes a lot of hefty reading to the last few chapters to find the hope.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd really like to read a lot more about American Indian history and culture. This year's plan already includes American Holocaust (next) and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee but, thanks to Wilson's frequent quotes from Vine Deloria Jr., maybe i'll read Custer Died for Your Sins next.

I frequently was distracted by Wilson's prose style. He seems extremely fond of parenthetical digressions, which he sets off by commas, dashes or parentheses (aka, what he'd probably call brackets) depending on his mood, apparently.

Nevertheless, the content of the book was much more in line with what i'd hoped to get from 1491, namely, a history of the first people who live in what is now the continental United States, aka Native Americans, aka American Indians, aka [insert name of each nation].

I expect Stannard's American Holocaust will cover much of the same ground but in a way more likely (and presumably intended) to produce a sense of outrage, if i may be allowed to judge the entire book by its title. I believe a sensible reader will (and should) feel outrage from Wilson's book, too.

On pages 371-373, Wilson quotes an article published in the Colville Tribal Tribune on December 20, 1973. (It's also available online, if you don't have the book in hand.) I highly recommend reading it entirely as a perfect characterization of what happened on this continent. I'll probably refer to this article in conversation for the rest of my life. I'd like to know who wrote it so i could give them personal credit.

Bottom Line
A helpful and welcome history that i wish i'd read in the 1990s when—as an editor of "multicultural" encyclopedias such as the Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes—i most needed it. (That's some hindsight from the year 2020.)

[Jacob Lines · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an excellent history of North America’s indigenous inhabitants. Wilson gives a good picture of the complexity of the hundreds of native nations, tribes, and groups. He covers 500 years of history in about 450 pages – no small feat. Based on my college courses and other reading, I found this to be a very dependable and thorough history. Of course, if you are easily depressed by stories of massacres and genocide, you might want to skip it. Because a lot of this history is really sad and depressing. On the bright side, he does cover some of the good stuff that has happened in recent history. You just have to wade through the centuries of wrong before getting there.

[Jessica Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a comprehensive history. I listened to the audiobook for the most part. It was an interesting mixture of engaging and boring for me. Not that the history of Natives are boring, but the writing was a bit. The author did use a lot of primary sources, which was excellent. I don't read many non-fiction books, so please read this review with that in mind!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having Choctaw on my paternal mother's side, I try to read at least one book a year to learn more of my father's origins. I found this book very informative putting Indian history more in "proper" context.

[Maria-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educational

Listening to this book was very informative. Learned a lot and like to recommend to anyone interested in the history of the Native Americans. The Narator did a great job in presenting the story and ones started I did not want to put it down

[Jahan Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly expansive and detailed look at the long and miserable history of colonization in the Americas. I came for the historical context of what life may have been like for native peoples across the US before European colonization, but I stayed for the enduring and heartwrenching tale of determination that leads to the survival of tribal society today (the 20th century). I learned so much and by the end I only wanted more.

[Gregory Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I ever teach a Native American History class, I will use this to guide my lectures. It's the best single volume on Native American history that I've ever seen. The writing is solid, flows really well, and there's plenty of native voices.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit out of date as far as current developments; it was published in 2000. Excellent historical perspectives, NOT focusing on the Great Plains (Custer etc.) as most general books on this topic tend to do. I especially appreciated the historical perspectives on the Southwest and California.

[Stephen Selbst · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough history of the Native Americans of the United States from the time of first European settlement to the recent past. Even if you know the overall history, this detailed account will give the reader an in-depth view of this sad story.

[Edward Rathke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book that covers the history of North Americans from thousands of years ago to when this book was published. It manages to cover huge amounts of information but never delves too deep into any specific sequence of events.

Wilson approaches the many different indigenous nations geographically, which seems like a fair approach. I think he does an admiral job here covering as much as he can efficiently while also giving a feel for how each region was distinct, had distinct histories before Europeans, and had distinct interactions with Europeans that shaped their culture up to today.

I don't have a lot to say, really. This book, like any historical survey, is best when paired with multiple other history books that get more specific on narrower slices of that history.

But, yeah, solid stuff.

[Zack Riccardelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Would have been better if he included the citations in the chapters than just at the end of the book.

[Benji · Rating 5 out of 5]

good general overview of the history of natives in the mainland United States. there are definitely things i learned that i want to investigate further, which i feel is a good sign of reading a book

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1986, the Onondaga traditional chief, Oren Lyons told a conference: We will determine what our culture is. It has been pointed out that culture constantly changes. It is not the same today as it was a hundred years ago. We are still a vital, active Indian society. We are not going to be put in a museum or accept your interpretation of our culture. I hope that what I have said will be taken with the respect with which it was presented...we continue to survive. Our chief council is composed of respectable and dignified men. They are profoundly endowed with the spirit of nationhood, freedom and self-determination. When we travel about and meet with the elders from the other different nations and peoples, we find our friends. I cannot speak for anybody but the Six Nations of Iroquois, but I can tell you that we have children who believe that they are Onondagas. We have longhouses that are full of our young people. We have a lacrosse team called the Iroquois Nationals that competes with Canada, the United States, England and Australia. It is a fact that a small group of people in the northeast have survived an onslaught for some 490 years. They continue their original manner of government. They also drive cars, have televisions, and ride on planes. We make the bridges that you cross over and build the buildings that you live in. So, what are we? Are we traditionalists or are we assimilated? If you can get away from your categories and definitions, you will perceive us as a living and continuing society. We believe that the wampum and the ceremonial masks should be at home. We will continue our ceremonies. We have the right to exist and that right does not come from you or your government. [From The Earth Shall Weep by James Wilson, Epilogue]

The Earth Shall Weep is a relatively old book - it was first published in 1998, making it over two decades old at this point - but one that excellently written, poignant, and speaks plainly about truths that still shape current affairs. Presented in three broad sections - Origins (on precontact north America and precolonial contact), Invasion (on contact in the context of white settlement, presented by region), and Internal Frontiers (on different ways in which native populations and individuals have tried to deal with forced assimilation and continual abuse from the wider population and government) - the history recounted in this text is nothing short of horrifying. Usually I try to read a book steadily - especially when reading for a challenge, as I was with this book - but with The Earth Shall Weep there were many times that I needed to take a day or two off of reading to properly reflect on what I had read. The last time I had this much difficulty reading a book it was Andrea Pitzer's One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps. Still, this was a book worth reading and one that I will recommend to others both for the writing - clear, with no exaggeration, and extensive quotations from native sources where it is available - and the information. This isn't the kind of book you read for warm fuzzy feelings but is the kind of book that must be read to make sure that the realities of history aren't airbrushed and forgotten. Refusing to acknowledge and discuss things that happened, even when they make you feel uncomfortable (and damn did this make me feel uncomfortable), allow for people to craft narrow, politically motivated historical fictions and pass them off as fact. Overall, The Earth Shall Weep is a five star read and one that I highly recommend.

[Zainab Kh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Objectively written a heartwarming tragic book about the history of pure, spiritually rich people who lived in a heavenly peace with themselves and with nature that surrounded them , until the arrival of white man who turned their world upside down, by initiating whole unjustified process of killing the indigenous people ,occupying their land ,attacking their culture and identity under the name of civilisation ,and to save the native’s from their own savage ways! .The five centuries of organised racial discrimination ,wars and poverty left the Indians broken with disturbed self identity and poverty , which makes them easy prey for old world diseases and drunkenness . although indigenous peoples had regained a little bit of what had been lost , like cultural freedom and economic independence nowadays , some traditions and lores had remorsefully vanished . US attitudes towards Indians give a clear insight about the white man policy and America in general ever since it’s establishment . It never changed , although less brutal than before, it’s relentless greed for economic blast , continues to seep the earth last resources ,and citizens are getting poorer, and what’s happening now in Palestine is another example of wiping out policy conducted by United States and Israel on killing the native Palestinian and replace them with civilised zionists. In the name of taking the promise land that has been destined to them by god ! ..
I wish that every one would read this very good book , to know the history and learn from the past in order to not repeat the same mistakes again or at least knows what’s right and the wrongs that is veiled under religions or nationality beliefs and to be able to condemn it’s inhumane ways.

[Sebvand · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable introduction to the history of America’s indigenous peoples. I read this after Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’ more recent An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, which is much shorter and contains less detail. I enjoyed the way this book was split up to treat the different culture areas one at a time, and also how a significant portion of this book was devoted to Native American history and culture itself, and not just on the systems that have been and are trying to destroy it. Shorter accounts may ignore the long period before English settlers arrive in the 17th century, or the influence of Spanish conquest in California and the Southwest. Pre-Columbian history may also be ignored in shorter accounts, because no written records exist and historians must rely on oral history. I have admired the incorporation of oral history as a legitimate source in this book, especially given the author’s efforts to find overlap between oral history, written history and archaeology. The scope of this book is primarily limited to the territory of the continental US, which has resulted in an underexposure of the Northwest Coast peoples (which are divided between Canada and the US) and the major influence of French fur trappers and the fur trade on pre-1776 history.

[Henrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historien om de amerikanske urfolkene, indianerne, er en av de største tragedier i menneskets historie. USA, landet som gav verden det moderne demokratiet, som skrøt på seg at alle menn er skapt like, og som lovte muligheter, frihet og velstand, har lenge forsøkt å ignorere det faktum at all denne velstanden er bygd på etnisk renskning, kolnisering, erobring og død. James Wilson gjør her en god jobb i å motvirke dette, i hans verk som fremstiller USAs historie fra perspektivet til de innfødte.

De fleste indianerne døde i starten ikke av europeernes overlegne våpenteknologi, men av en usynlig fiende: sykdom. I dag er dette kjent, men det er vanskelig å ta inn over seg hvordan disse samfunnene ble påvirket av de enorme dødstallene. Vi som har gjennomlevd en pandemi med 1% dødsrate kan jo tenke oss om tallet var 25-90%.

Mange innfødte amerikanske lokalsamfunn mistet 75% eller mer av sine medlemmer på bare noen uker-tapstall av en størrelsesorden som blir spådd i tilfelle av et kjernefysisk holocaust, og i hvert fall større enn i Hiroshima. De overlevende var uvegerlig preget av sjokk, sorg og forvirring. "De som er igjen, har fått motet sitt kraftig redusert," skrev Robert Cushman om indianerne rundt Plymouth, "og de går rundt med nedslått ut-trykk og ser ut som vettskremte mennesker."

Guvernør Bradford i Plymouth, som skrev i 1630-årene, kom med en livfull skildring av "pesten":

[...] de [indianerne] havner i en ynkverdig tilstand der de ligger på de harde mattene sine, sårene bryter går over i hverandre slik at huden deres kleber seg til mattene de ligger på. Når de snur seg, blir faktisk hele den ene siden ut og væsker og flådd av, og de er bare levret blod, høyst skremmende å se på. De har store smerter, pådrar seg forkjølelse og snue og dør som råtne sauer.

Disse reduserte samfunnene ble så ikke møtt med vennlighet av europeerne, men ble etter hvert forsøkt underkastet og indoktrinert i vestlig, kristen kultur og tankesett, gjerne via drap, vold, ydmykelser, tortur, osv.

Tiggermunkene la merke til mennenes sentrale rolle i puebloenes religiøse liv, og de var selv produkter av et mannsdominert samfunn. De hadde derfor en tilbøyelighet til å konsentrere an-strengelsene sine om guttene, med den paradoksale virkningen at enkelte kvinnesamfunn og -aktiviteter ble mindre forstyrret og følgelig fikk større betydning. Tiggermunkene ydmyket jevnlig menn som forlot folden, ved å fornedre dem i barnas påsyn; av og til demonstrerte de på slående vis deres kraftløshet overfor kolonimakten ved å gripe testiklene deres og vri til. (1 1638 klaget en mann fra Taos over at Fray Nicolas Hidalgo hadde "vridd [penisen hans] så hardt at den brakk i to".)

For ikke å nevne de talløse massakrene der kvinner og små barn ble myrdet på de mest brutale vis. Deler av boken kan nok være utfordrende lesning for sarte sjeler. Denne måten å spre kristendommen på kan vi for øvrig og kjenne igjen fra kongesagaene, om de kristne Olav-er som ofte drepte de som ikke ville konvertere, akkurat som Jesus forkynnet ("Kongen bød dem alle å la seg kristne. Men de som sa seg imot, lot han enten drepe eller pine hårdt,
og noen lot han jage fra landet.")

Wilson gir og en informativ og detaljert innsikt i hvordan den amerikanske staten la til rette for at nybyggere skulle kunne fortrenge indianerne videre, uten at de selv måtte påta seg noe moralsk ansvar.

Georgia nølte ikke med å følge hintet. De høylytte kravene gull på cherokesisk territorium tidligere samme år, og allerede om indiansk jord var blitt enda kraftigere da det ble oppdaget for Jacksons innsettelse vedtok delstatsforsamlingen å utvide sin jurisdiksjon til også å omfatte de innfødte amerikanerne som bodde innenfor delstatsgrensene. Cherokesernasjonen skulle måles opp og deles inn i "jordparseller" og "gullparseller", som så skulle fordeles blant Georgias borgere i et offentlig lotteri. Hver cherokeserfamilie hadde i teorien rett til en eiendom på 640 mål, men det ble ikke gitt noen eiendomsskjøter, og indianere som motsatte seg inndragelsen av eiendommen sin, ble summarisk fengslet. Samtidig gjorde delstaten det ulovlig for en indianer å vitne mot en "hvit" i retten; dermed oppfordret den faktisk sine borgere til å plyndre innfødte amerikanere etter forgodt-befinnende. Nasjonalrådet fikk forbud mot å møtes, bortsett fra i den hensikt å avstå jord, og "hvite" mennesker som bodde innenfor cherokesernasjonens grenser, måtte sverge en troskapsed til delstaten hvis de ikke ville tilbringe fire år i fengsel.

Vi får og statistikk og tall over situasjonen i nyere tid.

Gjennom resten av Kennedys korte presidenttid og Johnson-administrasjonens første, turbulente år gjaldt uenigheten om fremgangsmåter først og fremst det presserende spørsmålet om innfødte amerikaneres fattigdom. Det var ingen tvil om at for-holdene i de fleste indianersamfunnene var forferdelige. En rekke studier fra begynnelsen av 1960-årene avslørte at mer enn 90% av boligene deres var under enhver norm, spedbarnsdødeligheten var over dobbelt så høy som landsgjennomsnittet, sykdommer som kunne forebygges som tuberkolose, meningitt og dysenteri, forekom opptil 100 ganger så hyppig som blant befolkningen som kunne forebygges, ellers, deres gjennomsnittlige levealder var 43 år, og med arbeids-ledighetsrater på mellom 40 og 80 % var deres gjennomsnittlige familieinntekt bare på rundt 20% av deres angloamerikanske naboers.

Fortellingen om indianernes skjebne er og en fortelling om demografiske endringer (denne boken burde leses av folk på alle sider av "the great replacement"-debatten). Det er en fortelling om grådighet, kulturdominans, teknologisk overlegenhets rolle i erobring, om tilfeldigheter med store konsekvenser, og utallige menneskeskjebner.
Hvor annerledes hadde verden vært om de første kolonister i Massachusets og Virginia hadde blitt fortrengt av samlede indianerstyrker? Man kan bare spekulere.

Statistikken over blandingsekteskap gir en antydning om hvor utbredt denne prosessen er. Mens bare omkring 1 % av de hvite amerikanerne og 2% av de svarte amerikanerne gifter seg med partnere fra en annen rase, hadde over 50 % av alle gifte, inn-fødte amerikanere ikke-indianske ektefeller i 1990. Hvis denne tilbøyeligheten fortsetter, vil andelen av innfødte amerikanere som har minst 50% "indianerblod" i seg (Wheelers terskel for å være "indianer") ifølge en autoritativ beregning synke fra rundt 87% i 1980 til bare omkring 8% i 2080.

[Kirk Astroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding yet heart-breaking history of how we "colonists" have abused, tortured, killed and tried to exterminate and terminate Indians in the US. "The so-called settlement ofAmerica was a resettlement, a reoccupation of land made waste by the diseases and demoralization introduced by the newcomers." The injustices catalogued in this history are shameful.

But I had to laugh when I read this: "The United Native Americans is proud to announce that it has bought the state of Montana from the whites and is throwing it open to American Indian settlement. UNA bought Montana from three winos found wandering in Glendive. The winos promptly signed the treaty, which was written in the Northern Cheyenne language, and sold Montana for three bottles of wine, one bottle of gin, and four cases of beer."

"Commissioner of Caucasian Affairs Little Bear also announced the founding of four boarding schools to which white youngsters will be sent at the age of six. 'We want to take those white kids far away from the backward culture of their parents,' the Commissioner explained. The schools will be located on Alcatraz Island, the Florida Everglades, Point Barrow, Alaska and nearby Hong Kong."

Touché. The only light note in a tragic history of our mistreatment of Indians. And it continues today in South Dakota because of an oil pipeline.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books starts out slowly and isn't always the most readable. But it gets traction after the first couple of chapters, and is a good narrative covering Native Americans from pre-contact to the late 20th century. I particularly enjoyed the sections about the Great Plains, Southwest, and West Coast, since those are the tribes that I am most familiar with. The final chapters covering the last century are interesting as well, although one is left still wondering what the best path for the future is.

The author tries to be somewhat even-handed, giving views into the mindset of the Europeans and then Americans. But it's hard to not feel sympathetic toward the Indians, because they didn't stand a chance, and even today still suffer the effects of losing their land and their culture.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction into the histories and varied cultures of Native Americans. The author begins with what is known of the precolonial histories of tribes and moves forward through the 1990's by regions (Northeast, Southeast, New York & Ohio Valley, Great Plains, Northwest, Southwest and Far West). Included are many founding stories and quotes by Indian leaders as well opinions that reflect the views of colonists, settlers and politicians of varied persuasions. I appreciated the author's discussion of the wide variations in stories of origin and other differences among the tribes. I recommend this book.