History of the New Hampshire Abenaki, A

by Bruce D. Heald (Unknown)

The native tribes collectively known as the Abenaki once thrived along the Granite State's great rivers. Comprised of the Penacook, Winnipesaukee, Pigwacket, Sokoki, Cowasuck, and Ossipee tribes, influences of these "men of the east'? abound even today, from the boiling of sap for maple syrup to the game of lacrosse, and even traditional corn-and-bean succotash. Historian Bruce Heald has mined, curated, and saved the real story of this land's first people. Learn unwritten laws of hospitality, respect for the aged, honesty, independence and courtesy evident among the Abenaki. Discover celebrations and innovations in the good times, and later, epidemics caused by European diseases, hostilities, and a culture's enduring legacy.

Genres: Native American

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2014

Reviews

[J.S. Graustein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Heald's book is on a topic that needs more attention than it gets. It is an overview of the first inhabitants of New Hampshire, introducing new inhabitants of the state to the history behind many of its place names. While transitions between topics is a bit rough at times, the bibliography was extensive enough to facilitate my further exploration of any topics that ended too abruptly. Dr. Heald tried to make the book an even-sided look at Abenaki history by interviewing tribal leaders and seeking out artifacts, attempting to balance out European written accounts; but due to the oral nature of historical Abenaki society, the majority of Dr. Heald's historical source material was inevitably written by those of European descent and thus skewed the "Indian Warfare" and "Indian Legends and Folklore" chapters toward the white point of view. Nevertheless, this book was an enlightening read that introduced me to the first people and first language of my new home state.

PRODUCTION NOTE: While the cover is beautiful and the photos inside are really interesting, this book needs some SERIOUS proofreading and vetting.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the authors deep knowledge of New Hampshire history. I like the many quotes from old sources.

But I have a couple major issues with the book. It reflects a very Eurocentric point of view and uses some outdated language and attitudes (even though it’s from 2014).

And it really doesn’t hang together with a narrative. It feels like the author typed up hundreds of facts he’d written on index cards and called it a book. Within a few paragraphs there may be repeated facts and the events are described out of chronological order.

It also could have benefited from more maps since he refers to very specific places.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the accurate research that makes up the content of this book. A noticed just a few minors errors the copy editor should have caught. It is a straight forward account of how Native American populations were impacted by colonization.

[Bambi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing in this is a little bit scattered, jumping from subject to subject within the same chapter. It has some interesting information, though. I found the historical information the most interesting.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of grammatical errors and misspellings, which makes me wonder how the author got a doctorate.

[Joshua Hutchinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This brief propaganda piece would more accurately be titled A History of the New Hampshire English and How the Abenaki Inconvenienced White Settlers. In this book, the writer breaks every rule of writing. Before you read this book, do not eat anything you do not wish to taste a second time.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Factual read of Native Americans in New Hampshire.