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The Cherokees: In War and at Peace, 1670–1840
A sweeping new history reveals how the Cherokees became a nation as they navigated a century and a half of intertribal conflicts and colonial expansion that threatened their way of life.
For more than 150 years between their first encounters with the English in the 1670s and forced removal along the Trail of Tears, the Cherokees negotiated mounting pressures. As their world was convulsed by the spread of European diseases, competition for guns, furs, and deerskins, and imperial powers’ unrelenting pursuit of “savage” allies, Cherokee communities responded by creating new solidarities. At the dawn of the eighteenth century, the idea of unity among the widely dispersed Cherokees would scarcely have occurred to their leaders. A century later, chiefs would declare unequivocally that they stood for the whole Cherokee nation.
Steps toward national unity were partially a response to the exigencies of war. But while armed conflict was frequent, David Narrett shows that the bonds of Cherokee peoplehood were forged primarily through efforts to maintain peace and secure their livelihoods. The Cherokees—both men and women—were remarkably skillful diplomats who practiced peacemaking as a distinctive spiritual art in which adversaries would reconcile through a mutual and symbolic forgetting of wrongs inflicted on one another. Pragmatic, nuanced, and purposeful, Cherokees adeptly managed relationships with colonials and Indigenous rivals, seeking to preserve their independence and living space and to maximize advantages from trade.
Rich in detail and insight, and told through captivating personal stories, The Cherokees offers a portrait of the perseverance that built a nation. Amid an onslaught of struggle and change, the Cherokees became a people who survived against all odds.
For more than 150 years between their first encounters with the English in the 1670s and forced removal along the Trail of Tears, the Cherokees negotiated mounting pressures. As their world was convulsed by the spread of European diseases, competition for guns, furs, and deerskins, and imperial powers’ unrelenting pursuit of “savage” allies, Cherokee communities responded by creating new solidarities. At the dawn of the eighteenth century, the idea of unity among the widely dispersed Cherokees would scarcely have occurred to their leaders. A century later, chiefs would declare unequivocally that they stood for the whole Cherokee nation.
Steps toward national unity were partially a response to the exigencies of war. But while armed conflict was frequent, David Narrett shows that the bonds of Cherokee peoplehood were forged primarily through efforts to maintain peace and secure their livelihoods. The Cherokees—both men and women—were remarkably skillful diplomats who practiced peacemaking as a distinctive spiritual art in which adversaries would reconcile through a mutual and symbolic forgetting of wrongs inflicted on one another. Pragmatic, nuanced, and purposeful, Cherokees adeptly managed relationships with colonials and Indigenous rivals, seeking to preserve their independence and living space and to maximize advantages from trade.
Rich in detail and insight, and told through captivating personal stories, The Cherokees offers a portrait of the perseverance that built a nation. Amid an onslaught of struggle and change, the Cherokees became a people who survived against all odds.
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Published April 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 9, 2025
This is an extremely thorough history of the Cherokee Nation covering almost 200 years of increasing colonial contact. This addresses not just the history of The Cherokee, but also the Indigenous nations & confederations they traded and squabbled with. As well the colonial powers who exacerbated existing rifts between Indigenous nations to their own advantage.
This offers a rich history of everyday life in the Cherokee nation through the years. Much of this covered history I was completely unfamiliar with. I had an opportunity to learn about governance, the daily life, friendship customs, marriage customs, child rearing, clothing, hunting, home life and so much more. At times I felt a bit overwhelmed listening to this on audiobook. It's extremely long and somewhat dry in the narration. I found myself longing for a written copy which would've allowed for an immersion experience. I truly appreciated how detailed this was.
Not being already familiar with this history, I am unable to comment on it's accuracy of facts. This covered well known historical leaders as well as everyday folks and customs. The research felt solid, if a bit weighted by colonial bias. Many of the historical sources the author sites in the text are observations from various white settlers, traders and government men. I made an effort to borrow the text from the library after it was released so I could offer a more informed opinion. Unfortunately, neither my local library, Hoopla, Libby or CloudLibrary had the written version available to borrow. My local Hoopla does have the audiobook available.
I hoped to corroborate anything I misheard in the narration with the written version. With that limitation stated, I'm going to offer with my impressions on the author's tone. The tone of this felt extremely colonial. The Indigenous Peoples of the Americas were referred to throughout the narrative with the inaccurate 'Indian' term. It felt deliberate and disrespectful on the author's part. It bothered me throughout my consumption of this history. This choice was never explained. Nor was it ever acknowledged that using 'Indian' when referring to the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas is no longer the academic standard nor considered respectful. I was bothered by settlers being referred to as 'victims' of the Indigenous Peoples fighting for their supremacy on their own land during an invasion that has never ended. The Cherokee were not themselves really acknowledged as the victims of colonization and the related settler violence. Which is inaccurate, uncomfortable, and made this text feel dated.
This audiobook is read by DeLanna Studi. I honestly found the narration a bit boring. In the narrators defense, this was a dense historical text and a bit dry in places. Perhaps this narraror is new to nonfiction or historical narration. I would definitely recommend the printed or ebook over the audiobook for this.
Thank you to David Narrett, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
This offers a rich history of everyday life in the Cherokee nation through the years. Much of this covered history I was completely unfamiliar with. I had an opportunity to learn about governance, the daily life, friendship customs, marriage customs, child rearing, clothing, hunting, home life and so much more. At times I felt a bit overwhelmed listening to this on audiobook. It's extremely long and somewhat dry in the narration. I found myself longing for a written copy which would've allowed for an immersion experience. I truly appreciated how detailed this was.
Not being already familiar with this history, I am unable to comment on it's accuracy of facts. This covered well known historical leaders as well as everyday folks and customs. The research felt solid, if a bit weighted by colonial bias. Many of the historical sources the author sites in the text are observations from various white settlers, traders and government men. I made an effort to borrow the text from the library after it was released so I could offer a more informed opinion. Unfortunately, neither my local library, Hoopla, Libby or CloudLibrary had the written version available to borrow. My local Hoopla does have the audiobook available.
I hoped to corroborate anything I misheard in the narration with the written version. With that limitation stated, I'm going to offer with my impressions on the author's tone. The tone of this felt extremely colonial. The Indigenous Peoples of the Americas were referred to throughout the narrative with the inaccurate 'Indian' term. It felt deliberate and disrespectful on the author's part. It bothered me throughout my consumption of this history. This choice was never explained. Nor was it ever acknowledged that using 'Indian' when referring to the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas is no longer the academic standard nor considered respectful. I was bothered by settlers being referred to as 'victims' of the Indigenous Peoples fighting for their supremacy on their own land during an invasion that has never ended. The Cherokee were not themselves really acknowledged as the victims of colonization and the related settler violence. Which is inaccurate, uncomfortable, and made this text feel dated.
This audiobook is read by DeLanna Studi. I honestly found the narration a bit boring. In the narrators defense, this was a dense historical text and a bit dry in places. Perhaps this narraror is new to nonfiction or historical narration. I would definitely recommend the printed or ebook over the audiobook for this.
Thank you to David Narrett, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
April 22, 2025
WHEW!
This book was A LOT! And before you decide to skip it, let me explain that I don't mean that as a bad thing. If you're looking for a comprehensive history of the Cherokee people from the late 1600's to 1840, this book IS IT. It covers nearly 200 years of the Cherokees' interactions with the colonizers -- the good (what little of it there is), the bad, and the definitely ugly. It includes native on native history, as well, incorporating Cherokee meetings/battles/etc., with other indigenous peoples.
I cannot swear that everything in this book is accurate because the sheer amount of information covered is IMMENSE. I cannot imagine how long it took the author to compile the info and then for fact-checkers to check it all for accuracy. As a freelance editor myself, that is one job I probably would have turned down because the scope of it would have overwhelmed me completely.
I can say the parts of the history with which I am familiar were presented accurately and comprehensively.
The narration style can be a bit dry at times, and since the subject matter is strictly historical, it, too, can be less than "entertaining." Still, it's an important book that needed to be written AND needs to be read. If you're at all interested in the history of the colonial/indigenous struggle/relationship, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
This book was A LOT! And before you decide to skip it, let me explain that I don't mean that as a bad thing. If you're looking for a comprehensive history of the Cherokee people from the late 1600's to 1840, this book IS IT. It covers nearly 200 years of the Cherokees' interactions with the colonizers -- the good (what little of it there is), the bad, and the definitely ugly. It includes native on native history, as well, incorporating Cherokee meetings/battles/etc., with other indigenous peoples.
I cannot swear that everything in this book is accurate because the sheer amount of information covered is IMMENSE. I cannot imagine how long it took the author to compile the info and then for fact-checkers to check it all for accuracy. As a freelance editor myself, that is one job I probably would have turned down because the scope of it would have overwhelmed me completely.
I can say the parts of the history with which I am familiar were presented accurately and comprehensively.
The narration style can be a bit dry at times, and since the subject matter is strictly historical, it, too, can be less than "entertaining." Still, it's an important book that needed to be written AND needs to be read. If you're at all interested in the history of the colonial/indigenous struggle/relationship, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
December 2, 2025
I picked this up knowing I wasn't going to finish it. It's a textbook, an absolutely exhaustive examination of the Cherokee people, their culture, and the complex latticeworks of their sociopolitical engagement with both European colonizers and the Indigenous peoples around them.
It's remarkably thorough and well sourced, with nearly two hundred pages of endnotes. If I were taking a course on the Cherokee, this would be a fine text. Or perhaps it'd make good grist for one of those four hundred hour podcasts.
As it was, I read bits and bobs of it, probably about two hundred pages worth. Here, I think, is where historical biographies or recountings of particular events are more engaging. There's no narrative, no personal through line, because it's history. Just intrigues and butcheries, one after another after another.
Still and all, well done, and if this sort of thing floats your boat, it's an excellent resource.
It's remarkably thorough and well sourced, with nearly two hundred pages of endnotes. If I were taking a course on the Cherokee, this would be a fine text. Or perhaps it'd make good grist for one of those four hundred hour podcasts.
As it was, I read bits and bobs of it, probably about two hundred pages worth. Here, I think, is where historical biographies or recountings of particular events are more engaging. There's no narrative, no personal through line, because it's history. Just intrigues and butcheries, one after another after another.
Still and all, well done, and if this sort of thing floats your boat, it's an excellent resource.
November 18, 2025
Maybe someone who studies diplomacy could find some value in this, but I found it dreadfully uninteresting.
And the book’s subtitle is a bit misleading I think. The last numbered chapter ends in 1796 and the last chapter that narrates until 1840 is more of an epilogue.
Also (and this is a nitpick), when talking about the French imperial reaction to the Natchez Revolt in 1731, Narrett says that orders came from “Paris” to replace the governor of Louisiana. This would seem incorrect to me given that Louis XV presumably gave this order from Versailles, where the French capital had been since 1682 under Louis XIV.
And the book’s subtitle is a bit misleading I think. The last numbered chapter ends in 1796 and the last chapter that narrates until 1840 is more of an epilogue.
Also (and this is a nitpick), when talking about the French imperial reaction to the Natchez Revolt in 1731, Narrett says that orders came from “Paris” to replace the governor of Louisiana. This would seem incorrect to me given that Louis XV presumably gave this order from Versailles, where the French capital had been since 1682 under Louis XIV.
May 16, 2025
I picked this up because of the rich Cherokee history down in TN paired with my intrigue in history.
I was enlightened by the detailed history of a time when America was young and developing and truly at war with those on her land in the mid to late 1700s. It was painful to be reminded of the atrocities done within warring tribes and by Europeans developing as if the lands were uninhabited. There were also bits of history that were unexpected and surprising to me. That in Georgia slavery was banned for about 20 years in the 1700s. I had never heard anything like that and was googling only to find that unspoken part of American history. The history of slavery aligned with the indigenous history was saddening to say the least. I wish I could say there were so many struggles back then compared to now but the parallels in how people treat those different from them are still very “alive” today and people still struggle to stop persecuting others.
I was enlightened by the detailed history of a time when America was young and developing and truly at war with those on her land in the mid to late 1700s. It was painful to be reminded of the atrocities done within warring tribes and by Europeans developing as if the lands were uninhabited. There were also bits of history that were unexpected and surprising to me. That in Georgia slavery was banned for about 20 years in the 1700s. I had never heard anything like that and was googling only to find that unspoken part of American history. The history of slavery aligned with the indigenous history was saddening to say the least. I wish I could say there were so many struggles back then compared to now but the parallels in how people treat those different from them are still very “alive” today and people still struggle to stop persecuting others.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews