IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas

by Gabrielle Tayac (Editor)

Throughout American history, people of combined African and Native American descent have often struggled for acceptance, not only from dominant cultures but also from their own communities. In this collection of twenty-seven groundbreaking essays, authors from across the Americas explore the complex personal histories and contemporary lives of people wth a dual heritage that has rarely received attention as part of the multicultural landscape.

Illustrated with seventy-five paintings, photographs, and drawings, the book brings to light an epic but little-known part of American history that speaks to present-day struggles for racial identity and understanding.

Genres: Indigenous, Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Matthew Molinaro]

one of the earlier texts on Black-Indigenous life in the Americas, appreciated the transnational approach as a point of departure rather than a side note (although I think the Antilles (esp Haiti's positioning in the broader recuperations of Indigneiety in the Caribbean)/Canada deserved slightly more scaffolding). mother Tiya Miles' chapter was my hands down favourite

[Elizabeth]

IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas (Paperback)
by Gabrielle Tayac (Editor)

[Alison]

A part of American History that you know must exist but never thought of before. Does a very good job of representing the many different aspects of these American's history.

[Trace Lara Hentz]

important chapter, important history

[Ed Fonseca]

Being that it's a collection of essays, a lot of it can get fairly repetitive. Even so, I would still highly recommend you read through all of it.

[Adrienna]

Love the photos but a ton of info can be a bore and quite a bit too take in. It took me a long time to read or look thru it.

[Kathleen Ennis]

Overall an interesting read with much historical information pertinent to understanding the complicated relationships between Indian and African American/Indian-Black peoples. Some essays are more helpful than others in that they read with a more authentic voice. Others feel less on point and sometimes information seems to be assumed rather than shown.
Believe it or not, my biggest complaint is that the introduction begins with a quote "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." attributed to Jimi Hendrix. He may or may not have said it somewhere in his life, but he was quoting it. And for a Smithsonian scholar to get this wrong is disturbing. Originally it came from William Gladstone and/or Gandhi - long before Hendrix. That just set the tone for me about the quality of the scholarship and it concerned me that for the argument of the book to be made perhaps other details we not quite on spec.

[Grace]

Tayac, a historian with the National Museum of the American Indian, documents the historical convergences and divergences of Black Americans, Native Americans, and African-Native Americans. These essays reveal instances of collaborative activism across these different groups, their clashes, and the state-sponsored and systematic discrimination of them – often under the all-encompassing legislative category of “Negro” or “Indian.” Containing discussions of archival accounts, creative works, legislation, activism, and DNA and heritage, Tayac’s collection reveals the continual struggle for Black, Native, and African-Native peoples for recognition, identity, and self-determination.

While her selected essayists spent considerable time criticizing existing scholarship and providing evidence for the indivisible links between these groups, I found they left much to be interpreted, and the stakes and future directions of this intersectional discipline need to be fully fleshed out.

[Jomanda]

A necessary book that was essential in me discovering more of my family history.