Native America presents an infinitely surprising and fascinating deep history of the continent’s Indigenous peoples. Kenneth Feder, a leading expert on Native American history and archaeology, draws on archaeological, historical, and cultural evidence to tell the ongoing story, more than 20,000 years in the making, of an incredibly resilient and diverse mixture of peoples, revealing how they have ingeniously adapted to the many changing environments of the continent, from the Arctic to the desert Southwest.
Richly illustrated, Native America introduces close to a hundred different peoples, each with their own language, economic and social system, and religious beliefs. Here, we meet the Pequot, Tunxis, Iroquois, and Huron of the Northeast; the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, and Apache of the Southwest; the Hidatsa, Mandan, and Lakota of the Northern Plains; the Haida, Kwakiutl, Nootka, and Salish of the Northwest Coast; the Tule River and Mohave of Southern California; the Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole of the Southeast; and the Inuit and Kalaallit of the Arctic. We learn about hunters of enormous Ice Age beasts; people who raised stone toolmaking to the level of art; a Native American empire ruled by a king and queen, with a huge city at its center and colonies hundreds of miles away; a society that made the desert bloom by designing complex irrigation networks; brilliant architects who built fairy castles in sandstone cliffs; and artists who produced beautiful and moving petroglyphs and pictographs that reflect their deep thinking about history, the sacred, the land, and the sky.
Native America is not about peoples of the past, but vibrant, living ones with an epic history of genius and tenacity—a history that everyone should know.
Kenneth L. Feder is professor emeritus of anthropology at Central Connecticut State University. His books include Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, The Past in Perspective: An Introduction to Human Prehistory, and Native American Archaeology in the Parks: A Guide to Native Heritage Sites in Our National Parks and Monuments.
"It’s not hard to believe that [Feder’s] college students thoroughly enjoyed his lectures—as most readers will this fascinating book. . . . An entertaining and enlightening survey of what archaeology tells us about the first Americans."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Kenneth Feder is one of the foremost voices in North American archaeology, and Native America is insightful, respectful, important, and a pleasure to read. It belongs on the bookshelf of every American.”—Kurly Tlapoyawa (Chicano/Nawa/Mazewalli), archaeologist and cohost of the podcast Tales from Aztlantis
“Generations of students—including me—can count themselves lucky to have had their first introduction to archaeology through the works of Kenneth Feder. Native America, which introduces cutting-edge findings and conveys the deepest respect for Indigenous peoples and their cultures, continues his tradition of superb writing. His accessible tone and irreverent humor disguise the fact that this book is a master class in American archaeology. This is an essential book for anyone interested in understanding current scientific perspectives on the origins and histories of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It sets a new standard to which all anthropology writers should aspire.”—Jennifer Raff, New York Times bestselling author of Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas
“Feder tells the story of North America’s amazing archaeology with passion, humility, and humor. Native America is not just authoritative; it’s a page-turner. I highly recommend it to anyone with even the slightest interest in the continent’s archaeology. You’ll learn a lot and have fun along the way.”—Brad Lepper, curator of archaeology, Ohio History Connection
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