The Native Americans: An Illustrated HistoryDispossessed, of their ancestral homelands by successive invasions of Europeans, the first real Americans have long been cloaked in a veil of myth and legend that has hidden from us the true richness and diversity of Indian civilizations and cultures. This newly unfolding legacy represents an unparalleled body of untapped wisdom, which even now provides fresh perspectives on very modern problems. The astonishing reality of Indian history, presented here for the first time from the perspective of native Americans, will deepen our understanding of what it really means to be an American. The archaeological history of the native peoples of the Americas goes back more than 30,000 years. By the time Columbus landed in this "New" World, it was a very old world that already had seen entire civilizations rise and fall through the centuries. These linked continents were by then populated by some 75,000,000 people who spoke 2,000 distinct languages and had developed a rich diversity of separate cultures, all joined in trade by a venerable network that covered the entire northern continent. Here, in a fresh look at the Americas, is a view of this "new" world's magnificent sweep of history through the eyes of its original inhabitants. It is an inspiring story of their amazing adaptability to a challenging land, especially in the past five hundred years when native Americans were forced to cope with the introduction into their environment of the most rapacious predator they had ever faced: white European invaders. Spanning a thousand generations, from the time Ice Age man first set foot on this continent to the present, and beautifully written by five well-known authorities on Indian history andculture, this volume is lavishly illustrated with photographs, maps, and, the work of both historic and contemporary artists. |
From inside the book
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Page 17
... Europe , who were well supplied with firearms , fierce warhorses and attack dogs , steel swords , and virulent European diseases that unexpectedly but helpfully struck down whole tribes . The arrant racism introduced by the Spaniards ...
... Europe , who were well supplied with firearms , fierce warhorses and attack dogs , steel swords , and virulent European diseases that unexpectedly but helpfully struck down whole tribes . The arrant racism introduced by the Spaniards ...
Page 28
... Europe and across Asia . Now our human ances- tors could demonstrate their phenomenal adaptability to environments as diverse as tropical rain forests , temperate regions , and even near - arctic surroundings . Homo erectus populations ...
... Europe and across Asia . Now our human ances- tors could demonstrate their phenomenal adaptability to environments as diverse as tropical rain forests , temperate regions , and even near - arctic surroundings . Homo erectus populations ...
Page 137
... European diseases . Here a sixteenth - century Aztec artist shows the effects of smallpox . democratic organization of chosen , rather than hereditary , officials . Or , if a large portion of a particular town had come through the ...
... European diseases . Here a sixteenth - century Aztec artist shows the effects of smallpox . democratic organization of chosen , rather than hereditary , officials . Or , if a large portion of a particular town had come through the ...
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 14 |
BY ALVIN M JOSEPHY | 21 |
BLENDING WORLDS | 111 |
Copyright | |
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The Native Americans: An Illustrated History David H. Thomas,Jay Miller,Richard White Snippet view - 1995 |
Common terms and phrases
American American Indian animals Apache arrived attack bear became become began beliefs buffalo California called century ceremonial Cherokee chief civilization Coast colony communities continued corn created Creek cultural Dance dead developed disease early English European exchange farming father federal five followed force French groups hand horses houses human hundred hunting Huron Indian Iroquois killed Lake land language later leaders lived Mexico miles Mississippi moved named native natural Navajo needed North once OPPOSITE peace perhaps Plains plants political population Pueblo region religious remained reservation ritual River Sioux social society Spanish Standing symbolic Territory thousand throughout tion took towns trade traditional treaty tribal tribes turn United villages wanted warriors women