Just Finished Reading: North American Indians – A Very Short Introduction by Theda Perdue and Michael D Green (FP: 2010) [130pp] 

As with some of the previous VSI books I’ve been reading recently, this starts American history LONG before Columbus or Plymouth Rock. The millions of indigenous peoples ‘discovered’ by Europeans in the New World had crossed over the now submerged land-bridge across the Bering Strait millennia before Columbus misinterpreted his landing zone as the ‘Indies’ although the name he gave to the local inhabitants stuck through the centuries (obviously the local tribes did not see themselves as or call themselves ‘Indians’). Being scattered across North America in a vast array of different environments with different cultures, different languages and different histories the thousands of tribes were a very diverse bunch. Some farmed, some fished, some hunted bison. Some were hierarchical patriarchies or matriarchies; others were split between male hunters and female gatherers where the female was venerated as the ultimate life giver. So, when the Europeans arrived the resulting first contacts were equally varied in their response. 

Some tribes initially welcomed the newcomers and attempted to integrate them into the existing cross-tribal structure of trade and mutual co-operation. Others quickly took offence at the Europeans crude ways and conflicts ensued. Other tribes simply ignored the feeble immigrants thinking they would either starve or leave. No response worked well, at least from the native populations point of view. Over time, at least except from the few colonies that failed spectacularly, more and still more colonists arrived and proceed to cut down trees, plant crops and expand ever outwards into ‘virgin’ land. Initial co-operation with the local Indian tribes fractured despite treaties and payments. Diseases brought across the Atlantic spread amongst the natives and, weakened greatly, they could no longer resist the seemingly unstoppable expansion into the interior. 

The story of the (almost) collapse of Native Americans post-colonisation is a well-known one and one that is repeated here. What makes it interesting is the attention to detail (impressive in such a short book) as well as the emphasis on the fact that the European invaders did not always get their way – despite their often technological and epidemiological advantages. From the very start, Native Americans used the skills they had – simple savages they were most definitely not – to gain what they could in the face of things few of them could have imagined even years before first contact. Deals were made that actually benefited both sides, battles were fought where the Indians won and won handily. But, as we know, it wasn’t enough to stem the tide. The resultant, often precipitous, decline in Native American fortunes is again well know and wasn’t really stemmed until the 1960’s.  

Told with a deep knowledge and deep understanding of the subject this is an interesting look at how the natives of a land, indeed a whole continent, responded (and still respond) to the cataclysm of European expansionism. It’s often a tragic story but one worth knowing. Recommended and more to come on this subject.