Descriptions of Indian peoples of the Northeast date to the Norse sagas,
centuries before permanent European settlement, and the region has been
the setting for a long history of contact, conflict, and accommodation
between natives and newcomers. The focus of an extraordinarily vital
field of scholarship, the Northeast is important both historically and
theoretically: patterns of Indian-white relations that developed there
would be replicated time and again over the course of American history.
Today the Northeast remains the locus of cultural negotiation and
controversy, with such subjects as federal recognition, gaming, land
claims, and repatriation programs giving rise to debates directly
informed by archeological and historical research of the region.
The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Northeast is a concise
and authoritative reference resource to the history and culture of the
varied indigenous peoples of the region. Encompassing the very latest
scholarship, this multifaceted volume is divided into four parts. Part I
presents an overview of the cultures and histories of Northeastern
Indian people and surveys the key scholarly questions and debates that
shape this field. Part II serves as an encyclopedia, alphabetically
listing important individuals and places of significant cultural or
historic meaning. Part III is a chronology of the major events in the
history of American Indians in the Northeast. The expertly selected
resources in Part IV include annotated lists of tribes, bibliographies,
museums and sites, published sources, Internet sites, and films that can
be easily accessed by those wishing to learn more.