17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The only book you need on the subject, June 11, 2003
This review is from: Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History (Civilization of the American Indian) (Paperback)
Nothing short of a dream come true for a great lakes history or indian history students. I stumbled across this book at a local college library and was hooked. This book is put together in a clear and easy to understand format and would be a jewel in anyone's collection of great lakes or indian history. The illustrations are beautiful and the maps detailing the tribal centers and distribution are numerous, clear and very detailed. Much more than a mere atlas, this work actually seems to TEACH the reader because of the friendly and easy to comprehend writing style. Why various tribes lived where they did, where the came from and where they moved to (forcibly or otherwise), relations between tribes, how they got the names they are commonly known by today, how they lived.....As you read more and more you can actually see why the large groups of Native Americans(because of old animosities, heritage, etc.) did not band together and change history how the Americans and Europens were able to dictate terms over and over as the years went on. Never before have I come across something so complete and accurate on this subject.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
TRULY A UNIQUE BOOK, April 14, 2010
This review is from: Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History (Civilization of the American Indian) (Paperback)
I am glad to see this volume is now available at a lower price. (I see my hardcover copy was purchased August 25, 1993, for the price of $76.50.) Recently doing some research work with Great Lakes Indian history gave thought to also offering a review on this volume I have had in my home library for 17 years.
Up until retirement a few years ago I had been a life long resident of Ohio, and had taken some courses in Ohio and Great Lakes history at The Ohio State University. With an interest in anthropology as a course of study at OSU had also traveled quite a bit following the local Indian tribes and trails. Had also been a member of the Ohio Historical Society. However, in spite of all this, still needed something more to give me better insight and grasp of Great Lakes and Ohio Valley Indian history.
Had purchased books from the University of Oklahoma since 1966, with hundreds resting on my shelves before coming upon this great volume. For the serious reader of Indian history focused on Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and the Ohio valley this is THE atlas book. From the part of Ohio (northwest) in which I lived our local tribes had been among others the Ottawa, Wyandot, Shawnee, Miami, and further northeast the Delaware. Ohio had seen much Indian activity up through the war of 1812, with our local cemetery at Fort Amanda, outside Lima, Ohio, having gravestones listing both military and settlers killed in those attacks. Wapakoneta, Ohio, only a few minutes drive from Lima, had once been the main council grounds for the Shawnee Indians, with Lima itself seeing much activity from both the Shawnee and Ottawa Indian tribes, with the Ottawa River running through the city of Lima itself. One area of Lima was named Shawnee with a local Shawnee high school. My father had always mentioned as fact that my great grandfather had been a friend of the Ottawa tribe with members sleeping in his house on cold nights, before proceeding in canoes on the Ottawa River the following day. He went on to say that Jake had numerous head dresses and arrow heads given him by the local Ottawa tribe.
So, after this long winded discussion I will come to the point of saying that I have seldom seen a better overall Atlas of the old Northwest Territory than this one from U of Ok.
The volume includes 33 maps from the years 1600 through 1870. Beyond the maps there are many color and colorful illustrations of people, places, and things. The book is pretty much organized date wise around the maps, with a half dozen pages starting at page 99 listing a chronology of the War of 1812 which was of great aid and interest to me when visiting areas between Lima, Kenton, and Fort Meigs at Maumee (banks of the Maumee River near Toledo, Ohio). The volume ends with a full bibliography and a dozen page Index.
Once living most of my life in a major area covered in this Atlas, I can recommend the volume to anyone having practical interest therein. Farmers in that area of northwest Ohio during plowing to this day still turn over artifacts, especially arrowheads, from this period with the flood plains still washing up valuable artifacts as well.
The only lament I have in this volume is its starting date of 1600, thereby it cannot offer any information on the glacial kame Indian activity of 10,000 years ago around Lima, or the later Hopewell and Adena Indians around Chillicothe, Ohio. Also missing is information on the mound builders of the The Great Serpent Mound near Athens, Ohio.
There are many, many sites from the early Indian period in Ohio and this volume helps in understanding them as well as locating them. For all sites of the Great Lakes area, this book has to be one of the best.
Semper Fi.
Another volume: ATLAS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN by Carl Waldman is also an excellent volume for thousands of Indian cultures.
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