Indians In Yellowstone National Park [Paperback]

Joel Janetski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2002

The vast, pine-covered plateau now known as Yellowstone National Park has been lived in, traveled through, and exploited by humans for thousands of years. It is still possible to see the remnants of old camps and deep-rutted trails over which ancient peoples crossed the Park to reach the bison-rich plains.

When did humans first visit the area we now call Yellowstone?
Who lived there when the first Europeans entered the region?
What happened to the last of the early inhabitants?
How did the Nez Perce, fleeing across the northen of the newly established Park in 1877, escape U.S. troops?
How did Indians perceive the Park's geysers and hot springs?

These and other questions are answered in this popular history of the Park written by a professional archaeologist who is also a seasonal resident of West Yellowstone. Joel Janetski reconstructs past human events from archaeological evidence and historical sources to provide an engrossing story of the people who knew the area hundreds, even thousands, of years ago and who left their traces amidst the grandeur that is today's Yellowstone National Park.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

As an anthropology professor and museum director at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, Janetski is well qualified to interpret scholarly information for general readers. Here he uses historical sources to construct a clear picture of the habitation of Indian peoples in Yellowstone, selecting interesting quotes and photographs to bring his story to life. The archaeological record provides clues to life in the prehistoric era. The Nez Perc , Bannock, and Shoshone are among the historic Indian groups discussed; the events examined include their various skirmishes with the U.S. military. Originally published in 1987, this new and revised edition has been greatly expanded, with added chapters and more relevant documentation. Despite its footnotes and an obvious scholarly basis, this book is aimed at the interested lay reader and may serve as a succinct resource for the educated tourist. Recommended for libraries with an interest in the Yellowstone area. Gwen Gregory, Colorado Coll. Lib., Colorado Springs
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Joel Janetski’s new edition of The Indians of Yellowstone Park is an important and timely addition to the popular literature of the Park."—Kenneth P. Cannon, National Park Service, Midwest Archaeological Center
 

"As of this writing, hundreds—maybe thousands—of Americans are standing at airline ticket gates to fly to overseas destinations, subjecting themselves to hefty price increases because of dollar devaluation. Ask them if they've ever visited Yellowstone Park, and most shake their heads 'no.' Take their names and send them a copy of Janetski's book, not simply because it shows the historical role of Indians the Park but also its collective wonders. As one whose son worked as a chef in Yellowstone Park for seven years, I can recommend this book for reasons that may not occur to many of us. Following a massive forest fire in the Park, I was astounded to find fallen trees by the thousand lying like random matchsticks in the forest. It made sense only when I realized that it reflected nature's own rhythms and that manmade instincts to tidy it up were, at best, artificial."—www.historywire.com

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: University of Utah Press; Revised edition edition (March 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874807247
• ISBN-13: 978-0874807240
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,294,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and very accessible information., October 17, 2007

By 

Jack Gilbert (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indians In Yellowstone National Park (Paperback)

This book was a joy to read. Janetski paints such a thoroughly engaging picture of the entire Yellowstone area and it's human history that putting this book down was difficult. This is not just another story of the "popular" history of the region (ie the Plains Indian wars), nor is it wrapped-up in any particular "political" agenda. This is just a academic presentation of factual history of the nations and peoples that lived in and traveled through the Yellowstone National Park and it's region.

The entire archeological record is discussed: Paleoindians (10,000-6,000 B.C); the Archaic period (6,000 B.C. - A.D 1); Late Prehistoric (A.D. 1 - 1,500); and of course the Historic period (A.D. 1,500 to the present). The Crow, Blackfeet, Nez Perce, Paiute, and especially the Shoshone and Bannock peoples are discussed in great detail. The information about the SheepEaters (a branch of Shoshone who lived and hunted on foot amidst the grand alpine landscapes of the region) was especially informative and a subject matter that very few Americans know anything about. Another facet that is relatively unknown is the "wild" state of the park at it's inception in 1872. Many Native Americans continued to use the Yellowstone area as both a hunting ground and sanctuary even as late as the 1890's and early 1900's.

Although it's written with an academic tone, it is anything but dry. Janetski's writing style is very readable and presented in a non-scholarly manner that makes it perfect for the average reader- but it's so packed with insight and information that even well-read history buffs will find something new and exciting. This book is one of those rare gems that despite little press and media attention deserves to be in the library of everyone interested in the history of the American west.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic introduction to the historical Indians of the park, ignores contemporary issues, July 9, 2008

By 

Arthur Digbee (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Indians In Yellowstone National Park (Paperback)

This book provides a straightforward introduction to the interaction of Indians with what is now Yellowstone National Park. It begins with the land and the peoples who lived there before European contact. After this, Janetski moves to tribes from the historic period, especially the Sheepeaters (Bannock) who lived year-round in the park. Three chapters discuss Indian wars that took place, in part, on Yellowstone land, and then topics such as the Bannock Trail and the relationship between Indians and the thermal features. The book concludes with five pages on Indians and Yellowstone in the twentieth century.

Overall, Janetski gives us a basic introduction in a short, readable volume. There are no exciting story lines here, and as Sgt. Joe Friday might suggest, he gives us "just the facts." He could have written a lot more about modern relations between Indians and the park. Many tribes - - too many, in honesty - - are recognized as having traditional ties with the park. Some have played an active role in the bison brucellosis controversy as hunters or as recipients of surplus, brucellosis-free bison. The Treaty of Fort Laramie gave Indians hunting, fishing and foraging rights in the region that they lost with the creation of the national park - - some have tried to reassert those rights. There are some sacred sites in the park to which tribes have renewed access after having lost those rights for decades. Janetski does not discuss any of these contemporary issues, emphasizing instead the pageantry associated with the opening of the West Yellowstone entrance in 1925.

Those remain real issues, but Janetski prefers to see the park as Indian-free once the wars were over and there were no more permanent residents in the park. I think that's a mistake. On the historical issues, though, this book will give you a good introduction to the tribes. If you're planning a visit to Yellowstone and want a brief background book on the historic Indians, this will serve you well.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Native American Book, November 18, 2008

By 

Polly A. Puckett - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Indians In Yellowstone National Park (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book very much. It gave a lot of info on the Native Americans in Yellowstone.