Customer Reviews

Killing the White Man's Indian: Reinventing Native Americans at the End of the Twentieth Century

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As a Caucasian who lived on two South Dakota Indian Reservations (Rosebud and Cheyenne) as a child, and whose father was an Indian Agent, I approached this book with some trepidation. However, Fergus Bordewich has crafted one of the most studious, readable and important books ever written on this subject. His research is exhaustive, yet related in a way which is entertaining and informative at the same time. There is grist for thought for anyone who has ever had an opinion on how the "Indian Problem" ought to be solved. This will be painful at times to proponents on all sides, as Bordewich's carefully balanced research points outs mistakes and avarice, both willful and accidental, by many. His conclusions will not be universally accepted, as many of his proposals are sure to be viewed with suspicion by one side or the other. Particularly noteworthy are his thoughts on "sovereignty." He points out that the Native American's general view of sovereignty does not match the definition, and fails to recognize that true sovereignty means total independence from the existing US government. This book is recommended for any student who is doing serious research about any aspect of the Native American in contemporary America. This book also is just plain good reading for anyone with an interest in how Native Americans have reached their current position in the American society.

In my library I have over 100 books dealing the with the American West and especially American Indian history. Original journals and histories written by such as Charles Willard Schultz and George Caitlin and Fr. DeSmet have made me crave a modern, no nonsense, unsentimentilized non New Age study re the American Indian. Bordewich's book is one of the best. I wish Hollywood and others who portray the American Indian would read it. I think the American Indian who reads it would learn a great deal about their own history. I know I did. This is not a book for those with preconceived notions garnered from watching "Dances with Wolves." This is a book for those who are searching for the truth. Well written, and well thought out,it needs to be on the shelf of every student of American Indian history.

Bordewich's study of contemporary Indian politics stands out from the usual polemics, presenting humanity instead of stereotypes. More importantly, it focuses on the present and future of native Americans, not just the past, and does justice to the complexity and diversity of American Indian tribes. Borderwich's book was obviously a labor of love. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the most important issues and questions facing Indians and non-Indian Americans alike.

This book is significant because of the proposition that a new narrative is developing about American Indians/Native Americans in the United States. Dramatic changes are occurring in Indian Country in the 21st Century and the very question of what it means to be an American Indian in this new century will become a more and more contested subject. As Bordewich points out in his book, Native people are intermarrying with non-Indians at an accelerated rate. Blood quantum in terms of Indian blood among many tribes is declining and tribes are lowing their blood quantum requirements (or eliminating them) for tribal membership. There is tension over this issue among some tribal groups already and this will increase in the decades ahead. As of the 1990 US Census, two-thirds of Indian people lived in urban areas. This trend continues as younger, and well educated, tribal members move to urban areas for employment opportunities. These are simple facts and they serve to point out that a new narrative of the American Indian is developing. Bordewich deals with these issues and many more, and that is why his book important to read if the reader wants to go beyond the old romantic view of Native Americans.

The older narrative that became popular during the 1960s and 1970s was based upon terms such as exploitation, oppression, resistance, liberation as Indian people struggled to preserve their tribal identities and develop a sense of nationalism. Tribal identities were revitalized through Indian activism and the self-determination of tribal governments. But, success brings new challenges and this is what Bordewich speaks to in this book. The author also mentions casinos, but didn't really anticipate their impact when he wrote this book well over ten years ago. The growth of casinos has been phenomenal since Bordewich wrote this book, and their development may have more to do with the public perception of a new Indian identity than any of the other issues he mentions.

Read this book if you are open minded and want to learn about the new developing narrative of Indian identity. And, if you don't really think that a non-Indian like Bordewich can write authoritatively about American Indians, I recommend that you also read Paul Chaat Smith's EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT ABOUT INDIANS IS WRONG. Paul Chaat Smith is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma and a former AIM member. His book gives you his view on the development of a new narrative about American Indian identity in the 21st century. Whether some nostalgic non-Indians like it or not, Indian Country is dramatically changing, and the larger American public perception of Indian identity will eventually change with it. These are the facts.

Bordewich pretends to be dispelling stereotypes about Indian peoples, but this is just a thin disguise for his real agenda. The book is an attack against Indian sovereignty and against the existence of tribal cultures. Bordewich argues that Native peoples should just assimilate into mainstream American culture and forget about their own. Any Indian who dresses in suit and tie and embraces Bordewich's very conservative political agenda is portrayed in this book as a "good Indian". Anyone else is portrayed as a romantic blinded by stereotypes. Bordewich, however, does not have the decency to be honest about his political agenda, but tries to make his conclusions appear as the work of an impartial observer. In order to beef up his argument, he quotes many scholars out of context and completely twists their statements in an effort to give legitimacy to his conclusions. This is one of the most dishonest, sneaky books I have read in a long time.

I'm very impressed with how much investigative reporting is presented in this book: this is a serious effort to present a "today's snapshot" of Indian America.

There is no partisanship in this book; it is an effort to factually walk the current ground. And the author is rather candid about the positives and the negatives of both the U.S. government and her policies, and the various reservations. . . as well as the social and political and economic questions being generated.

A very thought-provoking book. The author smashes our old preconceptions about American Indians, but turns out a more complex and nuanced analysis of the promise and problems of 21st century Native Americans.

I disagree with the reviewer on here who thinks the author is trying to push some kind of ridiculous agenda. Although I did learn a lot that I didn't know before, it's pretty common knowledge that many reservations are poorly-run places with little to no infrastructure and utilities where the people live steeped in poverty. Is the author's idea that Native American societies should participate in modern business in order to revitalize their economies and provide for their people a racist and degrading proposition? Do you really think his arguments for overhauling badly mismanaged tribal governments in order to better service native peoples are given in the spirit of racism and deceipt?

I think shedding such a unique and supposedly sell-out perspective as his on the subject is extremely important. Sticking to an agenda of just romanticizing the lost Native world won't soon help alleviate the poverty, alcoholism and dysfunction that plagues "Indian Country" in this day and age.

"Killing the White Man's Indian" is perhaps the best book I've read on Native Americans. It treats the subject even-handedly while exploring critical issues of "Indian Country." The book is beautifully written, well researched, fairly presented, and highly informative. It is an excellent read for any student of Native Americans.

This book looks at how Native Americans are (re)constructing their communities, on their own terms. There's a lot of diversity in how various tribes are doing this, and Bordewich shows us this variety.

The author spent a lot of time on Indian reservations as a kid, for his mother was a (white) activist who worked with Native Americans. Bordewich has clearly inherited his mother's passion for justice for Native Americans. Though very sympathetic, he is also uncomfortable with much that masses as conventional wisdom among Natives and their allies today.

For example, what does it mean to identify as Eastern Band Cherokee if you and those around you have only one-fourth, or one-eighth, or one-sixteenth Cherokee blood? What is the role of genetics in establishing a community anyway? What if someone who grew up off-reservation has more Indian blood than you do but doesn't belong to the community?

To what extent should small communities defined by genetics and by heritage be given autonomy or independence from the people who live in and around them? Or even authority over them? For example, can a tribe close a white-owned liquor store on private land within a reservation's boundaries, even if most of the people who live within those boundaries are white? Why or why not?

Bordewich asks those questions, with genuine sympathy for both sides. He's also courageous enough to be honest on painful issues such as alcoholism.

In addition to talking about their relations with the white world, Bordewich examines questions of culture and politics as seen from inside Native communities, as they try to determine what it means to be Indian today. What should tribes do with the bones of their ancestors when they get them returned from museums? How do they know whether given bones are associated with their tribe or not? Does even a genetic link with a thousand-year-old civilization imply a cultural link?

Tribes have gained control of own resources. Should tribes encourage logging, mining, the construction of landfills, or (yes) casinos on their land in order to succeed in a modern, capitalist economy?

Finally, in the political realm, Bordewich writes approvingly of the many tribes who have successfully asserted their rights to govern themselves. Yet here too there are complexities. In the modern world, when tribal governments violate democratic rules or their members' civil rights, should Indians appeal to federal courts or should they try to solve the problem internally?

If you're interested in the political and cultural issues facing American Indians today, and if you want both sides of the issues so that you can make up your own mind, this is the book you want. Highly recommended.

This was a book I read for a class. It's a look at what has taken place to Native Americans in America in more modern society.