Monacans and Miners: Native American and Coal Mining Communities in Appalachia [Hardcover]

Samuel R. Cook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

Monacans and Miners sheds new light on the indigenous and immigrant communities of southern Appalachia by comparing the political, economic, and social experiences of the Monacans, a historically significant Native American group in Amherst County, Virginia, with those of Scottish and Irish settlers who made their home in Wyoming County, West Virginia, in the late eighteenth century.

The Monacans are the descendants of a powerful people who both fought and traded with the Powhatan Indians. As a tide of English settlers swept through Virginia and continued west, some Monacans took refuge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. For the next few centuries the Monacans, like some other Native American groups in the Southeast, were legally classified as black and not permitted to vote or hold office. Many were also forced into indentured servitude, laboring in apple orchards for large landowners. Recent decades have witnessed a dramatic resurgence of Monacan ethnic and political identity and independence. They have won legal recognition as a tribe, collaborated with local universities to document their history, and worked to create a tribal museum. Samuel R. Cook tells the story of the Monacans in a uniquely comparative way. Their changing fortunes and relationships with outsiders are juxtaposed with the experiences of Scottish and Irish settlers in rural Wyoming County, West Virginia, a region now dominated by the coal industry.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Samuel R. Cook is an adjunct professor in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 337 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803215053
• ISBN-13: 978-0803215054
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Insights, July 16, 2007

By 

D. R. Chance - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monacans and Miners: Native American and Coal Mining Communities in Appalachia (Paperback)

Well written and researched book. Reading this book not only helps one understand the history of Monacan Indian nation but provides another window into understanding American history - especially from another perspective. Seeing references to some of my ancestors only heightened the joy of the read. This book is a great read for anyone desiring to broaden their own understanding of the period, the era and the people of colonial America.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing a Shadowed Era to Light, November 10, 2010

By 

User - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monacans and Miners: Native American and Coal Mining Communities in Appalachia (Paperback)

Professor Samuel Cook has produced a significant and respectful study of the Monacan Indians of piedmont Virginia in comparison to people of European descent who settled in Wyoming County, West Virginia. His book examines how each community evolved in response to political and economic forces like the dominance of outside capitalist ventures on West Virginia coal mining and in this case, on Wyoming County residents' lives and welfare.

There are important human stories in how the Monacans and the Wyoming County residents responded to these factors, and each case study gains from Professor Cook's comparisons. For students of American Indian history and Virginia history, this book excels in describing early European interactions and the onset of colonial oppression for Native peoples of the piedmont; typically, historical accounts and textbooks center on English-Native interactions in Jamestown and the coastal plain.

He also brings that history forward. In modern times, there is even less knowledge and understanding of race relations in 20th-century Virginia before the Civil Rights era, particularly the harsh treatment Virginia Indian people received as a result of the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. This punitive law and others essentially stripped away their rights as citizens and as Indians. Professor Cook describes the deep injustices Monacan Indians and all Virginia Indians experienced as a target of racial oppression. Through his writing and the words of the people he interviews, we learn that this terrible era forged new bonds of community and agency within the Monacan Indian community. They have become strong advocates for Native agency and education and for the cultural preservation of their history. I recommend this book highly for its information and insights.