North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Alice B. Kehoe (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131928767 | ISBN-13: 978-0131928763 | Publication Date: September 12, 2005 | Edition: 3

For Native American courses taught in anthropology, history and Native American Studies.    This is a comprehensive and thought-provoking approach to the history of the native peoples of North America (including Mexico and Canada) and their civilizations.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A comprehensive and thought-provoking approach to the history of the native peoples of North America (including Mexico and Canada) and their civilizations -- from earliest evidence to 1990. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Written in an easy-to-read, narrative format, this volume provides the most comprehensive coverage of North American Indians from earliest evidence through 1990. It shows Indians as "a people with history" and not as primitives, covering current ideological issues and political situations including treaty rights, sovereignty, and repatriation. A must-read for anyone interested in North American Indian history. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3 edition (September 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131928767
• ISBN-13: 978-0131928763
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Check This Out, December 28, 2003

By 

Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

Recently I took an class on Native American history which used this as the textbook. Its a decent book for getting an introduction to the Nations of North America though it doesn't always go into as much detail as it could, and it tends to only focus on major events. So its nice for getting a broad picture, but not for focusing in on the finer details. As with most books on the subject, things are arranged by "culture groups" or "regions" though the opening chapter is focused on the early history, archaeology, paleo-Indians and a history of anthropology in the Americas.

From there it goes on to the Nation-states of Mexico, the Greater Southwest, the Southeast, the Northeast, the Prarie-Plains, California and the Rockies, the Pacific Northwest and the Arctic/Subarctic. Each region opens with a timeline, showing major events and focuses in on history from the archaeic periods to the modern era with a look at specific Nations thrown in. These are peppered with photographs, illustrations, maps and accounts from Native peoples themselves or looks at specific topics like Sequoyah, the Ghost Dance or peace treaties. Obviously some of these chapters are a little pressed, such as the Southwest which focuses on the ancient Hohokam, Mogollan and Anasazi civilizations alongside the Pueblos, Yumans, Yaqui, Tohono O'odham and Athapaskans (Navajo and Apache); all greatly different from one another despite living in the same "cultural area". Conversely, the chapter on the Southeast flowed more or less seemlessly through the archaeic period to the Mound Builder civilizations to the Five Civilized Nations and the Powhatan Confederacy of historic times. Closing out each chapter is a list of recommended further readings on the subject, going into further depth. I recognized some of the titles and must admit that the list is quite good.

After that it focuses in on the modern American Indian community in the United States and Canada, covering basically the whole 20th century. This is a really nice chapter, but the fact that its so small and has so much to cover really kind of irked me. Yes, I do think it was important of them to stress the pan-Indian awareness that has arisen recently, and yes the First Nations face many similar situations everywhere from the Black Hills to Nunavat to the Navajo Nation, but still each part of this continent is different and there is so much diversity that its hard to really make any general blanket statements. Even about the last 100 years. It then closes out with a short chapter on anthropology and the American Indian. This is an interesting chapter, examining things such as the languages of North America, but again a bit too short. All in all though I would have to say this was an excellent introductary text and certainly worthwhile for understanding North Americn history. Just not the best thing for particular Nations.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Account of Native American Indians, January 29, 2001

By 

T. Wisher "tlynn" (Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

This is an extremely thorough account of different American Indian tribes. This is a must have for anyone interested or studying anthropology or Native American studies. Every chapter centers on a different geographical location and the different tribes in those areas. I recommend this highly.

5.0 out of 5 stars North American Indians, February 10, 2011

By 

Jessica Petersen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

I had to read this for a class. It was really helpful and contained a TON of information. If you are interested in the history of American Indians, this is a good book.