The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The Peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization (Institute of Early American History & Culture) [Paperback]

Daniel K. Richter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0807843946 | ISBN-13: 978-0807843949

Richter examines a wide range of primary documents to survey the responses of the peoples of the Iroquois League—the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Tuscaroras—to the challenges of the European colonialization of North America. He demonstrates that by the early eighteenth century a series of creative adaptations in politics and diplomacy allowed the peoples of the Longhouse to preserve their cultural autonomy in a land now dominated by foreign powers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An important book for scholars of Native history and colonial American history.

American Indian Quarterly

An outstanding contribution to the study of Iroquois history and culture.

American Indian Culture and Research Journal

This is a detailed, accurate, and convincing study of the Iroquois before 1720.

William and Mary Quarterly

Richter has made a major contribution to the literature on the Iroquois.

Journal of American History

Product Details

• Paperback: 454 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (December 14, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807843946
• ISBN-13: 978-0807843949
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Richter teaches early American History at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he also directs the McNeil Center for Early American Studies. His first book, The Ordeal of the Longhouse, won the 1993 Frederick Jackson Turner Award, Organization of American Historians and the 1993 Ray Allen Billington Prize, Organization of American Historians, and was selected a 1994 Choice Outstanding Academic Book. His Facing East from Indian Country won the 2001-02 Louis Gottschalk Prize in Eighteenth-Century History and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Masterpiece, June 27, 2000

By 

Mustafa Ates - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The Peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization (Institute of Early American History & Culture) (Paperback)

Daniel Richter, in this astonishing book, does an excellent job explaining social, political and economical aspects of the Iroquois people with strong evidence. This book is a resutl of a big reserach and Richter's dedication to the subject. I would recommend this book not only to students who need to take Native American History, but also to anyone who is interested in learning about the Iroquoi's life and their impacts on the French, the England, and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though i am not a native speaker, i really enjoyed reading this book because of Richter's plain English.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The gold standard for Iroquois, February 17, 2008

By 

Lehigh History Student (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The Peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization (Institute of Early American History & Culture) (Paperback)

The Ordeal of the Longhouse is an excellent start to gaining an understanding of how the Iroquois were affected by the onset of Europeans in their territory. This book does an excellent job of looking at Iroquoian culture and how it developed both before and after Europeans arrived. Europeans changed the cultures of all groups that they interacted with as each took on some of the characteristics of the other and the Iroquois were not exception. Richter takes great detail to play out the various council negotiations and treaty discussions that led to the formation of the five nations council in the view of the Europeans and how this affected diplomacy in the new world. The British, Dutch and French all were forced to deal with the five nations and having a book that so expertly captures their negotiations is wonderful. This is an essential study for anyone who wishes to understand colonial history. While newer books have been coming out on the subject this still remains the gold standard and one of the excellent studies on the Iroquois. A great addition to any colonial or native American historians library.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful work on the Iroquois Confederacy, February 13, 2007

By 

T. J. Arnold (Williamsport, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The Peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization (Institute of Early American History & Culture) (Paperback)

I've found this book to be both insightful and easy to understand. Though this is a well researched and referenced academic text it is accessible to the average reader, assuming an interest in the subject matter.

The Iroquois were a centerpiece of North American colonial life and I would highly suggest this book for those interested in History or Anthropology, as Dr. Richter takes broad approach to his analysis and documents cultural practices and history of interest to many disciplines.