Deerskins and Duffels: The Creek Indian Trade with Anglo-America, 1685-1815 (Indians of the Southeast) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

<DIV>Deerskins and Duffels documents the trading relationship between the Creek Indians in what is now the southeastern United States and the Anglo-American peoples who settled there. The Creeks were the largest native group in the Southeast, and through their trade alliance with the British colonies they became the dominant native power in the area.

The deerskin trade became the economic lifeblood of the Creeks after European contact. This book is the first to examine extensively the Creek side of the trade, especially the impact of commercial hunting on all aspects of Indian society. British trade is detailed here, as well: the major traders and trading companies, how goods were taken to the Indians, how the traders lived, and how trade was used as a diplomatic tool. The author also discusses trade in Indian slaves, a Creek-Anglo cooperation that resulted in the virtual destruction of the native peoples of Florida.

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About the Author

<DIV>Kathryn E. Holland Braund is an independent scholar residing in Dadeville, Alabama.</DIV>

Product Details

• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr (March 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803261268
• ISBN-13: 978-0803261266
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,317,836 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best look at indian and colonial trade, March 31, 2008

By	Lehigh History Student - See all my reviews

This book provides a unique analysis of the Creek trading economy up through the American Revolution. There have been many books on the creek that try to capture who they are as a tribe. This book seeks to understand the trading patterns that occurred and in doing provides a unique and never before seen approach to the Muscogee nation. The book is quick and easy to read and concisely covers the information relevant to trading in Creek towns. The reader not only hears about volume of trade which is seldom talked about but also a reconstruction of life in Creek towns. The book also presents what life as a trader was like in the Indian towns which are only a recent vein of scholarship still being developed. Finally this book comes closer to understanding how large the Creek Nation was based on the trading figures. Overall an excellent addition to the literature.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly and easily readable study of a complex subject., August 5, 1997

By A Customer

In "Deerskins and Duffels", Kathryn Holland Braund provides a scholarly and easily readable study of the dynamics of the trade relationship between the English and the Creek Indian Nation.

Braund delivers a good overview of the history of the Anglo-Creek trade; from its introduction in the late 17th century, its triumph against its competitors - France and Spain - in the 18th century, and its conclusion in the early 19th century with the removal of the Creeks by the American government.

Importantly, the book shows how that both the British and the Creeks benefitted from their trade relationship. South Carolina and Georgia owe their colony's success to the economic windfall from the trade. Meanwhile, the trade enabled the Creeks to become the preeminent Indian nation of the Southeast at the, sometimes catastrophic, cost of neighboring tribes.

"Deerskins and Duffels" gives an interesting look into the life and business activities of the frontier Indian trader. However, the book's greatest value is its well-researched examination of the Creeks as consumers and how their Nation's demand for goods caused them to create a massive commercial deer harvesting enterprise.

Braund has written a fully documented textbook on the subject of Anglo-Creek trade; but, she has relayed the information in such a way that both the scholar and the casual reader will be well satisfied for having read it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for researching the Creek tribe of Alabama., November 5, 2008

By	Joseph C. Zagst - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I highly recommend this book for anyone researching the deerskin trade in the southeast, especially where the Creeks of Alabama are concerned.