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The Ecological Indian: Myth and History Paperback – September 17, 2000

by Shepard Krech III (Author)

26 customer reviews

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"A good story and first-rate social science."―New York Times Book Review

The idea of the Native American living in perfect harmony with nature is one of the most cherished contemporary myths. But how truthful is this larger-than-life image? According to anthropologist Shepard Krech, the first humans in North America demonstrated all of the intelligence, self-interest, flexibility, and ability to make mistakes of human beings anywhere. As Nicholas Lemann put it in The New Yorker, "Krech is more than just a conventional-wisdom overturner; he has a serious larger point to make. . . . Concepts like ecology, waste, preservation, and even the natural (as distinct from human) world are entirely anachronistic when applied to Indians in the days before the European settlement of North America." "Offers a more complex portrait of Native American peoples, one that rejects mythologies, even those that both European and Native Americans might wish to embrace."―Washington Post

The Ecological Indian: Myth and History

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Product Details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (September 17, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393321002
ISBN-13: 978-0393321005
Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #826 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Specific Demographics > Native American Studies
- #960 in Books > Science & Math > Environment > Environmentalism
- #969 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Ecology

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Customer Reviews

3.5 out of 5 stars

5 star		31%
4 star		27%
3 star		15%
2 star		12%
1 star		15%

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Top Customer Reviews

Thought-provoking, though not perfect

By Bortukan on April 20, 2000

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

In this book, Krech sets out to contradict popular perceptions of Native Americans as perfect beings living in harmony with their environments. This doesn't sound like a very nice thing to do at first, but the author clearly states that he feels such images are not only inaccurate generalizations based on biased, outdated European stereotypes, but are dehumanizing in their suggestion that native people are "natural" animals rather than "cultural" humans. He goes on to present a number of case studies showing situations in which Native Americans were indeed cultural humans not living in perfect ecological balance with their surroundings. His treatment of the archaeological evidence is pretty thorough and unbiased. His historical case studies, while relying a bit heavily on potentially biased historic records by White settlers, remain fairly convincing examples of situations in which Native Americans were not perfect conservationists. Unfortunately, after this array of case studies it can be easy to forget that Krech's stated reasons for examining them were to present Native Americans as active human beings rather than passive stereotypes. Instead, readers can end up with a negative feeling about Native American land use practices in general or about Krech in particular, as the reviews below point out. In spite of these flaws, however, the book does raise interesting questions about how perceptions of Native Americans are constructed (both by native people themselves and by others) and about how we should approach environmental issues (including our definition of a "natural" environment) we grapple with today. His writing is clear and issues are presented in a fairly understandable way for a general audience, not just dusty academic types.Read more ›

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Mixed Bag

By E. N. Anderson on February 25, 2000

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Earlier customer reviews have tended to comment on bias. Most of the book is actually very fair, particularly the first few chapters; the treatment of Paul Martin's "Pleistocene overkill" hypothesis is exemplary. But the last couple of chapters are indeed rather biased, and read perhaps more "anti-Indian" than Dr. Krech intended. For example, Dr. Krech makes it sound as if the buffalo jump was a common, regular thing--the Indians drove a few million buffalo over a cliff every time they wanted a light lunch. Actually, archaeology and common sense both suggest that a big jump episode was rare. Try herding buffalo on foot and you'll understand. And Krech takes an extreme position in re the Indians' tendency to kill beaver; most authorities agree that beaver were more or less conserved until the white trappers got into the act. Certainly, there were lots of beaver, and not just in eastern Canada (the area he considers). Over a million beaver were trapped out of the southwestern US in the 1830s and 1840s, in spite of very dense Indian settlement then and earlier. The first 5 or 6 chapters would provoke little reasonable disagreement, but the last 2 or 3 would provoke (or are provoking) increasingly acrimonious debate among the learned. Suffice it to say that if you got the message that the Native Americans were not always models of selflessness, but were ordinary (if sensible) human beings, you're right, and this is probably what Dr. Krech intended. If you got the message that the Native Americans were bloodthirsty savages who killed wantonly, you're wrong. I hope and trust Dr. Krech did not mean that, but he does quote-at length and with apparent favor--a lot of racist 19th-century writers who did mean that.

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A much-needed perspective - important and thought-provoking, if flawed.

By Jacquelyn Gill on September 5, 2006

Format: Paperback

There is no doubt that Shepard Krech offers a much-needed volume on the subject of American Indian ecological impact, and by the end of the powerful introduction he has convinced the reader that this may well be the definitive volume on the subject. The intro is a strong and compelling case for the re-evaluation of a popular stereotype, and should itself be included in the syllabi of courses on anthropology and ecology alike. The thesis presented in The Ecological Indian is a simple one (though by no means without controversy): the traditional image of the Indian living in non-invasive harmony with the land is not only false, but in fact does a disservice to those of aboriginal heritage by perpetuating the falsehood of the primitive noble savage.

Krech's writing shines when he wears the hat of an environmental philosopher and an anthropologist, and so it is with great disappointment that I made the transition to the actual substance of the book's thesis. In some areas (particularly those more recent historically documented cases), Krech strongly underlines his case. In others, however, he falls unbelievably short where the data is almost more compelling. Most striking was the first chapter on the Pleistocene extinctions, which oddly begins the book with arguments against the human overkill hypothesis even in the face of very compelling evidence. He focuses too strongly on the mid-80's publications of Dr. Paul S. Martin, when much more recent work has come out regarding human hunting that was completely overlooked. This poor treatment weakend the impact of the powerful introduction, and was a lost opportunity for strong evidence about early human land impact.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

awesome book

Published 17 months ago by Maureen

Five Stars

Yahoo!

Published 17 months ago by blake irwin

A good read for an environmentalist or historian

The book took a very unbiased approach to native american ecology and how the stereotypes of the nature-loving indian wasn't necessarily true.

Published 20 months ago by Joseph Marchio

Here is Vine Deloria's Review of the Book [please read]

THE SPECULATIONS OF KRECH:
A review of The Ecological Indian by Vine Deloria, Jr.

From the excited, glowing reviews of The Ecological Indian I had seen I was... Read more

Published on May 5, 2014 by Harry Peters

Balanced and Demystifying

Cultural myths are good, I am Native american and I am constantly amused by the monolithic beliefs that many have concerning Native Maericna ecological practices. Read more

Published on February 24, 2014 by Beverly A. Ramsey

Purchased as a textbook

A decent read despite it being a text book, this is an informative and educational volume that shows what the people of today are only now rediscovering in many areas.

Published on January 27, 2014 by Istariel

The Ecological Indian

good read. Everyone should read this perspective of the American Indian. It may dispell or at least bring them to question their previous image of them.

Published on January 12, 2013 by james david cornwell

Intellectually Stimulating Book

The Ecological Indian is an immensely rewarding and intellectually stimulating book. Dr. Krech approaches his topic with clarity and intellectual honesty. Read more

Published on March 10, 2011 by BlackRockPoint

FASCINATING BOOK

If American Indians were so morally righteous and deeply in tune with nature, then why do the ideologues that espouse this fiction demonize tobacco? Read more

Published on January 16, 2010 by Gregory Moss

Vague and Unbalanced View of Indians in Nature

I was impressed with the documentation provided in this scholarly work, but disappointed by the author's failure to effectively synthesize the facts into a coherent and balanced... Read more

Published on May 16, 2008 by D. Reagan

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