Native Nations: Cultures and Histories of Native North America

Combining historical background with discussion of contemporary Native nations and their living cultures, this comprehensive text introduces students to the many Indigenous peoples in North America. Organized by region to highlight cultural practices, each part covers the topography, climate, and natural resources in the area and describes the range of cultural practices and beliefs among groups. Subsequent tribe-specific chapters are devoted to different Native communities, addressing both their history and contemporary lives.

New to the Third Edition:

• New Chapter 26, ＂Contemporary Challenges＂ explores the issues facing Native communities today, including environmental crises, voting rights, residential school investigations
• New Chapter 27, ＂The Arts, Pop Culture, and Representation＂ examines contemporary Indigenous writers, musicians, and film makers as well as the challenges Indigenous peoples face with misrepresentation
• Fully revised art program with a wealth of images and maps explores different Native cultures
• Updated statistics on social and economic data as well as demographic profiles

Nancy Bonvillain received her PhD from Columbia University, Department of Anthropology, with specialties in Linguistics and Native American studies. She is currently a professor of Anthropology and Linguistics at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. She has written four textbooks in cultural anthropology, language and culture, gender studies, and Native American studies. She is also the author of 20 separate ethnographies of some Indigenous societies and has written articles dealing with aspects of Iroquoian and Mohawk languages.