Native Roots: How the Indians Enriched America - Softcover

Weatherford, Jack

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0449907139 ISBN 13: 9780449907139

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1992

Synopsis

"Gracefully written . . . thoroughly researched . . . America is a banquet prepared by the Indians--who were forgotten when it was time to give thanks at the table."--St. Paul Pioneer-Express

"Well written, imagery-ridden . . . A tale of what was, what became, and what is today regarding the Indian relation to the European civilization that 'grafted' itself onto this 'ancient stem'"--Minneapolis Star Tribune

In Indian Givers, anthropologist Jack Weatherford revealed how the cultural, social, and political practices of the American Indians transformed the world. In Native Roots, Weatherford focuses on the vital role Indian civilizations have played in the making of the United States.

Conventional American history holds that the white settlers of the New World re-created the societies they had known in England, France, and Spain. But, as Weatherford so brilliantly shows, Europeans in fact grafted their civilizations onto the deep and nourishing roots of Native American customs and beliefs. Beneath the glass-and-steel skyscrapers of contemporary Manhattan lies an Indian fur-trading post. Behind the tactics of modern guerrilla warfare are the lightning-fast maneuvers of the Plains Indians. Our place names, our farming and hunting techniques, our crafts, and the very blood that flows in our veins--all derive from American Indians in ways that we consistently fail to see. In Weatherford's words, "Without understanding Native Americans, we will never know who we are today in America."

About this title

About the Author

Jack Weatherford is the New York Times bestselling author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World, The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, and The History of Money, among other acclaimed books. A specialist in tribal peoples, he was for many years a professor of anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota and now divides his time between the United States and Mongolia.

From the Back Cover

"Well written, imagery-ridden...A tale of what was, what became, and what is today regarding the Indian relation to the European civilization that 'grafted' itself onto this ancient system.'"
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
Conventional American history holds that the white settlers of the New World re-created the societies they had known in England, France, and Spain. But as anthropologist Jack Weatherford, author of INDIAN GIVERS, brilliantly shows, the Europeans actually grafted their civilization onto the deep and nourishing roots of Native American customs and beliefs. Our place names, our farming and hunting techniques, our crafts, the very blood that flows in our veins--all derive from American Indians ways that we consistently fail to see.

From the Inside Flap

ritten, imagery-ridden...A tale of what was, what became, and what is today regarding the Indian relation to the European civilization that 'grafted' itself onto this ancient system.'"
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
Conventional American history holds that the white settlers of the New World re-created the societies they had known in England, France, and Spain. But as anthropologist Jack Weatherford, author of INDIAN GIVERS, brilliantly shows, the Europeans actually grafted their civilization onto the deep and nourishing roots of Native American customs and beliefs. Our place names, our farming and hunting techniques, our crafts, the very blood that flows in our veins--all derive from American Indians ways that we consistently fail to see.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0449907139
• ISBN 13: 9780449907139
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320