Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Native Nations by Kathleen DuVal - Available

Native Nations

A Millennium in North America

by Kathleen DuVal
Carolina Hoyos
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
1 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 2 copies available
A magisterial history of Indigenous North America that places the power of Native nations at its center, telling their story from the rise of ancient cities more than a thousand years ago to fights for sovereignty that continue today
“A feat of both scholarship and storytelling.”—Claudio Saunt, author of Unworthy Republic
Long before the colonization of North America, Indigenous Americans built diverse civilizations and adapted to a changing world in ways that reverberated globally. And, as award-winning historian Kathleen DuVal vividly recounts, when Europeans did arrive, no civilization came to a halt because of a few wandering explorers, even when the strangers came well armed.
A millennium ago, North American cities rivaled urban centers around the world in size. Then, following a period of climate change and instability, numerous smaller nations emerged, moving away from rather than toward urbanization. From this urban past, egalitarian government structures, diplomacy, and complex economies spread across North America. So, when Europeans showed up in the sixteenth century, they encountered societies they did not understand—those having developed differently from their own—and whose power they often underestimated.
For centuries afterward, Indigenous people maintained an upper hand and used Europeans in pursuit of their own interests. In Native Nations, we see how Mohawks closely controlled trade with the Dutch—and influenced global markets—and how Quapaws manipulated French colonists. Power dynamics shifted after the American Revolution, but Indigenous people continued to command much of the continent’s land and resources. Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa forged new alliances and encouraged a controversial new definition of Native identity to attempt to wall off U.S. ambitions. The Cherokees created institutions to assert their sovereignty on the global stage, and the Kiowas used their power in the west to regulate the passage of white settlers across their territory.
In this important addition to the growing tradition of North American history centered on Indigenous nations, Kathleen DuVal shows how the definitions of power and means of exerting it shifted over time, but the sovereignty and influence of Native peoples remained a constant—and will continue far into the future.
*This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF that contains select photographs, illustrations, and maps from the book.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 9, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593821961
      • File size: 619385 KB
      • Duration: 21:30:23

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 22, 2024
      This prodigiously researched and enlightening study from University of North Carolina historian DuVal (Independence Lost) recenters the past 1,000 years of Native North American history around the political power exercised by Indigenous governments. Beginning with the civilizations that established large cities a millennium ago in the Mississippi Valley—with pyramids, castles, and major road and river systems—she explains that agricultural instability during the Little Ice Age (c. 1250) prompted a turn away from urbanization. Native governments morphed into smaller-scale, more egalitarian organizations that encouraged “shared prosperity and shared decision making.” These smaller states developed complex and advanced systems of diplomacy, economics, and governance that, DuVal argues, perplexed, intrigued, and often outmatched the first several centuries of European settlers. One fascinating example is the Mohawk government’s regulation of trade with the Dutch in the 17th century. “Hardly the passive consumers the colonial planners hoped for,” the Mohawks artificially inflated the price of furs so the Dutch could only turn a profit by paying with guns, the Mohawks’ most sought after European good. Tracing numerous Native governments across the ensuing centuries—including the 19th century’s Cherokee republic and alliance of Great Plains nations—DuVal provides a profoundly empowered history of Native America. This keen reframing will appeal to fans of David Graeber and David Wengrow’s The Dawn of Everything. (Apr.)Correction: An earlier version of this review misidentified the century in which the Cherokee republic existed.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This history of American Indigenous people sounds like a well-constructed college lecture. But that's no surprise since author Kathleen DuVal is a university professor. But Carolina Hoyos's narration is far from a dry academic recitation. Rather, she comes across as a storyteller. Her voice is smooth and easy to listen to. Her pace allows listeners to absorb the author's points effectively. For most listeners, this audiobook will be a revelation. Nearly all U.S. history books give Native people short shrift. They make it seem like these people died out after encounters with white settlers. But the truth is they didn't disappear. They were written out of U.S. history. This work does a good job of writing them back into the American historical narrative. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from September 1, 2024

      DuVal's (history, Univ. of North Carolina; Independence Lost) comprehensive latest is a thought-provoking account of the history and achievements of Indigenous peoples in North America. In this impressively researched book, DuVal focuses primarily on the contiguous United States, debunking the idea that Indigenous civilizations were destined to fall before the might of European nations. She argues that complex and mighty societies existed long before colonizers arrived, and many thrived after, even when new European neighbors fell prey to plague, famine, and conflict. Narrator Carolina Hoyos is a measured, nuanced guide through the dense hours of DuVal's work. Each chapter brims with revelations and facts. Hoyos adds enough variation to her narration to capture listeners' attention without rising into a popular history voice that risks losing vital gravitas. The breadth of the book requires repetition throughout chapters and section summaries to highlight important ideas. Hoyos's similar delivery of these pieces feels almost like an underline for key passages, enhancing what might otherwise feel tedious. VERDICT This eye-opening challenge to the traditional canon of North American history is highly recommended for any library.--Matthew Galloway

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading