Introduction to Native North America

In This Section:

I. Author Bio

II. Author Letter

Mark Q. Sutton began his career in anthropology in 1968.  While still in high school, he took advantage of the opportunity to participate in archaeological excavations conducted by the local Community College. He went on to earn a BA (1972), an MA (1977), and a Ph.D (1987) in anthropology.  He has worked as an archaeologist for the US Air Force, the US Bureau of Land Management, various private consulting firms, and taught at a number of community colleges and universities.  He taught at California State University, Bakersfield from 1987 to 2007 where he retired as Emeritus Professor of Anthropology.  He now works for Statistical Research, Inc. in San Diego.  Dr. Sutton works on understanding hunter-gatherer adaptations to arid environments but has also investigated entomophagy, prehistoric diet and technology, and optimal foraging theory.  Dr. Sutton has worked at more than 120 sites in North America and has published over 160 books, monographs, and papers on archaeology and anthropology.

Dear Colleague,

The purpose of this letter is to introduce you to the new edition (fourth) of my book Introduction to Native North America. Over the years, I have worked with, been associated with, and served a number of Native people from a variety of groups in California. When I took my first Indians class, my Professor was an Oglala woman and in the years since, some of my students have been Natives working on native issues. In addition, I have also spent some time in the Southwest and the Great Basin and have visited the Northwest Coast. While I have not been everywhere in North America, I have developed an appreciation for Native peoples.

I had taught the class many times before I decided to write the first edition, primarily out of my belief that I could offer a better organization and approach than the texts I had been using. The book has been successful, so its users generally seem to agree with my original thinking. The second and third editions focused primarily on fixing errors, updating sections, providing study questions, and instructor resources, which were all important improvements.

For the fourth edition, however, I focused on a major expansion of Chapter 13, Contemporary Issues. This expanded treatment came at the behest of reviewers (thank you all!) so that their students could better grasp today’s issues and problems. It was a great suggestion and I expended a great deal of energy in that effort, resulting in the fourth edition being much stronger in this area. Of course, I still worked to update the book; I added some new photographs and fixed some errors. I am very pleased with the new book.

What’s not to like? The book is well organized, clearly written, understandable, and student-friendly, if I say so myself. Even lay-people like it as a general reference. I am sure that you will find the book a great choice for you and your students. Of course, nothing is perfect and I am always open to suggestions, so please let me know what you think and how I can improve the work by emailing me at msutton@csub.edu.

Sincerely,

Mark Q. Sutton

Emeritus Professor of Anthropology

California State University, Bakersfield

Found in this section:

1. Brief Table of Contents

2. Comprehensive Table of Contents

1. Brief Table of Contents

Preface  ix

1      Introduction  1 

2      European Invasion  24

3      Native Peoples of the Arctic  44

4      Native Peoples of the Subarctic  82

5       Native Peoples of the Plateau  102

6      Native Peoples of the Northwest Coast  123

7      Native Peoples of the Great Basin  151

8         Native Peoples of California  177

9      Native Peoples of the Southwest  202

10    Native Peoples of the Plains  258

11    Native Peoples of the Northeast  298

13    Contemporary Issues  368

Other Issues  377

Internet Resources for Materials on Native Americans  378

Glossary  379

References and Suggested Readings  382

Index  404

2. Comprehensive Table of Contents

Preface  ix

1      Introduction  1 

The Geography of North America  1

Culture Areas  4

Native North Americans  5

A Brief History of Research on Native North Americans  12

SIDELIGHT: The Domesticated “Wilderness”  15

A General Prehistory of North America  16

SIDELIGHT: Weapons and Hunting Technologies  20

SIDELIGHT: The Practice of Scalping  ??

2      European Invasion  24

The Norse Discovery  24

Columbus and the Early Exploration of North America  25

European Colonies in North America  26

Governmental Policies Toward Native Americans  28

The Cultural and Biological Impacts of European Intrusion  36

SIDELIGHT: European Disease in the New World  37

The Spanish Mission System  38

The Fur Trade  41

SIDELIGHT: Native Tobacco: Then and Now  42

3      Native Peoples of the Arctic  44

Geography and Environment  46

A Basic Prehistory of the Arctic  48

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  50

A Broad Portrait of Arctic Groups  51

SIDELIGHT: Arctic Art  61

Learn More About Contemporary Arctic Peoples  62

4      Native Peoples of the Subarctic  82

Geography and Environment  82

A Basic Prehistory of the Subarctic  83

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  86

A Broad Portrait of Subarctic Groups  86

Learn More About Contemporary Subarctic Peoples  92

5      Native Peoples of the Plateau  102

Geography and Environment  102

A Basic Prehistory of the Plateau  104

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  106

A Broad Portrait of Plateau Groups  107

SIDELIGHT: The Modoc War  108

Learn More About Contemporary Plateau Peoples  112

VIP PROFILE: Chief Joseph  116

6      Native Peoples of the Northwest Coast  123

Geography and Environment  123

A Basic Prehistory of the Northwest Coast  125

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  128

A Broad Portrait of Northwest Coast Groups  129

SIDELIGHT: Art of the Northwest Coast  136

VIP PROFILE: Chief Seathl  138

Learn More About Contemporary Northwest Coast Peoples  139

7      Native Peoples of the Great Basin  151

Geography and Environment  151

A Basic Prehistory of the Great Basin  153

VIP PROFILE: Sarah Winnemucca, Northern Paiute Leader  156

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  158

A Broad Portrait of Great Basin Groups  159

SIDELIGHT: The Ghost Dance Religion  164

Learn More About Contemporary Great Basin Peoples  167

8         Native Peoples of California  177

Geography and Environment  178

A Basic Prehistory of California  178

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  182

A Broad Portrait of California Indians  182

VIP PROFILE: Ishi: “The Last Wild Indian in North America”  184

Learn More About Contemporary California Peoples  187

9      Native Peoples of the Southwest  202

Geography and Environment  203

A Basic Prehistory of the Southwest  204

VIP PROFILE: Geronimo, Apache Leader  209

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  210

A Broad Portrait of Southwestern Pueblo Groups  211

A Broad Portrait of Non-Pueblo Southwestern Groups  216

SIDELIGHT: The Myth of Don Juan  217

Learn More About Contemporary Southwestern Peoples  219

SIDELIGHT: The Navajo–Hopi Land Dispute  224

10    Native Peoples of the Plains  258

Geography and Environment  258

A Basic Prehistory of the Plains  260

VIP PROFILE: Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Leader  264

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  266

A Broad Portrait of Plains Groups  267

Learn More About Contemporary Plains Peoples  276

The Cheyenne: A Plains Case Study  277

The Pawnees: A Plains Case Study  286

11    Native Peoples of the Northeast  298

Geography and Environment  298

A Basic Prehistory of the Northeast  300

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  304

A Broad Portrait of Northeastern Groups  305

VIP PROFILE: Pocahontas  306

Learn More About Contemporary Northeastern Peoples  312

VIP PROFILE: Hiawatha  315

Geography and Environment  334

SIDELIGHT: The Development of the Seminole  340

A Brief History of Ethnographic Research  342

A Broad Portrait of Southeastern Groups  342

Learn More About Contemporary Southeastern Peoples  348

VIP PROFILE: Sequoyah: Cherokee Leader  351

13    Contemporary Issues  368

A Revival of Native Culture  369

SIDELIGHT: Visiting Native North America  370

Native American Politics  370

Tourism  376

Native American Religion  376

The Peyote Religion  376

Other Issues  377

Internet Resources for Materials on Native Americans  378

Glossary  379

References and Suggested Readings  382

Index  404

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.