This Land Was Theirs ─ A Study of Native Americans

This Land Was Theirs: A Study of Native North Americans, Ninth Edition, examines the traditional and contemporary lifeways of twelve North American Indian tribes. Ranging from the Netsilik hunters who straddle the Arctic Circle to the Natchez farmers of the lower Mississippi River area, the tribes represent each culture area and various levels of socioeconomic complexity among Native Americans. After introductory chapters devoted to pan-tribal issues, each chapter focuses on a specific group and culture area, providing students with a detailed portrait of the geographical and cultural adaptations of that region.

As he has done for previous editions, author Wendell H. Oswalt has visited virtually all of the extant groups discussed in the text in order to ensure an accurate record of the present-day situation.

Features of the Ninth Edition
*Each chapter on an extant tribal group now includes a table with a timeline summarizing the group's ethnohistory
*Includes an expanded section on the original peopling of the Americas
*Emphasizes the major issues band and tribal governments in North America face today
*Addresses the increasingly important diamond mining industry in Canada and the Subarctic
*Includes more than 150 illustrations and chapter-opening native poems or songs
*Offers expanded coverage of the Navajo, the transcontinental railroad's impact on Indian life, and contemporary issues encountered on reservations

Provides pedagogical aids including maps of each region discussed, a glossary, a pronunciation guide, and two appendices: a guide to artifacts and a list of additional resources for further study

Wendell H. Oswalt is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at University of California, Los Angeles, where he taught for thirty-two years. His research has examined Native American cultures, with particular attention devoted to the Yupik-speaking Eskimos in southwestern Alaska and Inuit-speaking Eskimos in northern Alaska and Canada.