Book Review: The Hopi

The Hopi: Native American Nations by Liz Sonneborn, consultant Tim Topper, Blastoff Discovery, Bellwether Media, Minneapolis, MN, 2024.

The Hopi are a people from Northeast Arizona.  Their history dates back at least until 1150 when the city Oraibi was established, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States.  They live in a harsh arid desert environment with springs and rain water to sustain them.  The developed a unique culture to deal with the hardship based on balance, community and peace.  They raise corn and cotton.  They weave baskets.  They gather nuts and berries and wild fruit and raise turkeys.  They built pueblos of stone and mud.  They also built kivas for religious ceremonies.  

In 1540 the Spaniars arrived looking for gold.  The Spaniards held them in subjugation for the next 140 years until Po'pay lead them in revolt in 1680.  In 1821 they became part f Mexico and in 1848 part of the United States.  In 1882 their reservation was established.  In 1894 Hope elders were imprisoned because they refused to send their children to boarding schools.  They struggled to keep their culture alive.  Children were forced by the government to Indian schools.  The Hopi peo0ple have insisted on keeping their cultre and language and have been able to do so.

Famous people of the Hopi include Po'Pay, Nampeyo who is known for pottery and Tsökahovi (Lewis) Tewanima who is a long distance runner and won a silver medal in the 1912 Olympics.

The tribe is facing problems with the left overs of now abandoned coal kines, and with the lack of water.

Book Review: The Shoshones by Liz Sonneborn

 The Shoshones by Liz Sonneborn, Native American Histories, Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis, Minn., 2007.

This book actually gives a very accurate description of the Shoshone.  I like reading about the Shoshone because I lived amongst the Western Shoshone for a couple of years.  The book starts talking of the Western Shoshone but then loses them in the last couple of chapters.  I noticed the consultants for the book were both of the Eastern Shoshone.  

There is a good map that describes the homeland of the Shoshone, the Western Shoshone went from easter Utah, through Nevada and into California.  Northern Shoshone occupied northern Utah and much of southern Idaho.  Their major reservation is now Fort Hall which is shared with the Bannock.  The Eastern Shoshone include most of western Wyoming.  They were granted reservation land along the Wind River under Chief Washakie.  

The western Shoshone traditionally had the harder life.  Food supplies were lest plentiful in the great Basin desert.  There was the possibility of catching large game, but mostly small game such as squirrels and rabbits were most plentiful.  They would also gather pine nuts, and often their winter food supply depended on how much pinyon pine nuts they could find in the autumn.  Beading and basket making were also products which could be traded or enjoyed.  

This book also mentions Sacagawea and the Lewis and Clark expedition.  Sacagawea was from the northern Shoshone groups.  There is the story of the Dann sisters of the Te Moak band of the Western Shoshone.  They were suing the federal government when I lived amongst the Shoshone.  They were trying to pursue grazing rights which was restricted by the BLM.  

Book review: The Seminole

The Seminole by Liz Sonneborn, Watts Library, A Division of Scholastic, New York, 2001.
The Seminole, in a real way are a combination of many Native Americans, and escaped slaves who fled to Florida.  They had an agricultural life style, living close to their farms to keep them safe.  They were involved in three wars against the U.S. government.  The first took place before Florida was even part of the United States.  Never the less, Andrew Jackson lead a U.S. force into Florida.  This was precipitated by plantation owner claiming the Seminole had stolen their slaves.  Jackson gained a victory, the Seminole headed south, leaving their best farm lands behind them.  Shortly after, Florida became a part of the United States when Spain sold the territory.
When Andrew Jackson became president, his goal was to remove the Seminole from Florida to the Indian territories in Oklahoma.  Many gave way and relocated.  Others refused, and this started the second Seminole War.  Osceola lead the Seminole resistance.  However at a negotiation he was captures and thrown in prison, where he would die from illness.  Cooacoochee then lead the Seminole.  Their defeat only took time, and more Seminole were sent west.  However some still refused, moving deeper into the Everglades.  There economy now became dependent on hunting as it was more difficult to raise crops.  They also ate wild plants.  Here they remained for some time, until surveyors entered the area.  Billy Bowlegs did not trust them, and attacked.  This lead to the third Seminole War, with even more being sent west, Billy Bowlegs among them.  However some stayed.  There are now two Seminole Nations, in the east and in the west.  The western Seminole had further problems.  At first they were not given territory, but later negotiated an area.  However they were torn in the Civil War.  The Seminole officially supported the Confederacy.  Some refused and traveled to Kansas to join the Union soldiers.  
Today both nations have their own governments, and economic bases including gambling.  They also include appeal to the tourist industry with museums, and in the eastern nation, alligator wrestlers.

Book Review: Amazing Native American History

Amazing Native American History, The New York Public Library,: A Book of Answers for Kids, Liz Sonneborn, A Stonesong Press Book, New York, 1999.
This book has some excellent information, but I feel it is a bit too broad to cover everything it tries to cover.  It starts with ancient Indians in the United States, including Mound Builders and cliff dwellings.  It then skips to Mexico and ancient ruins there.  It then goes through different regions of Native Americans and their history.  Unfortunately it skips the mountain region as it skips from the Plains Indians to the Southwest Indians and then the California Indians.  I like to hear about those form the intermountain area.  
My other complaint is the way it is set up, presenting a question and then answering the question.  In fact the best information I gleaned from this book was the side information in boxes.  There I learned of women warriors and artists and city populations and many other fine things.  
This book helps my continuing study of Native Americans but is a bit broad in some areas, and narrow in others. 

Book Review: The Iroquois

The Iroquois: Watts Library, by Liz Sonneborn, Scholastic, New York, 2002.

The Iroquois were an interesting people.  They are not a particular tribe, but rather a confederation of tribes, initially five and eventually six tribes—The Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Tuscarora.  These groups had been subject to wars against each other, but came together as a result of the Peacemaker.  He recruited Hiawatha to help him, and together they brought peace to the Iroquois Nations, who as a result had a time of great prosperity as well as conquest over other nations, because they were peaceful towards each other.  However they were finally defeated,  They made peace, but this did not last.  They were drawn into the French and Indian War—most of the nations fighting with the French, while the Mohawk fought with the British.  The Tuscarora joined the confederacy of tribes later, when they were defeated by settlers in the south and were forced to move North into the territory of the Iroquois. 

The revolutionary war also saw the people divided, with most fighting with the British and the Oneida and Tuscarora with the Americans.  As a result, after they war many of the traditional tribal lands were forfeited through forced treaty, or sold to settlers.  The people were continually forced west into what was known as Indian territory.  Some also migrated to Canada. 

Book Review: The Creek: Native American Histories

The Creek: Native American Histories, by: Liz Sonneborn, Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis, MN, 2007.

 

This is a very interesting history.  Original Creek towns had high walls for protection.  They built round houses, and a large hall which sometimes could hold up to 500 people.

In some ways the Creek people mirror the Cheyenne.  Their original territory was more along the coast of Georgia.  They had similar contacts with the White community.  The Northern Creek went to war against the United States, and lost a battle in which the Red Sticks (as the Northern Creek were called) were ambushed by Andrew Jackson and the U.S. troops.  Over 900 Red Stick Warriors were killed.  Their leader, William Weatherford was forced to surrender, and give up much nearly 23 million acres.

After this the Creek passed a law that whoever gave their land to the whites would be killed.  William McIntosh negotiated a treaty giving up land.  His home was surrounded and he was killed by other Creeks.  His brother lead his group of people to Oklahoma, Indian Country. 

Eventually all the Creek were forced to Indian Country, except a few which were liked by the white community.  In 1836 they had their own trip to Oklahoma, some walking, some in wagon, and some by boat. 

The Creek tried to adopt White ways.  But even after moving to Oklahoma they were not left alone.  The government forced an allotment program on them which further reduced their lands.  The Muscogee nation (their official language) now has about 70,000 people across the country.  They try to preserve their culture and language.  There is also a group of Creek in the Southeast of about 1000 who are newly recognized and have a reservation.