The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America

Rating:
Summary: The Earth Shall Weep for Good Scholarship
Review: "The Earth Shall Weep" is not a bad survey if one knows little of the history of the American Indians and you are especially interested in how the evil white man crushed the peace loving, non-acquisitive and gentle "children of nature." If this is what you want to learn about you could do worse than Wilson, but ultimately, this kind of one-sided history does a disservice to the reader. Every people has been victim and oppressor at one time or another, yet Wilson makes no attempt to deal with this essential fact of life. Wilson is no scholar, but merely an informed writer with a special interest in the confrontation between the Indian and the white man. His book does not even begin to approach the requirements for good historical writing and the reader is left with the impression that the Indians rarely fought with or dispaced one another. The dynamics of life on the Indian frontier are completely absent from this book as is any semblence of fairness toward white people.

This book cannot rightfully be subtitled "A History of Native America" as it is more a story of the most conspicuous examples of white people doing harm to the Indians. Surely a history of Native American should include facts about Indian life and customs other than "creation mythology." Surely, Wilson could have treated the Shawnee, Ottawas, Ojibwas, Apache, Blackfoot, Utes, and the Comanche to a page or two! But, his agenda does not include most of these peoples who evidently don't fit the profile. The dynamics of tribal life among the various peoples, one would think, are important to a "history of Native America," yet, these are almost completely absent from the work, while ample space is given to the deeds of Indian haters like John Chivington. The lives of great Indian men and women are evidently of little importance to Wilson, but the deaths of Indians at the hands of whites seem central to his narrative. Noteworthy Native Americans like Tecumseh, The Prophet, Little Turtle, Handsome Lake, Quanah Parker, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Joseph Brant Pontiac, and Sequoyah are hardly mentioned in Wilson's book, while Chato, Nana, Victorio and his exceptional sister Lozen, Manuelito, Geronimo, Cochise, Osceola, and Sacajawea are nowhere mentioned. Wilson says virtually nothing about the Hopewell, Adenas, Anazazi people, or the great Mississippi culture and its metropolis of Cahokia. Because they were not slaughtered by white men, I guess, Wilson didn't consider it necessary to include them.

A central feature of Wilson's book is the extensive use of quotation from white men who despised the Indians and thought "the only good Indian is a dead one." Wilson is not balanced or scholarly enough to realize that most Indians who hated whites and spat venom, unlike their white counterparts, did not leave a paper trail. In Wilson's world, all racism seems to flow one way. Nowhere are men like Tom Jeffords mentioned or the fact that Abraham Lincoln personally intervened to save the lives of hundreds of Indians at the conclusion of "Little Crow's War."

If you are looking for a summary of the most terrible treatment the Indian was dealt by the white man, then Wilson's book can provide you with a good start. But, if you want a genuine history of Native America, you had better look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Columbus to Collier
Review: Helen Hunt Jackson's "A Century of Dishonor," [1881] initiated a string of books by white writers attempting to impart the disaster imposed on North America's native peoples by invaders from Europe. James Wilson has taken a place in that queue with this sweeping study of how native peoples were displaced, deceived, diseased and nearly destroyed. It isn't pleasant reading, but conquest never is when told from the view of the conquered. Wilson attempts to provide a whisper of that voice with as many native peoples' accounts as he could obtain. The result vividly demonstrates the disparity of outlook between the Europeans and those they overran over the course of five centuries.

Although no attempt is made to preface the arrival of Columbus with some account of the previous life of North American native peoples, the text recounts their legends and mythology as they are encountered. Only a smattering of paleoanthropology is offered, and the "consensus" version of Native American origins is dismissed out of hand. Wilson's regional approach is a refreshing departure from the usual chronological format. However, since the focus is on the 48 contiguous States, region and chronology aren't all that distinct.

The issues are land and culture, with a seasoning of racism. The native American "used" the land while the Europeans "owned" it. Native American culture was disparate, often locked into local conditions. Europeans imported a hierarchical society and imposed it wherever they went. Since they went all across the continent, continual clashes were inevitable - and the Europeans won nearly all of them. By the end of the 19th Century, the "Indian", if not extinct, had lost the continent and nearly all culture. According to Wilson, that was precisely what the invaders intended. Where slaughter failed, assimilation could still force disappearance of the "native" from society.

Attempts to rectify, or at least ameliorate what had occurred over the years, were doomed to failure. The variety of cultures among the Indian nations made consistent policy by the federal government impossible. State government attempts, feeble at best, were worse. The closest to a rational policy for dealing with the remaining Indians in the 20th Century were due to one man - John Collier. Starting in the 1920s, Collier struggled to restore some form of the original culture of Native Americans. His programme, now referred to as the "Native New Deal," was based on his own search for a solution to world problems of the era. Years of effort were rewarded by his appointment as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. The onset of the Great Depression gave Collier ample opportunity to propagandize his cause as an alternative to the failure of the dominant culture. His efforts to achieve a form of "home rule" for the Indian population is reflected in many programmes still under consideration today. He has left a long, and generally unrecognized, legacy.

Those bemoaning the "lack of balance" in this book overlook the fact that Europeans were the invaders and despoilers. The spectrum of philosophies regarding the "Noble Savage" uniformly fail to address precisely what Wilson does here. An alien culture displaced another, native one, using whatever means necessary. It's a sad, but true, chronicle. Wilson's depiction of it makes dreary reading, but that's due to events, not his style. A fine introduction to the past relationship of conquerors and conquered, this book concludes with a realistic account of the present situation. With increasing demand for resources by the planet's most avaricious society, sustaining or restoring Indian culture is a remote ambition. The clash of cultures remains an issue, which this book clearly outlines. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Rating:
Summary: Columbus to Collier
Review: Helen Hunt Jackson's "A Century of Dishonor," [1881] initiated a string of books by white writers attempting to impart the disaster imposed on North America's native peoples by invaders from Europe. James Wilson has taken a place in that queue with this sweeping study of how native peoples were displaced, deceived, diseased and nearly destroyed. It isn't pleasant reading, but conquest never is when told from the view of the conquered. Wilson attempts to provide a whisper of that voice with as many native peoples' accounts as he could obtain. The result vividly demonstrates the disparity of outlook between the Europeans and those they overran over the course of five centuries.

Although no attempt is made to preface the arrival of Columbus with some account of the previous life of North American native peoples, the text recounts their legends and mythology as they are encountered. Only a smattering of paleoanthropology is offered, and the "consensus" version of Native American origins is dismissed out of hand. Wilson's regional approach is a refreshing departure from the usual chronological format. However, since the focus is on the 48 contiguous States, region and chronology aren't all that distinct.

The issues are land and culture, with a seasoning of racism. The native American "used" the land while the Europeans "owned" it. Native American culture was disparate, often locked into local conditions. Europeans imported a hierarchical society and imposed it wherever they went. Since they went all across the continent, continual clashes were inevitable - and the Europeans won nearly all of them. By the end of the 19th Century, the "Indian", if not extinct, had lost the continent and nearly all culture. According to Wilson, that was precisely what the invaders intended. Where slaughter failed, assimilation could still force disappearance of the "native" from society.

Attempts to rectify, or at least ameliorate what had occurred over the years, were doomed to failure. The variety of cultures among the Indian nations made consistent policy by the federal government impossible. State government attempts, feeble at best, were worse. The closest to a rational policy for dealing with the remaining Indians in the 20th Century were due to one man - John Collier. Starting in the 1920s, Collier struggled to restore some form of the original culture of Native Americans. His programme, now referred to as the "Native New Deal," was based on his own search for a solution to world problems of the era. Years of effort were rewarded by his appointment as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. The onset of the Great Depression gave Collier ample opportunity to propagandize his cause as an alternative to the failure of the dominant culture. His efforts to achieve a form of "home rule" for the Indian population is reflected in many programmes still under consideration today. He has left a long, and generally unrecognized, legacy.

Those bemoaning the "lack of balance" in this book overlook the fact that Europeans were the invaders and despoilers. The spectrum of philosophies regarding the "Noble Savage" uniformly fail to address precisely what Wilson does here. An alien culture displaced another, native one, using whatever means necessary. It's a sad, but true, chronicle. Wilson's depiction of it makes dreary reading, but that's due to events, not his style. A fine introduction to the past relationship of conquerors and conquered, this book concludes with a realistic account of the present situation. With increasing demand for resources by the planet's most avaricious society, sustaining or restoring Indian culture is a remote ambition. The clash of cultures remains an issue, which this book clearly outlines. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Rating:
Summary: The Earth Shall Weep for Good Scholarship
Review: If you are searching for a book about Native American history, this is the book for you. James Wilson's research is presented in three digestable sections: Origins, Invasion, and Internal Frontiers, with the largest body of work appearing in the central section. I recently took an 8,000 miles drive around the United States and read this book the entire month as I entered corresponding areas (such as Southwest, Far West, Great Plains, etc).

Taking Wilson's book on my trip was a smart choice because not only did I experience the sites and people he describes, but his book enabled me to also see into the past, as it were, of these Native People. Wilson's research combines oral history (which will break your heart), political history and analysis, archeology, and ethnography. Several qualities make Wilson's book different from others. First, his research is current and fairly presented. For example, he provides an overview of various theories used to explain the disappearance of the great Puebloan societies so readers can appreciate the variety of ideas and political interests of the theorists. In addition, his synthesis of Native American histories in the forms of stories (and explanation of rituals) with that of modern analyses makes this book even more valuable.

It is clear that Mr. Wilson's heart and conscience is with the Native Americans, and that, above all else, is what makes this book powerful. If it lacks anything, in my opinion, it is the addition of visual aids. A few maps and photographs would have made this text even more powerful. But if you want to read about the tragedy of evil White politics, the demise of many beautiful societies and their relationships before contact,this book holds nothing back. It is a passionate, digestable, and truthful history of the horrors inflicted (past and present)on original people. END

Rating:
Summary: Unusually thoughtful and well-written
Review: If you found this book to your liking, you should read "A New World". It was on the New York Times most Notable List for quite some time. These two books do history much justice by striping away the romanticism that has infected our educational system, and imbued it with straightforward facts and narratives. "A New World" does a better job on illustrating the mentality of both cultures by showing their greed and political manuevering. Both books should be required high school reading.

Rating:
Summary: Best one-volume overview
Review: This book offers a readable overview of the major themes in American Indian history. Although there are many things one could find to fault in this book, there is no better overview. I especially like the way the author (a white man from Britain) weaves together orthodox academic opinion with Native voices. Wilson's book deftly combines a chronological approach with organization by regions. In each region he highlights general patterns, but then focuses much of the narrative on a few representative tribal histories. Had he tried to write about all of the more than 500 tribes, nations, villages, and bands of Native North America, he would have produced an unreadable book. Instead, he selects those groups that allow him to give enough detail to keep the narrative flowing, while also emphasizing the interrelations of peoples and places that are central to the best history. Throughout the narrative, he offers long quotes from published versions of Native orature.

This book is an exceptional introduction to the history usually suppressed or misrepresented in schools and colleges. It is accessible to high school and college level readers, but can even add to the store of knowledge of experts in American Indian history. It has become the core text in many of my classes.

Rating:
Summary: A New Look at American History
Review: This book offers a true look at American history and offers more insight than the traditional books on American history whose idea of being comprehensive is starting with the history of England and the Magna Carta and only mentions the original Americans in passing. The author has a rare gift for consolidating history and for comparing and quoting other writers in order to create a well-written and coherent work.

This is first and foremost a chronological history. However, it also seeks to dispel myths and stereotypes about "Native Americans" as being the noble savage, primitive Zen masters in tune with nature, and the "Vanishing American." He shows how the Anglo society has had vacillating opinions about American Indians over the centuries. On the other hand, in his Prologue, he states, "I want to make it clear, though, that I am not setting out to reveal 'finally -- the truth behind the myth!': there is no single 'truth' to reveal, and no single 'myth' concealing it."

Other books about American Indians try to serve as an encyclopedia of documenting the various cultures as though there is a static photo in time of a group of individual cultures that was wiped away. Instead, this book is history, dynamic and alive. It tells American history from both sides and contrasts the seemingly irreconcilable viewpoints of Europeans and Native Americans.

About the only downside to this book that I have found is somewhat having the notion of "us" and "them" instead of seeing himself as part of the continuous fabric of American culture. For example he writes, "Unlike 'native' peoples in Africa and Asia, indigenous Americans have not decolonized, and we have not been forced [. . .] to see them in a fundamentally different role." It is important not to be thrown off by the incendiary title of the book. This is not a work of propaganda or a work merely cataloguing atrocities in order to evoke sympathy. Instead, it tries to be impartial and tell the way that history really happened, like it or not.

Although same may say that "the Earth Shall Weep for Good Scholarship", accusations that the book is one-sided are simply not true. It certainly does show the European and Anglo cruelty and violence, but it also does not make all the Indians seem like martyrs and saints. It mentions numerous times that Indians attacked European settlers, often as the aggressors. It also mentions the ruthless opportunism and violence caused by Pequots and their leader Wonkus.

It is true that the book does often quote vilifying passages written by European settlers showing disregard for Native Americans and lack of remorse over the attempted genocide. It's true that many of the original Americans may not have left a "paper trail" as much as the European invaders. The Shawnee Tenskwatawa is quoted as saying that the Anglo-Americans "grew from the scum of the great water, when it was troubled by an evil spirit and the froth was driven into the woods by a strong east wind. They are numerous, but I hate them." And also: "War now. War forever. War upon the living. War upon the dead; dig up their corpses from the grave; our country must give no rest to a white man's bones."

However, there is a good reason why the book makes it seem like there was more violence perpetuated by the Europeans: because it was ultimately true. To say that "Wilson is not balanced or scholarly enough" is simply false.

What make this book a great history is that it does not stop at Wounded Knee, the traditionally recognized end of the "Indian Wars". And the author points out that from the Native American perspective, "it also marks the beginning of a new struggle." Unfortunately, after Wounded Knee, the book does not describe what was going on with various tribes across various regions of the country in as much detail as previously. Instead, it focuses more on all the Federal government programs designed to assimilate the Indians, and it provides much detail about these.

It also explains the continuing conflicts between Euro-American and American Indian cultures, the struggles of those who try to consider themselves "Indians", and the clash of ideas between the "traditionals" and "progressives". It ends on a rather optimistic note, showing that the original American cultures have not been wiped out, despite all the vast number of attempts. Furthermore, culture can constantly change, and a culture changing is not the same as ceasing to exist.

Also check out Fire and Blood, A History of Mexico, by Joseph Fehrenbach.