Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest

Indian Women of the Ohio River Valley, 1690-1792

By Susan Sleeper-Smith | Publisher: Omohundro Institute and UNC Press

About the book

Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest recovers the agrarian village world Indian women created in the lush lands of the Ohio Valley. Algonquian-speaking Indians living in a crescent of towns along the Wabash tributary of the Ohio were able to evade and survive the Iroquois onslaught of the seventeenth century, to absorb French traders and Indigenous refugees, to export peltry, and to harvest riparian, wetland, and terrestrial resources of every description and breathtaking richness. These prosperous Native communities frustrated French and British imperial designs, controlled the Ohio Valley, and confederated when faced with the challenge of American invasion.

By the late eighteenth century, Montreal silversmiths were sending their best work to Wabash Indian villages, Ohio Indian women were setting the fashions for Indigenous clothing, and European visitors were marveling at the sturdy homes and generous hospitality of trading entrepôts such as Miamitown. Confederacy, agrarian abundance, and nascent urbanity were, however, both too much and not enough. Kentucky settlers and American leaders—like George Washington and Henry Knox—coveted Indian lands and targeted the Indian women who worked them. Americans took women and children hostage to coerce male warriors to come to the treaty table to cede their homelands. Appalachian squatters, aspiring land barons, and ambitious generals invaded this settled agrarian world, burned crops, looted towns, and erased evidence of Ohio Indian achievement. This book restores the Ohio River valley as Native space.

Editions of Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest

Hardcover
ISBN 9781469640587
Paperback
ISBN 9781469659169
EBook
ISBN 9781469640600
EBook
ISBN 9798890852694
EBook
ISBN 9781469640594
PDF
ISBN 9798890852687

Read an Excerpt

Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest recovers the agrarian village world Indian women created in the lush lands of the Ohio Valley. Algonquian-speaking Indians living in a crescent of towns along the Wabash tributary of the Ohio were able to evade and survive the Iroquois onslaught of the seventeenth century, to absorb French traders and Indigenous refugees, to export peltry, and to harvest riparian, wetland, and terrestrial resources of every description and breathtaking richness. These prosperous Native communities frustrated French and British imperial designs, controlled the Ohio Valley, and confederated when faced with the challenge of American invasion.

By the late eighteenth century, Montreal silversmiths were sending their best work to Wabash Indian villages, Ohio Indian women were setting the fashions for Indigenous clothing, and European visitors were marveling at the sturdy homes and generous hospitality of trading entrepôts such as Miamitown. Confederacy, agrarian abundance, and nascent urbanity were, however, both too much and not enough. Kentucky settlers and American leaders—like George Washington and Henry Knox—coveted Indian lands and targeted the Indian women who worked them. Americans took women and children hostage to coerce male warriors to come to the treaty table to cede their homelands. Appalachian squatters, aspiring land barons, and ambitious generals invaded this settled agrarian world, burned crops, looted towns, and erased evidence of Ohio Indian achievement. This book restores the Ohio River valley as Native space.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest about?

Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest recovers the agrarian village world Indian women created in the lush lands of the Ohio Valley. Algonquian-speaking Indians living in a crescent of towns along the Wabash tributary of the Ohio were able to evade and survive the Iroquois onslaught of the seventeenth century, to absorb French traders and Indigenous refugees, to export peltry, and to harvest riparian, wetland, and terrestrial resources of every description and breathtaking richness. These prosperous Native communities frustrated French and British imperial designs, controlled the Ohio Valley, and confederated when faced with the challenge of American invasion.

By the late eighteenth century, Montreal silversmiths were sending their best work to Wabash Indian villages, Ohio Indian women were setting the fashions for Indigenous clothing, and European visitors were marveling at the sturdy homes and generous hospitality of trading entrepôts such as Miamitown. Confederacy, agrarian abundance, and nascent urbanity were, however, both too much and not enough. Kentucky settlers and American leaders—like George Washington and Henry Knox—coveted Indian lands and targeted the Indian women who worked them. Americans took women and children hostage to coerce male warriors to come to the treaty table to cede their homelands. Appalachian squatters, aspiring land barons, and ambitious generals invaded this settled agrarian world, burned crops, looted towns, and erased evidence of Ohio Indian achievement. This book restores the Ohio River valley as Native space.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest?

History and Archaeology > History > History: specific events and topics > Social and cultural history

Where can I read a sample of Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469640587

How long is Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest and how many pages does it have?

Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest has 376 page(s)

Is Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?

Yes it is a part of series Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and the University of North Carolina Press

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest?

Susan Sleeper-Smith

Who is the Publisher of the book Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest?

Omohundro Institute and UNC Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469640587) and paperback(ISBN 9781469659169) and ebook(ISBN 9781469640600) and ebook(ISBN 9798890852694) and ebook(ISBN 9781469640594) and pdf(ISBN 9798890852687)

Where can I buy Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest online or support local independent bookshops?

You can buy Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest from below

Where can I buy Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest?