The Ioway Indians (Civilization of the American Indian) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the only book in print on the Ioway Indian tribe, originally located in Iowa, and now in two branches, one in Kansas-Nebraska and one in Oklahoma. The first edition was hardback and published in 1979; this second edition is paperback and published in 1995, with a valuable NEW section about the modern Ioway. The updated version listed here has an additional and very useful chapter that brings the book up to contemporary times.
"This account is the first extensive ethnohistory of the Ioway Indians, whose influence -- out of all proportion to their numbers -- stemmed partly from the strategic location of their homeland between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. ...Beginning with archaeological sites in northeast Iowa, Martha Royce Blaine traces Ioway history from ancient to modern times. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, French, Spanish, and English traders vied for the tribe's favor and for permission to cross their lands. The Ioways fought in the French and Indian War in New York, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, but ultimately their influence waned as they slowly lost control of their sovereignty and territory. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Ioways were separated in reservations in Nebraska, Kansas, and Indian Territory [Oklahoma]. A new preface by the author carries the story to modern times and discusses the present status of and issues concerning the Oklahoma and the Kansas and Nebraska Ioways." [From the book cover]
This is an essential book for members of the tribe, for those researching the Ioway's history and culture, and for anyone interested in the history and landscape of the American Midwest. Some have remarked the book is a bit academic in its approach rather than aimed at the popular market. I am a member of the Ioway tribe myself, and am a scholar of our language, history, archaeology, and culture, and I highly recommend it.
Every Iowa tribal member should have a copy of this book, as well as anyone else interested in Iowa history!

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Beginning with archaeological sites in northeast Iowa, Martha Royce Blaine traces Ioway history from ancient to modern times. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, French, Spanish, and English traders vied for the tribe's favor and for permission to cross their lands. The Ioways fought in the French and Indian War in New York, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, but ultimately their influence waned as they slowly lost control of their sovereignty and territory. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Ioway were separated in reservations in Nebraska, Kansas, and Indian Territory. A new preface by the author carries the story to modern times and discusses the present status of and issues concerning the Oklahoma and the Kansas and Nebraska Ioways.

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