The Wampanoag (Indians of North America)

By Laurie Weinstein-Farson

Book Overview

-- Presents comprehensive and honest accounts of the life and culture of American Indians-- Examines the issues and conflicts involving Native Americans today-- Discusses many lesser-known but equally... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 079100368X
• ISBN13: 9780791003688
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Chelsea House Publications
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.0" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 5 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Well-balanced history of the Wampanoag Indians

"The Wampanoag" (1989) is one of the books in the series "Indians of North America" issued by the Chelsea House Publishers. The 63 titles run from "The Abenaki" to "The Zuni," and are aimed at a Young Adult (YA) audience, but may be read with interest by any age group. Each of the books begins with an introduction, "Indians of North America: Conflict and Survival" by the General Editor, Frank W. Porter III which can be summarized by a quotation by John Steinbeck: "The Indians survived our open intention of wiping them out, and since the tide turned they have even weathered our good intentions toward them, which can be much more deadly." It was the Wampanoag Indians who welcomed the Pilgrims to this country and taught them how to survive New England's harsh winters, with stores of corn, squash, and beans. However, their history did not begin with the Pilgrims, but 10,000 to 12,000 years earlier when their ancestors settled on the east coast of North America. This book discusses early Indian life, before and after the glaciers retreated and the big game, e.g. mammoths disappeared. This generalized information (not specific to the Wampanoag) is derived from the archeological record. At the beginning of the 17th century, between 21,000 and 24,000 Wampanoag lived in the area we now call Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Their family, community, and religious life is described both before and after the white settlers pushed into their land. Their defeat in King Philip's War (1675-76) marked the end of their efforts to halt English settlement in their land. Wampanoag life on reservations was basically a struggle for survival. Gay Head (Martha's Vineyard) and Mashpee (Cape Code) are the two locations where the author spends the most time, from the 17th to the 20th centuries, because these Wampanoag communities survive into our times. The final chapter discusses the modern Wampanoag, and what it is like "Growing up as a Wampanoag in Today's Society." One chapter (the only part of the book with color plates) is devoted to their crafts: a fusion of "their Indian heritage with modern artistic tastes." This 96-page book adeptly balances the ancient and modern, and does not end abruptly with the Wampanoag confinement to reservations, as do many books on the history of the American Indians. I believe it succeeds in telling the entire story, impartially and well.