They Came Here First: The Epic of the American Indian

by D'Arcy McNickle

Book Overview

Bonded Leather binding This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060802472
• ISBN13: 9780060802479
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Scholarly, Accurate Tale of American Indian & U.S.History

Born on January 18, 1904 in St. Ignatius, Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation, William D'Arcy McNickle was a novelist, author, employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, director of American Indian Development, Inc., community organizer, activist, professor of anthropology, historian, and program director of the Newberry Library Center for the History of the American Indian. He died in October of 1977- Re: The McNickle Center For American Indian History. "They Came Here First" is an astonishing accomplishment in American Indian history- the history one probably would not find in most textbooks. Much of the history came from the Indians themselves, but interestingly, a significant, accurate and comprehensive library of data is documented in the U.S. Government Indian Affairs Archives and the U.S. Congressional Record Archives from which McNickle gleaned an abundance of fascinating and enlightening "behind the scenes" records of how the U.S. dealt with Indians. Clearly, there was both empathy and distrust mixed with a sense of "Manifest Destiny" which played out in a clumsy and too often, tragedy of errors and poor judgment. We are now in the times of reconciliation and due process for a more balanced and equitable association with our Indian hosts. McNickle researched these resources extensively in his academic career and the benefits of his scholarly dedication to detail is evident in his writings. There is no other treatment of the Indian story that I know of that is as complete, scholarly and educational as this work. This book was not intended to be an indictment of the U.S. Government's treatment of Indians, although it is clear that the U.S. has a grossly checkered past in it's dealings with them and by it's own admission. Rather, this book is a beautiful historical documentation of a justifiably proud people who were as diverse in their cultural habits as the number of different tribes that existed before the Europeans came on the scene. While varied in appearance cultural habits, all of the tribes shared a profound sense of respect for the environment and a keen knowledge of stewardship for the sustainability of the natural resources they depended on. Contrast that with the lustful, greedy, exploitation of land and resources by the European's perverse habit of taking all they could grab for themselves and we see a sad story of culture clash that almost wiped-out the Indians and the habitability of the land they once occupied along with such beautiful animals as the bison, which freely roamed the plains of an open country with a plethora of resources for all. This monumental book should be read by all students of Indian and U.S. history, and it has a flowing, readable style that is both interesting and educational for anyone.