Most books dealing with North American Indigenous peoples are exhaustive in coverage. They provide in-depth discussion of various culture areas which, while valuable, sometimes means that the big picture context is lost. This book offers a corrective to that trend by providing a concise, thematic overview of the key issues facing Indigenous peoples in North America, from prehistory to the present. It integrates a culture area analysis within a thematic approach, covering archaeology, traditional lifeways, the colonial era, and contemporary Indigenous culture. Muckle also explores the history of the relationship between Indigenous peoples and anthropologists with rigor and honesty. The result is a remarkably comprehensive book that provides a strong grounding for understanding Indigenous cultures in North America.

In this thoughtful book, Robert J. Muckle provides a brief, thematic overview of the key issues facing Indigenous peoples in North America from prehistory to the present.

List of Illustrations
Preface
A Note on Classification, Terminology, and Spelling
Acknowledgements

1. Situating the Indigenous Peoples of North America

2. Studying the Indigenous Peoples of North America through the Lens of Anthropology

3. Comprehending North American Archaeology

4. Studying Population, Languages, and Cultures in North America as they were at AD 1500

5. Overview of Traditional Lifeways

6. Understanding the Colonial Experience

7. Contemporary Conditions, Nation-building, and Anthropology

Epilogue: Final Comments

Appendices:

1. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
2. Excerpts from the Code of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association (2009)
3. Excerpts from the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990)
4. Excerpts from the Royal Proclamation of 1763
5. Apology for Residential Schools
6. Apology to the Native Peoples of the United States
7. Studying Indigenous Peoples of North America

Glossary
Bibliography
Index