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4.5
In this book, Daniel Richter explores some of the history of Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi, from the time of their "discovery of Europe" not long after 1492 to the early 1800s. Throughout, he attempts to reconstruct something of what this period was like, not for Europeans and their descendants (who were facing west, as it were), but for Indians (who were facing east). In order to get at his subject, Richter routinely attempts to read between the lines of texts produced by Euro-Americans. In addition, he exploits the findings of archaeology and listens to folklore, which sometimes lends support to unconfirmed readings of the other sorts of evidence.In Chapter 1, Richter unfolds some of the initial stories related to the expeditions of Hernando de Soto and visits of Jacques Cartier. Chapter 2 details the economic, ecological, and biological ramifications of the Indians' contact with Europeans. In Chapter 3, Richter, while facing east, takes up the biographies of Pocahontas, Kateri Tekakwitha, and "King Philip." Chapter 4 explores a methodological question that is basic to his approach: How should historians read and interpret documents in order to get at the thoughts, interests, and motivations of Indians? In Chapter 5, while following a chronological progression, Richter now enters the eighteenth century, imagining the view from the east of an Atlantic Imperial World. Coming into the era of the American Revolution and its aftermath, Chapter 6 focuses on the year 1763, the time of Pontiac's Rebellion and Paxton Boys affair. That date and those events, says Richter, marked the end of a long era when Native- and Euro-American power was much more balanced. The Epilogue takes its title from a historical lecture delivered by "William Apess, a Pequot": Eulogy on King Philip. Here, Richter cites this nineteenth century lecture, which compares favorably King Philip to George Washington, and the Indians' cause to the American Revolution, as an early example of facing east.There are at least two reasons why some readers may not like this book. First, although the research behind it is impeccable, its method is exploratory, experimental. Nowhere does Richter pretend to give the final word about anything he's discussing. This isn't straight performance of a long, classic piece. It's more like several short pieces of jazz. Second, what seems clear to me is that the chapters of this book were written at different times, with breaks in between. Consequently, the chapters, though closely related, read like a series of stand-alone explorations.I gave this book five stars because, as I see it, this is the work of a disciplined historian who does not shy away from the creative, imaginative character of his craft. Facing East from Indian Country is the product of hard work and a bit of courage. I can't help admiring that.
