Indian men hunted for meat instead of grazing domesticated animals. Indians would create utopias for game by burning the forest floor annually. By doing this, the Indians create growth of small shrubs for the animals to hide in without destroying the forest. The sustained yield of crops and animals supported the Indian lifestyle until it was disturbed by European influences. White and Cronon both use energy flow systems to explain environmental history.
Energy is easy to look at in history because man has used it and changed it throughout time.
Energy sustains life and is and ever lasting cycle.