Commoners, Tribute, and Chiefs: The Development of Algonquian Culture in the Potomac Valley
"When the English invaded Virginia in 1607," writes Potter, "they unwittingly settled in the midst of one of the most politically complex Indian groups along the Atlantic coast, the Algonquian speaking Powhatans." Combining historical records, ethnological studies, and archaeological survey data, Potter, a U.S. Park Service archaeologist, has written an important book about the development of Algonquian culture. He focuses on Chicacoan life, carefully traced from A.D. 200 until townsites and natives were displaced or absorbed into the fringes of English plantations in the 1640s. His work joins two recent groundbreaking books by enthnohistorian Helen C. Rountree, The Pohawtan Indians of Virginia and Pocahantas's People (Univ. of Oklahoma Pr., 1989, 1990) in reviving once "lost" Algonquian history. This is a tightly constructed work with many closely documented comparisons. Recommended for serious Native American collections.- Margaret W. Norton, Hoffman Estate H.S., Ill.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.