Title: Indian nation
First published: 1997
Description: Indian Nation documents the contributions of Native Americans to the notion of American nationhood and to concepts of American identity at a crucial, defining time in U.S. history. Departing from previous scholarship, Cheryl Walker turns the "usual" questions on their heads, asking not how whites experienced indigenous peoples, but how Native Americans envisioned the United States as a nation.

This project unfolds a narrative of participatory resistance in which Indians themselves sought to transform the discourse of nationhood.

Walker examines the rhetoric and writings of nineteenth-century Native Americans, including William Apess, Black Hawk, George Copway, John Rollin Ridge, and Sarah Winnemucca. Demonstrating with unique detail how these authors worked to transform venerable myths and icons of American identity, Indian Nation chronicles Native American participation in the forming of an American nationalism in both published texts and speeches that were delivered throughout the United States.

Pottawattomie Chief Simon Pokagon's "The Red Man's Rebuke," an important document of Indian oratory, is published here in its entirety for the first time since 1893.
Subjects: Historiography, Ethnic relations in literature, Indian influences, Indian authors, Nationalism in literature, Literature and society, Indians of North America, Literature and anthropology, Intellectual life, History and criticism, American literature, Civilization, National characteristics, American, in literature, Indians in literature, Nationalism, 19th century, History, Literatur, Indianer, Politische Identität, Nationalbewusstsein, Indians of north america, history, American literature, history and criticism, 19th century, American literature, indian authors, Nationalism, united states, Indians of north america, culture, National characteristics, american
Places: United States
Time periods: 19th century
LC classification: PS153.I52 W35 1997