logo
Wrong email address or username
Wrong email address or username
Incorrect verification code
Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People - Elizabeth A. Fenn
Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People
by: (author)
A book that radically changes our understanding of North America before and after the arrival of EuropeansEncounters at the Heart of the World concerns the Mandan Indians, iconic Plains people whose teeming, busy towns on the upper Missouri River were for centuries at the center of the North... show more
A book that radically changes our understanding of North America before and after the arrival of EuropeansEncounters at the Heart of the World concerns the Mandan Indians, iconic Plains people whose teeming, busy towns on the upper Missouri River were for centuries at the center of the North American universe. We know of them mostly because Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1804-1805 with them, but why don't we know more? Who were they really? In this extraordinary book, Elizabeth A. Fenn retrieves their history by piecing together important new discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, geology, climatology, epidemiology, and nutritional science. Her boldly original interpretation of these diverse research findings offers us a new perspective on early American history, a new interpretation of the American past. By 1500, more than twelve thousand Mandans were established on the northern Plains, and their commercial prowess, agricultural skills, and reputation for hospitality became famous. Recent archaeological discoveries show how these Native American people thrived, and then how they collapsed. The damage wrought by imported diseases like smallpox and the havoc caused by the arrival of horses and steamboats were tragic for the Mandans, yet, as Fenn makes clear, their sense of themselves as a people with distinctive traditions endured. A riveting account of Mandan history, landscapes, and people, Fenn's narrative is enriched and enlivened not only by science and research but by her own encounters at the heart of the world.
show less
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780374535117 (0374535116)
ASIN: 0374535116
Publisher: Hill and Wang
Pages no: 480
Edition language: English
Bookstores:
Community Reviews
Chris' Fish Place
Chris' Fish Place rated it
4.0
This is one of those books where you understand why it won a prize.Odds are you've heard of the Mandan people, even if you are not aware of them. Lewis and Clark met them; it's where Sacajawea and her husband joined the group.Wein's book is a, as she calls it, a mosaic. It is not a linear history, b...
Other editions (4)
Books by Elizabeth A. Fenn
On shelves
Share this Book
Need help?