Contested Territories: Native Americans and Non-Natives in the Lower Great Lakes, 1700-1850

A remarkable multifaceted history, Contested Territories examines a region that played an essential role in America'spost-revolutionary expansion - the Lower Great Lakes region,once known as the Northwest Territory. As French, English, andfinally American settlers moved westward and intersected withNative American communities, the ethnogeography of the regionchanged drastically, necessitating interactions that were notalways peaceful. Using ethnohistorical methodologies, the sevenessays presented here explore rapidly changing cultural dynamicsin the region and reconstruct in engaging detail the politicalorganization, economy, diplomacy, subsistence methods,religion, and kinship practices in play. With a focus on resistance,changing worldviews, and early forms of self-determinationamong Native Americans, Contested Territories demonstratesthe continuous interplay between actor and agency during animportant era in American history.