North American Indigenous Warfare and Ritual Violence

Despite evidence of warfare and violent conflict in pre-Columbian North America, some revisionist writers continue to argue that scholars have exaggerated the scale and scope of Native American violence. They contend that scholarly misrepresentation has denigrated indigenous peoples as "savages" when in fact they lived together in peace and harmony. In rebutting that contention, this groundbreaking book presents clear evidence--from multiple academic disciplines--that indigenous populations engaged in violent, bloody behavior long before European contact. In eleven well-documented and thoroughly researched chapters, fourteen leading scholars dispassionately describe sources and consequences of Amerindian warfare and violence, including ritual violence. Originally presented at a landmark symposium, their findings construct a convincing case that bloodshed and killing have been woven into the fabric of indigenous life in North America for many centuries. The editors argue that a failure to acknowledge the roles of warfare and violence in the lives of indigenous North Americans is itself a vestige of colonial repression--depriving native warriors of their history of armed resistance. Denying the existence of warfare and killing, they maintain, has served to define native cultures from non-native perspectives, and the way to counter such ahistorical perspectives is to let the facts speak for themselves. These essays document specific acts of Native American violence across the North American continent. Including contributions from anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, and ethnographers, they argue persuasively not only that violence existed but also that it was an important andfrequently celebrated component of Amerindian life. Whatever your own perspective may be, this is a book that cannot be ignored.Mendoza, Ruben G. is the author of 'North American Indigenous Warfare and Ritual Violence', published 2007 under ISBN 9780816525324 and ISBN 0816525323.