Native Roots is an obscure little book* that delves deeply into the cultures of the native tribes of the America, from the Inuits of the far north to the Incas of South America. Author Jack Weatherford examines aspects of their lives and civilizations from diet and housing, dress and transportation, with extensive sections devoted to the ways in which European settlers incorporated native elements into their new world - particularly when it came to their diet.
Weatherford also spends time education the reader on the ways in which native languages enriched English. Here, we have everything from kayak to raccoon, igloo to tobacco. Which is to say nothing of the continent's place names. My own town, Okemos, is named for an Ojibwe chief of the same name, and like every good Michigander, learned the meaning of Gitche Gumee as a child.
Native Roots especially examines the contributions of individual Native Americans to "American" history and culture, from Pocahontas to the entirety of Henry Schoolcraft's in-laws. Although his approach is less in-depth than those of Peter Starks (Astoria) or Stephen Ambrose (Undaunted Courage) - both of whom focus less of their overall work on the contribution of the Indian guides, but go into greater detail when they do - the overall impact is far greater because Weatherford's approach is much broader and ultimately provides a better sense of the collective impact of Native Americans on "Americanizing" the continent.
As is frequently the case with non-fiction, the audience that will truly enjoy reading Native Roots is relatively s mall, but readers who love early American history, and certainly pre-United States history, should be quickly taken in.
*Native Roots was published in 1992, yet has only 22 reviews on Amazon, so I'm extrapolating here, but I don't think unfairly.
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